There is a Chinese proverb that says “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” We are going to take the second part of that saying and apply it to flowers!! Saturday, March 12th is National plant a flower day so here is your sign to go plant some flowers, you will thank yourself this summer! Bonus this is a great Saturday activity to do with kids of all ages! Or bring out your inner child and go play in the dirt yourself!!
Since spring is just around the corner and everyone is longing for that warm sunshine, flower and vegetable Seeds can be found everywhere these days - grocery stores, the dollar store, farm and garden stores. There are many beautiful varieties available that are inexpensive and super easy to germinate and grow!
Along with seeds there are seed starting supplies available many places as well, you can purchase trays or small pots at local garden centers and most big “box stores” but that is not necessary to start seeds and get beautiful flowers. Here is one super easy seed starting method utilizing stuff you have around the house!
Egg carton seed starting! I would venture to say most people buy eggs - I know personally we eat a LOT of eggs and have plenty of egg cartons laying around just waiting for a project like this! Seeds need adequate drainage so first thing cut off the top of the carton and then poke small holes in the bottom of each cell (put on a plate or tray of some kind to catch any excess water.) Any egg cartons will work - cardboard, styrofoam, or even plastic but the cardboard ones have the added benefit of being compostable and can be planted directly with the seeds or thrown into a compost pile when you are done with them.
Once you have your cartons ready, fill them with potting soil. Potting soil is best to use not just garden dirt since potting soil is created to be light enough to allow oxygen down to the roots, depening on the seeds you choose you may even want to consider a seed starting mix. The main difference is, seed starting mix is smaller and lighter particles to ensure that the tiny little seeds make contact with the actual soil and don’t sit on top of a piece of bark or other organic matter that could be found in a larger potting soil mix, where it won’t be able to properly root itself. Larger seeds like Zinnias and Marigolds will be fine in a potting mix, smaller seeds like Snapdragons or Celosia would do better with a seed starting mix.
Next read your seed packets closely to determine how to plant your flower seeds. Simple mistakes can hinder germination rates and make you feel like you have a black thumb which is often not the case! Some seeds need covered with soil (the general rule is 2x the height of the seed, usually 1/8 - 1/4” deep) but in a few cases seeds need LIGHT to germinate and simply won’t come up if buried under soil. So read your labels!
Once your seeds are planted they need to be kept warm and moist for germination - the top of a refrigerator or next to a fire or other heat source works great! Ideally you want the seeds be around 70 degrees since they will germinate the quickest and most uniformly (soil temp will be about 10 degrees cooler than the ambient room temperature). Spritz frequently with a spray bottle or cover with plastic to keep in humidity (a ziplock bag, or even regular plastic wrap works great!) you want to keep in humidity and help them to stay moist but not waterlogged.
Once your seeds start germinating the seeds need LIGHT a bright window (preferably south facing) would be fine for small number of seeds. Make sure you rotate the tray so they don’t start to lean toward the light. Your egg cartons won’t last forever since many varieties won’t get planted out until the last danger of frost has passed (May 7th here in Treasure Valley, Idaho). You don’t want your plants to get root bound, so your little sprouts start to out grow the egg carton cells they can be '“potted up” into old yogurt or sour cream containers (just make sure to poke drainage holes in the bottom so you don’t overwater and drown the baby plants you’ve worked so hard on!)
Flowers aren’t the only thing you could plant on National Plant a Flower Day, you could also try herbs (you may know I love to use in my flower bouquets!) which are both fragrant and beautiful in their own right!
Or if you want to skip the seed starting process and actually plant FLOWERS on National Plant a Flower Day there are several options of hardy bulbs and annuals that would still do well in our cold weather. But do be careful, and remember we still get cold nights and just because they are in the greenhouse doesn’t necessarily mean they can be planted into the ground outside yet. Tulips and Pansys and Violas are all very cold hardy!
Good luck with your flower projects!! Follow me on social media and tag The Dairy Barn Flower Farm if you plant a flower on National Plant a Flower Day! I would love to see your flower projects!!
