Q: I would love to get into planting seeds in my garden. Where do I start? —J.C., Northampton
A: You start with those thrilling seed catalogs! These tantalizing publications and websites entice the reader with lush photos and vivid descriptions of potential edible and ornamental opportunity. Now is a good time to get a jump on ordering seeds as some popular varieties sell out by early February.
Seed companies pack a lot of really useful information into their catalogs, so be sure to read all the keys and introductory material carefully so you understand what you’re getting. There’s a wide range of descriptive variation between catalogs.
Some factors to consider as you start your seed exploration are whether you want seeds that are organic/conventional, heirloom/hybrid, cold/heat tolerant, or disease/pest resistant. Also check out their yield and their appearance/taste.
Heirloom seeds are always a favorite. One reason is gardeners can grow an heirloom plant then save its seeds and share them with others as they are open pollinated (OP), meaning the offspring seeds give you the same plant as the parent. These are worth saving.
You will notice in catalogs that they distinguish between OP seeds and F1 Hybrid seeds. The difference is important. While open pollinated plant’s seeds give you the same plant as the parent, F1 Hybrids do not. F1 Hybrids are bred for specific traits, such as disease resistance. Unlike OP varieties, F1 Hybrid traits are not maintained from generation to generation, so you need to purchase new ones each year. F1 Hybrid offspring will not maintain parent traits and are not as vigorous as the parent plant, so there is no reason to save them. Each type of seed has its benefits and its detractions. Which you choose depends on what you want to accomplish.
Make a plan for how you will organize your seeds. There are many ways to do this. You can put seeds packets in jars, boxes, drawers, or other storage containers. You can then sort them alphabetically or by type such as flower, vegetable, or herb, or by difficulty such as super easy, easy, moderate or difficult. You can even cross-sort them so you have alphabetically sorted vegetables, for example.
Short term (less than 2 years), you can store the seeds in a cool, dry, unlit location. Adding a packet of silicone gel to the storage container will help pull moisture out of the air and keep seeds dry. For longer term storage (more than 2 years), one option is to place them in the refrigerator or freezer in a sealed mason jar with a cheesecloth bag of dry powdered milk for moisture absorption.
Enjoy exploring the world of seeds, J.C. And thanks for asking a local Master Gardener!
Have a gardening dilemma? Please send questions, along with your name/initials and community, to the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association at AskAMasterGardener@wmmga.org. One question will be selected and answered per week.
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