Seed germination: the paper towel method

The traditional way of starting seeds in seed trays and graduating hardier seedlings up to larger pots before putting them outside requires more interior space than we can provide.

We use a method my ingenious father-in-law taught us--back when we were living in a small basement apartment--and it's worked every year without fail.

Materials: 

--seeds

--paper towels

--sealable sandwich bags

--marker

Steps:

1. Wet a paper towel with room temp water (I don't know if the temp matters, as with houseplants, I try not to use very cold water thinking it might be a shock).

2. Wring out paper towel until it's simply damp.

3. Place seeds as evenly spaced as possible on half of paper towel, but don't get crazy about it because some seeds inevitably shift.

4. Place folded paper towel in labeled sandwich bag.

5. Hang bags where you have space.

Check on the dampness of the paper towels every other day, when the towel gets too dry add a splash of water into the bag, seal it and let the towel soak it up. I try not to harass the seedlings too much so I don't take the paper towel out that often (ok, more than I should because I'm impatient and want to check their progress, especially when I have other work to do).

The seeds will germinate and grow about 2-3" in these bags. At this point we transfer the seedlings to a small hoop house we made for just this purpose and they thrive, but you could also use this method for germination and then plant the seedlings in pots.

Your seedlings may have rooted into the paper towel and become difficult to separate from it: DON'T pull them from the paper towel! Why damage roots when you can just cut out that section of paper towel and plant it with the seedling.

Happy Springing!

Quick and easy cold frame for seedlings

cold frame with cover crops hairy vetch and rye growing in the background

One of the benefits of raised garden beds is the ability to make this simple hoop house cold frame.

Tiny house living does not afford the space for growing seedlings indoors. We opted to germinate seeds 10-12 weeks before last frost using a space-saving (and money saving because we didn't have to buy potting soil) method Mike's dad taught us: sandwich seeds in moist paper towels and put the paper towels in ziplock bags. Keep the towels moist and wait for the seeds to germinate.

5x6' bed needed 7' of tubing for each hoop 

We then transferred the germinated seeds to the cold frame, which we made using 1/2 inch pex tubing we had left over from an apartment renovation ($2.98 for 10ft, $28.52 for 100ft at most box supply stores) and 4mil plastic sheeting.

Other hoop material ideas: flexible saplings or electrical conduit.

seedlings separated by twigs and "name tags" written on wood

Push each end of the pex tubing into the soil 6-8 inches. For extra stability we tied a thin branch across the hoops but I'm not sure it's necessary as the garden is well-sheltered from wind. Lay the plastic sheeting over the hoops and weigh down with rocks. Voilà, an easy hoop cold frame that keeps the seedlings warm and traps in moisture.

we'll use the cold frame to grow salad greens into late fall/early winter