Starting Seeds

What does a seed need to germinate?

Using a plastic cup and wet paper towels, we can germinate seeds in just a few days.

We can find out if the root or leaves come out of the seed first.

Sunflower, bean, pea, pumpkin, marigold are all seeds that are easy to recognize.

Origami Newspaper pots are fun to make.
Add a seed starting mix, seeds and water. These can be planted directly in the garden, newspaper and all.

A paper towel roll cut into 3rds with newspaper stuffed in the bottom makes a quick and simple container for germinating seeds.   It can be planted directly in the garden.

Egg shells are also great for growing seeds. These can be planted directly in the garden and the egg shells add a boost of calcium.







The medium used for starting seeds should be sterile.  You can buy seed starting medium at the garden store or you can make your own by putting  a thin layer of soil (loam) on a metal tray in the oven at 180 degrees for 1/2 hour. Seeds can also be started in a moist layer of clean sand, vermiculite, or peat moss on top of garden soil.  Experiment!

Photo: Direct seeding of sunflowers in a raised bed.

Follow the directions on the seed packet for planting.  In general, seeds should be covered with a layer of medium twice the thickness of the seed.  

Some seeds do need light to germinate such as petunias and snapdragons, so they should not be   covered.

Direct seeding is used for plants that do not transplant well.  That would include most cool weather vegetables like lettuce, kale and endive. This photo is of cool weather vegetables that were directly seeded in a raised bed.

Sunflower, Pea
Pumpkin, Bean

If the seeds were mixed up, would you be able to identify them?

Note: Some seeds have a pointy end. Should you plant the seed with the pointy end up or down?
What could we do to find out?


Closely examine a handful of pumpkin seeds.  Are some seeds bigger or thicker than others?
Do the bigger seeds have a better chance of germinating?

Parts of the seed