Tic Tock It's Time To Start Your Seeds

This blog is dedicated to all you gardeners who are still looking at snow on the ground and wondering when you'll get the chance to dig in to your own garden and get a little dirt under your nails.

Have you started any seeds indoors yet?  It's time! 

Reusing those nursery pots is a great way to go green in the garden!

After transplanting my new starts in the veggie plot, I had a few of those nursery pots left.  In my area, we can recycle them by taking them into Bellingham Tranfer Station at 1001 Roeder Avenue (Corner of F & Roeder Streets) M-F 8-5.  I'm sure I'll need to make a trip in there at some point this season, but why not first REUSE them.  These little 4" pots are exactly what they use at the nursery to plant seeds for starts.

I gathered my 7 little square pots along with some round ones I had left over from last year and grabbed some of my own saved seeds from last year too!  Then I grabbed my favorite potting soil and  got to work.

13 pots ready for seeds

First I filled the pots with organic potting soil and placed them in a plastic nursery tray that I had stored last year in the garden shed.

I was gifted some yummy squashes last year.

They were so great I saved some seeds for my garden!

Next I grabbed my saved seeds.  Each pot got 1 seed planted in the center.

That's alot of squashes for a small garden.  If they all germinate,

I'll pass them out amongst my gardening squash loving friends.

Then I lightly covered the seed with soil and moved the tray into a sunny window where I can watch as my new plants sprout to life. 

Doesn't look like much yet, but in time these will grow into great starts!

Now when these little seeds grow to be a few inches tall, I'll set them out to harden off and then transplant them into the garden.  By starting these seeds indoors, I'll have a headstart on my future harvest and because I've planted seeds I've saved in recycled containers, it's nearly free!  Can you imagine, free organic produce!  What a deal.  The only cost I incurred was for the potting soil and I buy that anyways. 

So if you're feeling blue, burried in snow or other harsh weather and have been feeling jealous of my early spring garden adventures, go ahead.  Start some plants indoors!  You'll feel better and your garden will be getting a head start on spring.