GROWING ANNUALS FROM SEED
When and where you sow seeds of annuals depends on whether the particular varieties grow best in coolness or warmth, and how long the growing season has to be for maturity and flowering. This is the basis of catalogue listings that classify annuals as hardy, half-hardy, or tender. Hardy annuals germinate best when air and soil are cool and make their best growth before hot weather sets in. Seeds are sometimes sown out of doors in autumn to germinate in early spring, or they may be sown in the garden the moment the frost is out of the ground.
Half-hardy seeds are planted outdoors where the plants are to grow, or you can give them a head start either indoors or in a hotbed or a cold frame. Plant about six weeks before the time to set them outdoors. Tender perennials grown in cold areas as annuals follow the same schedule.
Seeds of tender annuals should not be planted outdoors until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up considerably. But many tender varieties, like petunias, are slow-growing and need plenty of time to reach flowering size. These should be started indoors no later than March.
Unless you have a greenhouse or hotbed, it’s risky to start seeds too early indoors. Poor light and high temperatures will cause the seedlings to grow limp and leggy and often to topple over toward the source of the light. At transplanting time they may be so weak they will be slow getting established; thus, little time is saved after all.
But you can save several weeks by starting seeds early in a sunny window (just not too early), and you can start them even earlier in a cool greenhouse, a hotbed, or a cold frame. When we lived on Long Island we rigged up a workable substitute outside a cellar window by using discarded storm windows. In fact, since it had a brick foundation that reached below the frost line and had a heating coil in the soil, we grew many cool greenhouse plants in it during the winter. The open cellar window provided enough heat for flats of annual seedlings we propagated in it in the spring. Once these seedlings were transplanted to the garden, we dismantled our temporary greenhouse, filled the spot with topsoil, and made a flower bed. I’ve seen several small greenhouses like the one we improvised on sale commercially, one, of metal and glass, selling for less than ten dollars.
Improvised greenhouse costing $00.00 which saved author, shown in photograph, at least a hundred dollars per annum in the cost of annuals
Greenhouse construction diagram
Indoors or out, seeds germinate best in clean, sifted soil that is light and porous and drains perfectly. Add organic matter such as peat or humus to help hold moisture, and sand to aerate and insure drainage. If possible, sterilize the soil with heat or one of the special fungicides, to prevent “damp-off.” Plant seeds only to the depth of their diameter, and don’t cover dust-fine seeds at all. Keep the soil moist during the germination period and for some weeks afterward.
For several years we’ve transplanted seedlings directly into peat pots as soon as they have their first few leaves. This is a tedious job, but how it saves backache and heartache later. Indoors you can transplant while seated comfortably at a table or bench, and while listening to soft music on the radio. When the seedlings have flourished in the peat pots and it is time to put them outdoors, there is much less time spent bent double on one’s knees. And since the roots aren’t disturbed, the plants seldom suffer from transplanting shock and seldom fail to thrive.
Plants grown indoors should be hardened before they’re put out of doors for good. Every day expose them to fresh outdoor air for an increasing length of time, until they are accustomed to the cooler temperatures, particularly at night.