Propagation from seed is not only very rewarding it is also the most cost effective way of obtaining a wide variety of plants. There are untold plants that you could grow but if you only buy seedlings from a supplier or nursery then your limited to only have common varieties as it is not economical for nurseries to grow too larger range of any type of plant.

When we look at seed catalogues already the choice of plants you can grow has increased significantly.

For instance Egmont Seeds offers 34 different types of tomatoes to grow and Kings Seeds lists 54 types.

Not only that but you will find seeds of unusual plants to grow especially if you look at overseas seed catalogues.

Because of past failures some people dont try growing from seed saying that they dont have a green thumb.

Now here is a strange thing I have met hundreds of gardeners over the years and especially when I owned a garden centre and I have yet to see anyone whose thumb is green?

In nature I see a plant go to seed and when the seeds are ripe they fall to the ground and sometime later on there is a lot of young seedlings and no human had anything to make that happen.

A bird pecks at a ripe tomato and swallows some seeds, later on while in flight or on the ground the bird has a toilet and in the manure is a seed or two. A week or two later up pops some seedlings.

You harvest some cow manure and put it into your garden and a little later you are likely to have lots of grass weeds or other weeds popping up.

You eat a peach outside and throw the stone into a garden, chances are a year or so later your will have a sapling peach tree growing where the stone landed. Like wise with pips from citrus, apples and pears.

Yet when we try to germinate some seeds and even though they may germinate ok we lose them and term used is called ‘dampening off’.

Which is a disease that we have likely created to happen.

The damping off pathogens thrive in cool wet conditions. And any condition that slows plant growth will increase damping off.

Low light, over watering, high salts from over fertilizing and cool soil temperatures are all associated with increased damping off.

Thus we did not provide the right conditions for the seeds to grow healthy. Too much water maybe and the most common one in regards to germinating seeds indoors is not having overhead light.

The seedlings stretch towards what available light there is and become weak and fail.

To get an early start, now is the time to germinate your tomatoes, capsicums and chili from seed and this is best done inside the home on a heat pad with LED lighting above.

Researching information for this article I went on line and found on Temu heat pads and LED propagation lights at very reasonable prices. These are power with USB power so safe to run.

Ideally any heat pad type should have a Polystyrene pad to sit on so that all the heat is transferred upwards to the seedling tray or punnets you are germinating your seedlings in.

You place your LED lights about 20cm above the seedling tray which leaves sufficient room for misting the growing medium and keeping the medium and sprouted seedlings moist.

If you can organise the light to raise or lower then you can adjust upwards as the seedling grow.

Now the mix to propagate in? I have never used a seed raising mix and so cant comment on whether they are any good or not but suspect they are a waste of money.

I take my favorite purchased compost (which I see has had a name change to Garden Basics) place a layer of that to half full the seedling tray.

Over that layer sprinkle a very little of Wallys Real Blood & Bone ( a light dusting) and with the aid if a kitchen sieve rub more of the compost through the sieve to create very fine tilth of material which the seeds are placed onto.

Then with Magic Botanical Liquid (MBL) at 20 mils per litre of water into a trigger sprayer I mist the seeds and growing medium to make them nice and moist.

Now to cover the seeds I like to use sharp sand also called plasters sand as they are weed free available where there is builders supplies..

River sand or beach sand can be used but may contain weed seeds so you could sieve it or microwave it to destroy any weed seeds.

The sand shows when its dry by its colour change thus you know when to mist spray to water using the MBL in the trigger sprayer.

Till the first sign of germination (we say, ‘show’) there is not need for the LED Light above but it is a must as soon as there is a show otherwise the seedlings will start stretching.

Once you have a good show then you can turn the heat pad off and thus there will be less need for continual misting, just mist a little every so often to moisten up the medium.

Once the seedlings reach a nice height to handle then outside into ideally a glasshouse with its over head light natural light or into the likes of a polystyrene bo with a sheet of glass over it and in a sunny place to get over head natural light.

Tender plants need hardening off to plant outside but if planting into containers or soil in a glasshouse then you dont need to harden off.

Hardening off is simply removing the pane of glass on nice days to expose the young plants to the elements. It can go back over then at end of the day.

Another way is if you have Vaporgard make up a small amount then spray the seedlings with it.

Not only will it make them hardy to the elements with the film of Vaporgard over the foliage it will also greatly reduce transplant shock when you come to separate the seedlings for planting out.

The germination secret is good overhead lighting and keeping moist but not wet.

Hardy crops such as brassicas can be direct sown into their forever spot and to assist in better germination of the seeds do the following.

Make a trench about 12cm deep and similar wide with a hoe or spade,

Then mow the lawn with the catcher on and place grass clippings into the trench and trample them down adding more till the tramped amount has filled the trench by half or more its depth.

Over this grass sprinkle Wallys Calcium & Health or a soft garden lime.

Then sprinkle Real Blood & Bone giving a good dressing there along with BioPhos.

Now ideally with a garden sieve, sieve some soil over to nicely cover.

Now you can space out your seeds along the trench and then spray them with MBL.

Sieve more soil over to cover or sprinkle sharp sand.

Lightly water as needed and in next to no time you should have a row of cabbages or what ever hardy plant you planted.

Ideal to do carrot and parsnip seeds along with silverbeet and any other hardy vegetable plants you want to get started this time of the year.

Remember always let one plant go to seed and collect the seed for future plantings as they will be better than any seeds you can buy and also free as well. Store in sealed glass jar in fridge, named and date.

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