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Seed Savvy Q. Can you suggest some garden plants that are easy for beginners to grow from seed? A. Suggested seeds for beginners: Vegetables Ornamentals Onions (Sets) Lettuce/Salad Mixes Peas Green Beans Garlic (Cloves) Tomatoes Beets Winter & Summer Squash Cucumber Basil Chives Sunflower Sweet Pea Marigold Nasturtium Columbine Zinnia Bachelor Buttons Cosmos Morning Glory Purple Coneflower Yarrow Q. How do I know whether I should start seeds ahead of time indoors or plant them directly in the garden? A. Much of the time, seeds are started ahead of time indoors to get a head start on the growing season. In some locations with a relatively short growing season, starting seeds indoors is the only way to guarantee at least a chance of having flowers or a vegetable crop. Starting annual flowers from seeds indoors shortens the wait for flowers during the growing season. Fast growing vegetable crops like lettuce and radishes are typically planted directly in the garden. Some plants, like sweet corn, carrots, beets, cucumbers and green beans don’t tolerate transplanting very well and grow much better when directly seeded in the garden. Plants that require a long growing season to produce fruit are usually started indoors. Tomatoes and peppers are two popular examples. Seed packets and catalogs will typically advise whether a given seed is best direct seeded or started indoors. Q. Why are my sweet corn seeds pink? A. Some plant seeds are particularly susceptible to soil-borne fungal diseases that damage or kill the seed or the new seedling. Some seed companies add chemical treatments to the outer surface of the seed to discourage these soil-borne diseases. Typically, seeds that have been treated are clearly marked as such on the packet. They are also usually brightly colored to set them apart from untreated seeds. Seed treatments are poisonous to man and animals when ingested, so use caution around children and pets when handling treated seed. Wear gloves and wash them and your hands thoroughly after handling treated seed. Seed treatments are added purely to ensure successful germination and will in no way harm the plant or make the fruit or flowers unsafe later in the growing season. Q. The directions on my seed packet say to transplant seedlings to a larger pot when they have their second set of “true” leaves. Which leaves are the “true” leaves? A. The first leaves that emerge along with the seedling are called “seed” leaves—they were present inside the seed. Often the seed leaves look nothing like the leaves that the plant has later in its life. The next set of leaves that emerge after the seed leaves are the “true” leaves. Seed Leaf True Leaf Photo Source: http://rachelclaire.net/ Q. I have leftover vegetable and flower seeds from previous years. Will they still grow? A. Leftover seeds from previous years may still be viable. It depends on several factors. All seeds have a life expectancy, but environmental conditions can shorten or lengthen this life expectancy. Warm moist conditions are great for germinating seeds, but horrible for storing seeds. Stored seeds need to be cool and dry. One way to achieve these conditions is refrigerating seed packets in a jar with a little rice or dry powdered milk in the bottom to absorb moisture. You can also use silica gel (often found at craft stores for drying flowers) or you can save the little packets often found packed with new shoes or medicines. Typically seeds will not lose 100% of their viability in one year. The seeds will die gradually. So while you may have had 98% of the seed germinate the first year, you might see 90% the second year, 82% the following year, and so on. To estimate the percent germination of a seed packet, place a known number of seeds on a moist paper towel, roll it up loosely, place into a zip top bag in a warm location. Check the contents of the bag after enough time has elapsed for the seeds in question to have germinated. The number of seeds that have germinated divided by the number you started with times 100 is the percent germination. Often times sowing older seed more thickly than normal can compensate for reduced germination rates. University of Illinois * U.S . Department of Agriculture * Local Extension Councils Cooperating University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. If you need reasonable accommodation to participate, call 217.877.6042.