BY: RUSSELL MCCULLEY, PHOTO - CHERYL GERBER

During this cold month, it’s time to start thinking about your spring garden via seeds and a little indoor propagation.

For convenience, it’s hard to beat a tray of starter plants, laid out in neat rows and ready for bedding. But there’s something especially rewarding about growing a garden from seeds, even more so if you have children. I remember taking ownership of a particular watermelon patch, one I started from a handful of seeds left over from a late summer picnic. The notion that those little black seeds could produce such big, juicy melons was, in my young imagination, something almost magical.

Grownups have their own incentives. Cost, for one: for a couple of bucks, a single packet of seeds can give you several separate plantings of vegetables or ornamental plants. Started now, in the midst of winter, you can get a jumpstart on a spring garden. Seeds also offer a much greater range of plants than you’re likely to find in your neighborhood nursery. And by planting and saving seeds from year to year, you’re helping preserve biodiversity, no minor point at a time when the trend among large-scale growers is toward monoculture, homogeneity and genetically altered crops.

propagating diversity
Over generations, home gardeners and small farmers would save seeds from the previous year’s crops, selecting seeds from the plants that looked and tasted best and gradually producing varieties that were particularly suited to local conditions. But as fewer people planted home gardens, these “garden varieties” or “heirloom” plants, as they are often called, became less prevalent. The “patchwork of diverse types” has been diminishing over time, says Marc Cool, seed director for the Santa Fe-based company Seeds of Change. Homogenization has produced crops that are more susceptible to pests or disease, and fewer varieties that are suited to a specific region. “We want to bring those garden varieties back into use,” he says.

getting your seeds started
There are two ways to get started: direct seeding—scattering seeds in the plot where they will be allowed to mature—or using a seed starter mix indoors, which suits some plants better. “We don’t have super-cold seasons here, so you can pretty much seed continuously. If you’re growing food and herb crops, from October all the way up until about May,” says Anne Baker, who does outreach and horticultural training for the New Orleans Food & Farm Network. With some plants, she says, “you can direct seed about every six weeks and have a continuous crop right up through Jazz Fest.”

What’s the most important guideline? “Read the package or a good gardening book,” she says, to find out which varieties are appropriate for our zone, how deep to plant the seeds and how much sunlight they require. In general, it’s best to use an organic fertilizer like fish emulsion and liquefied seaweed at half-strength, and avoid chemical fertilizers, which can be too harsh for young plants. In winter, Baker says, she prefers to start most plants indoors, where they are protected from too much cold or direct sunlight. You can buy a commercial seed starting mix (regular soil can contain fungus and bacteria that inhibit growth) or make your own by mixing one part each perlite and vermiculite with two parts peat moss—or the more environmentally sustainable choice, coconut coir, available in many garden centers or those that cater to organic gardeners.

Keep the seeds moist but not soaking, she says. When the plants have sprouted a few leaves, it’s time to “harden” them by moving them outdoors for a few hours each day, gradually increasing the length of time and amount of light exposure. By letting them get acclimated slowly, she says, “you’ll end up with happier plants and you won’t waste your tray.” January and February, Baker adds, is a good time to plant greens such as lettuce and kale, herbs like cilantro and dill, and ornamentals such as calendula and nasturtium.

The biggest mistakes people make, she says, are planting seeds too deep and, once they have sprouted, being reluctant to thin them out. Too many plants mean too much competition for water and nutrients; aggressive culling will leave you with fewer individual plants, but they’ll be healthier and more productive.

When buying seeds, Baker says, freshness is key; although many seeds can germinate decades after they’ve been harvested, the highest yields tend to come from seeds that are not much more than a year old. Leftover seeds should be kept cool and dry; a sealable plastic bag works fine, she says, and should be stored in a refrigerator, but not a freezer.

shopping for seeds
There’s a tremendous variety of seeds available in garden stores or online; start looking now, and you won’t be restricted to what’s available in nurseries come springtime. You’ll end up with a more customized garden, and you’ll be doing your own small part in promoting biodiversity. “We’re flooded with petunias and marigolds, and all that’s good,” Baker says. “But if you want something that’s really going to stand out, that nobody else has, seeds are the way to go.”