Spring into growth: starting seeds 101

Spring is perhaps our most favorite season of the year. The warm breezes and strong sunshine renew our souls after the cold, long and dormant winter months. On these early spring days, we are reminded that the upcoming growing season is just around the corner. Many of you, like us, enjoy spending time in the garden on your farm. And so, in this issue, we thought it would be useful to share some tips on starting seeds at home, enabling you to explore new varieties of vegetables and flowers not commonly found in local greenhouses. 

There are three main things critical for seed growth: soil, water and light. We typically purchase new soil for our seedlings as sterility is critical to avoid algae and mold growth on the soil surface. We source soil that is free of large organic debris, which would otherwise make filling seed trays or soil blocking frustrating.

Soil blocking, a budget-friendly way many gardeners start seeds, is where a metal tool is used to compress and create actual free-standing blocks of soil into which seeds are sown. Our seeds are sown using Winstrip trays developed and sold by Neversink Farm in New York.

In either method, it is critical your soil is moist before filling a tray or blocking. Note that when utilizing the blocking method, soil will need to be slightly more moist but not so wet that when squeezed, water emerges.

Another key to starting seeds is light. Placing seed trays in windows to utilize sunlight for seed growth does not provide enough light. Seedlings may germinate but will quickly become spindly and weak as they grow and stretch upwards towards the sun. We have invested in cheap 4-foot LED lights from Amazon. They’re plastic, unbreakable, use very little electricity, and provide more than enough light to grow healthy, strong seedlings.

Using these tips and tricks, even novice gardeners can start to explore the wide world of vegetable and flower varieties. The following are a few we are excitedly sowing in our garden this year.

— Seychelles pole bean is a must for our garden every year. We direct seed it, letting it climb on a wire panel we nabbed from the dairy, enabling us to harvest beans standing upright, all summer long. We source our bean seed from Johnny’s Seeds.

— Blue Hubbard squash is a variety our grandfather swore by, and we do too. It produces very large, extremely hard-walled squash that is by far the most sweet-tasting squash you’ll encounter.

— Celery grown in the garden will blow the flavor of store-bought celery out of the park. The keys to celery are to start them inside early. They will need a plastic container (we use solo cups) to keep sunlight off the stalks as they grow. A harvest tip is to wash and precut celery into half inch pieces, blanch on the stove for two minutes, toss into ice water, lay to drain or dry slightly, and freeze for delicious celery ready for recipes all winter long.

— Badger Flame beets are known for their mild and sweet flavor — and lack of the geosmin gene. The signature “earthiness” of beets (also the reason many are not beet eaters) is caused by geosmin, an organic compound produced by the beet plant.

— Leeks are a great addition to level up your cooking. They can be stored for weeks in a refrigerator to use all winter long. When growing, leeks need the tips of the green leaves regularly cut to encourage the formation of a thicker stalk. This year we are trying a new leek variety called Garleek that combines the sweetness of leeks with the mellow, savory notes of garlic. You can find this variety at Row 7 Seed Co.

— Jewels of Opar is one of the most interestingly beautiful flowers we grow. The tiny pink balls on the end of long, slender stems add interest to any flower bouquet. We source some of our rarer seeds on Etsy, which are sold by small flower farm growers.

— Dahlias are a mainstay in the cut flower garden. However, one of the most amazing things about dahlias is the amount of variation in color, size, and shape — there is truly something for everyone. The amount of honeybees our garden attracted was also an unexpected surprise that we found delightful all summer long (and all winter long, through the deliciousness of the honey in our kitchens). Check out Floret Flower for some amazing varieties and also for in-depth information on all-things dahlia.

Megan Schrupp and Ellen Stenger are sisters and co-owners of both NexGen Dairy and NexGen Market in Eden Valley, Minnesota. They can be reached at [email protected].