Selecting and Starting Annual Seed

Starting annual vegetables and flowers from seed can be an economical and educational way to stock your youth garden. Watching seeds germinate, transform into tiny seedlings, and eventually become mature plants is a wonderful, hands-on learning opportunity. Tending seedlings help students gain a comprehensive knowledge of plants’ basic needs and life cycles. Students will also practice plenty of math skills as they determine proper seed spacing; calculate germination rates; and measure, record, and chart plant growth.

But how do you decide what seeds to plant? As you research this with your class, you may be surprised by how many varieties you find. For example, garden catalogs can offer seeds for as many as 50 different types of tomato or 20 types of lettuce. You will see labels such as “organic” and “heirloom,” along with grower ratings and recommendations that may contradict each other. Even experienced gardeners can be overwhelmed by all the choices. To help narrow the options, the first thing to do is gather some specific information about your garden site, regional weather, and program goals:

1. Assess what plants will best fit your curriculum and program goals. For instance, do you want to plant edibles? Ornamentals? Plants that attract wildlife? A mix?

2. For annual flowers, herbs, and vegetables, know the average last frost date in spring for your area and the average first frost date in fall. This tells you the length of your growing season. If you aren’t sure, check with your local cooperative extension office or visit: http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/.

3. Calculate the amount of space you have available for planting. Are there any height restrictions (for instance, would a large plant block a window or require plant supports you don’t have)? Do you have a trellis for vining plants? Might low-growing plants be trampled by small feet?

4. Know whether your garden area is in the shade, part-shade, or full sun. While most plants grow best in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun a day), others thrive with some shade.

5. Assess your soil. Do you need to test the soil for contaminants (and perhaps garden in raised beds)? Do you have sandy soils that dry out quickly or clay soils that tend to stay moist? For heavy clay soils, you may want to use seeds that germinate very easily or simply purchase transplants.

6. Assess whether you have easy access to water and the time to water on a regular basis. If there’s no convenient water source or your time is limited, you may want to choose plants adapted to dry conditions.

7. Determine how much time you have for garden maintenance. If program time is short, look for vigorous plants that can out-compete weeds and require less regular deadheading or pruning.

8. Consider how many kids will be involved in planting the garden and make sure you have enough seeds or transplants on hand for all your young gardeners to be actively involved.

Once you’ve estimated kind of plants (shade tolerant, drought tolerant, quick-maturing, etc.) and how many of each you will need, it’s time to start gathering seed catalogs or visiting Web sites. There are hundreds available. Some specialize in specific crops like wildflowers or vegetables, while others offer a bit of everything. Some catalogs target specific regions. You may want to start by having students interview local gardeners to find out some of their favorite seed sources. Then conduct Internet searches for online sites or request print catalogs.

If you prefer to avoid shipping charges, you can find seeds at local garden centers, nurseries, hardware stores, and even at grocery stores. Seed packets generally include the same plant descriptions and planting information that you’ll find in a catalog.

Understanding Variety Descriptions
Your students may wonder why there are so many types of tomato, for instance, listed in a catalog. Isn’t a tomato a tomato? What do all the words in a variety name or description mean?

Plants are grouped by similar characteristics, and each species is given an individual classification to distinguish it from other plants. However, a new seedling or vegetative shoot may exhibit characteristics that 1) are different enough from the species to warrant a special classification but not so different as to be considered a separate species, and; 2) make it worthy of cultivation in its own right. We call these plants varieties if they occur in nature, or hybrids or cultivars if scientists develop them in plant-breeding programs. Both are the result of genetic material being mixed during sexual reproduction.
Varieties and cultivars may differ from each other in several ways that include, but are not limited, to:

• physical characteristics (e.g., 'Beefsteak' tomatoes are large with a firm exterior that makes them easy to slice; 'Lemon Yellow' tomatoes have yellow fruit)
• tolerance for different growing conditions (e.g., 'Shady Lady' impatiens grow in shade, while 'Sunny Lady' impatiens grow in part-shade to full sun)
• harvest time (‘Primo' carrots are ready to harvest about 60 days after planting, while "Danvers 126' carrots require 73 days to mature).

On a scientific level, the different classifications among varieties and cultivars can be very complex, but on a practical level, they make it easier for gardeners to find the plants that will perform best in their garden.

Your local cooperative extension office may offer a list of plant varieties and cultivars that grow well in your area. Another good resource is Cornell University’s citizen science project, Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners. Gardeners from around the country use this Web site to rate different varieties of vegetables based on their own growing experiences.

Just the Facts
There are few regulations for the information growers include about plants in catalogs or on seed packets, but most provide as much detail as possible to help you make decisions and entice you to buy the product. Helpful details to look for include:

• Mature plant height/spread. This information helps you determine how many of these plants you can grow in your available space.
• Days to maturity. Compare this number to the length of your growing season to make sure you will have time to harvest a crop you plant. 
• Germination rate and package year. Not all seeds germinate, so the newer the seeds are and the higher their rate of germination, the better.
• Planting instructions. Tells you whether to start the seeds indoors or plant them directly outdoors, and suggests preferred seed spacing and planting depth.
• Basic care and harvest information. This can range from water or sunlight requirements to best ways to prepare the harvest.

Additional Tips

• Some seeds are treated with fungicides to help them fight diseases that occur during germination and the early stages of growth. This information may or may not be included on seed packets and catalogs. Commonly treated seeds include cucumbers, melons, and sweet corn. Some companies add a hot pink or vibrant blue dye to the fungicide as an indicator, but you can’t count on this. If you are concerned about working with treated seeds, contact the company for further information. 
• Seed packets often contain many more seeds than you will need for a youth garden. You can often save money by dealing with companies that offer small packets with fewer seeds.
• Starting plants from seed is usually the most cost-efficient method, but it may not be the best choice for your garden program. For instance, if your students are young, small seeds may be challenging to handle, or a plants’ slow germination rate might try the children’s attention span
• For very small gardens, it’s sometime more cost efficient to buy transplants. Finally, if the school year isn’t long enough for direct-planted seeds to mature to harvest (or if they need to be started indoors before transplanting in the garden and you don’t have indoor-growing space), then starting with transplants may be a better option. Some programs find the best solution is to combine the options, growing some plants from seed and others from purchased seedlings.
• Enjoy the plant pictures – they’re often luscious and enticing -- but remember that grower’s pictures show the plants growing in optimum conditions, which your garden may not offer.
• Look for plant and seed donations to help stretch your resources. You will still want to research any donated varieties to determine the best time to plant them and location to grow them in. If you decide donated seeds won’t perform well in your garden, consider other ways they could enhance your curriculum (e.g., use them for indoor germination experiments or grow them under lights in a GrowLab).
• Older seeds with lower germination rates aren’t always a poor gift. Young children tend to over-plant and they usually dislike thinning. Planting older seeds can sometimes address both spacing issues and the need to thin. If the seeds are several years old, though, be aware that very low germination rates can be discouraging.

For more information:
Seed Catalog Savvy