Out of the Cold

Fig tree growth in snowfall

As I sit at the counter to write this post, the thermometer defies my title with a chilling readout of eight degrees Fahrenheit, but my toes are warm in the sunlight streaming through the window, and my french press is soaking a dark, hot brew. So indeed, I am out of the cold, and so are my future seedlings.

This weekend marks sixty days since I placed five packets of seeds encased in damp paper towels into my refrigerator for cold stratification. It's time to take them out of the cold and begin the next phase of growth. Next phase, you ask? They've been encased in plastic in a dark, cold box. What phase of growth was that?  A very important one.

You see, seeds are small fortresses, designed to endure months of cold season tumult to be just poised for growth after enduring all that nature throws their way- from seed drop to spring dew. It's more about things coming off and walls breaking down, but this is an essential part of growth. The seed coat must be softened, as it is designed to be a weather-tight capsule, preserving life until conditions are favorable to release the delicate growth encapsulated within. Isn't  it amazing to think that a seed has all that it needs to survive within and around it? It has a storage of food, it has protection- it has itself- and all that is needed are the conditions.

Planting set up

Without delving too far down the metaphorical rabbit hole, I'm sure we can all point to a time in life when it seemed we were under cold stratification: in the dark, with no movement to the naked eye; yet after this time, growth was exponential and beautiful. But back to the fridge. The cold conditions are over for my little packets of seeds. Time to come in contact with the location of active, upward growth.

The plants I am working with today are Prairie Lily (Lilium philadephicum), Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata), Button Blazing Star (Liatris aspera), Northern Blazing Star (Liatris scariosa), and Purple Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata). These species are all perennial natives to my general region of Western New York, and in nature, would all be subject to cold, wet non-growing season conditions.

A Liatris seedling emerging

Opening up the sacks, I can clearly see the parts of the seeds that were dissolved imprinted onto the paper towels, and some little bits remain behind as I carefully remove the seeds for planting.  There are also several moldy seeds; the Liatris spp. seem to be the most affected with mold. I'm planting them all, mold included. Who's to know if the mold has fully affected the seed, and I'd rather give a seed a chance than judge it unfit for growth. We shall see!

I am planting half of the seeds directly back into their bags and placing them on heat mats in my seed room. The other half will go into little "greenhouses" I have made from clear plastic jugs. These are simply Gatorade jugs, cut horizontally three-quarters of the way up, but leaving the lid attached at the back to have a hinging effect. Drainage holes are made in the base, and holes in the top are made for precipitation infiltration. They will be duct taped closed and placed outside in a sunny, sheltered location.

This is an abbreviated version of what is known as winter sowing. Essentially, I could have planted the seeds directly into the jugs in the fall and let the whole process play out in semi-controlled conditions, yet allowing the seed to germinate when the weather permitted. As the temperature grows warmer (much warmer than today), the top half of the jug that is currently taped closed can be propped open with a stick to control heat and moisture. It will be interesting to compare my indoor pampered seeds to the jug greenhouse seeds. Too much warmth and moisture can be just as detrimental as dry freezing conditions!

Jugs and bags ready to grow!

Next phase in spring preparation is preparing my seed inventory. I have hundreds of vegetable, herb, and flower packets scattered in boxes that need to be lined up for their time to germinate. I may start some early vegetable seeds, such as onions this weekend as well. Also, time to order trees! So much growth in so little time.
And remember, some growth occurs in the dark- but now, it's time to sprout in the light!