By Bev Johnson

Master Gardener

Seed catalogs are appearing in mailboxes along with Christmas cards. This is the time when many seeming sane gardeners lose it. They go wild ordering seeds planning to start them indoors. Hold up there buddy! About the only seed you can start in January is lisianthus. She takes 20 plus weeks before you can set her out. This is one reason they are so expensive in the green house in the spring.

Sure, you can plant other seeds now, but they will be leggy, overgrown and root bound. Even under grow lights. Bigger is not better in transplants. The smaller ones will have less transplant shock and will out- grow their larger sisters.  This is even true for trees and shrubs.

Go ahead and shop for seeds, just put them in a drawer until it is the proper time to plant them. Most common seeds need nothing more than time to grow. Most need no special seed treatments. The outliers are sweet peas and lupin. Their hard seed coat needs a bit of help to sprout. You can either sand a spot or attempt to make a small cut it the seed. This can lead to a quick trip to the E.R. Or start with very warm water and soak these seeds over- night. This usually does the trick.

Our average last hard frost in Otter Tail County is May 15. This has migrated a bit to a week earlier or, even some springs to late April. Plan accordingly.

Now for a list of when to plant flowers.

Geraniums and tuberose begonias need 12 to 16 weeks, so start them in mid -February. Mealycup sage, Periwinkle, wax begonias, and impatiens all need three months. The next bunch need 10 to 12 weeks, late February. Celery, Cupflower, lobelia, Heliotrope, Ice plant, Livingstone daisy, Monkeyflower, Petunias and wishbone flower.  

The best information is on the back of the flower or vegetable packet. With tomatoes, the date to maturity is not from when you plant the seed but when you put the plant in the garden. For vine crops, start them only about three weeks before planting them out. A too large vine will be slower than a smaller one to fruit as it will have more transplant shock. They will be about two weeks earlier than direct seeded seeds, but you will be able to see if the seeds are viable sooner.

To ensure your seeds actually will grow, you need to make like a surgeon. Soak any pot or flats in a solution of one part bleach to ten parts water, (about a glug) for at least half hour before use. Of course, you have washed any of last years soil out first. Use only newly purchased seed starting soil, not potting soil. Yes, there is a difference. Next, don’t drown the seeds. They need to be moist not wet. 

Cover with plastic wrap or a clear cover that comes with some flats only until the seed sprout. Remove the cover after sprouting to prevent mold. When the plants are well established you will need to get them accustomed to their new home. On a nice warm sunny, day, set them out sheltered from the winds and direct sun for about 15 minutes. 

Extend the time they are vacationing a little every day and expose them to more sun and breeze each day until they are ready to go in the garden. Taking a plant directly from a green- house or your house, to a bright, sunny garden will cause sunburn. Give them a few days to harden off first.

Spring is coming, but for gardeners, January to May seems like eternity.