By Gerry McCabe

With this late starting and slow to leave winter about to fade into memory, our visions of days to come are so uplifting that even the threat of a late winter snow can’t squash the mood! After all, what would the Hellebores, Snow Drops, Crocus or the Glory of the Snow do without a the gentle coat of a soft spring snow glistening in the sparkling March sun? To every flower, is its season; to the gardener the season is Spring!

Hi, I’m Gerry McCabe and I garden in my hometown of Naugatuck. On the recommendation of my instructor and advisor, Tony Bleach, the coordinator of the landscape and horticulture program at Naugatuck Valley Community Technical College, I have been given the opportunity to guide you through the gardening seasons with this gardening column. I am by profession an LPN whose love of science led me to the medical field during the first half of my life, but my true love has always been botanical.

While I am still working for my AS degree in landscaping and horticulture, I have received my certification as a master gardener from the University of Connecticut Extension (1998) and have progressed up to president of the Naugatuck Garden Club for 1999-2001 term. My emphasis is on education and through my research and writings I hope to teach you as much as I discover.     

The “green” signal to start indoor seeds, St Patrick’s Day, has just passed, so now is the time to get busy.

Seeds to start now are the “slow starters” such as sweet and hot peppers, eggplants and tomatoes. These are heat lovers. While peppers and eggplants take a while to germinate (sometimes up to 21 days), tomatoes germinate quickly but they take their time in growing.

Perennial herbs such as Echinacea and Lavender can be started indoors now, but your chance of flowers this year is pretty bleak. These guys should have been started in February to even chance a flower this year.

Start parsley now for it also has a slow germination rate, up to three weeks. Slow-growing perennial herbs such as oregano, thyme, chives and hyssop can be started now for they also (like tomatoes) take a while to reach transplantable size.

Start seeds of cold tolerant plants such as lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, onions and leeks — since they will be going out in the garden — in about five weeks. Wait at least two weeks to start tender herbs such as curly or purple-leafed basil, cilantro and cumin because they are quick germinators, fast growers and can “leggily” outgrow their pots, which can be a disaster when you set them out in May!

You may be thinking cumin? leeks? cilantro? Why take the space to start such unusual things?

If your indoor area is as limited as mine and the budget has not allowed for a greenhouse as yet, why with all the wonderful nurseries around would I ever take the precious space indoors to seed a common sweet basil or “Jet Star” tomato? I can buy them anywhere! Scout the seed racks for the unusual. You can’t lose if you gain some wisdom from the experience.

Now the process: Start seeds in one-inch square plastic seed cells. Be sure to use a sterile seed starting mix and clean pots and utensils. These are both essential.

Seed germinating mix has the appropriate organic material and starter fertilizer to pack that initial punch the seedlings need. Pre-moisten your media before packing it to about a ½ inch of the rim of the cell. This will eliminate compaction and “seed floating.”

Place your seeds, 1-3 as indicated by the cell and seed size, on top of the compacted media and lightly cover the seed. By rule, the depth of the covering should be 2 times the diameter of the seed. Spray covered layer with an atomizer so as not to disturb the seed. Cover the tray with a clear plastic covering or plastic wrap to keep the humidity in. Remove the cover at the sight of the first sprout.

As seedlings emerge and secondary leaves appear, you may want to give the youngsters a nutrient boost. This would be an application of a fertilizer such as a 6-12-6 (6 percent nitrogen for vegetative growth, 12 percent phosphorous for root development and hardiness, and 6 percent potassium to aid in vegetative growth and root development).

Another consideration to give these babies a good start on life would be the use of plant enhancers. This is simply a seaweed or kelp extract that is either added to the media or atomized on the leaves. Enhancers can be found at any garden center. Of no known nutritional value, these “greens” help the plant utilize the nutrients already in the media.

When the seeds are flagging their third set of true leaves I assess their vigor, close my eyes and yank out the weakest of the bunch. Overcrowding can invite stress and a stressed plant is a frail plant.

Now that you have the bare basics don’t be afraid to try seed starting. Nursing a plant from seed to flower or fruit is a complete feeling. Once you try it, you’ll never pass up another spring without doing it again.

(When she isn’t tending to her garden at home, Gerry McCabe spends some of her time continuing her gardening education at Naugatuck Valley College in Waterbury. Gerry can be reached at TNGCATS@aol.com.)