How To Start Seeds On Fibre Mats

I regularly grow sprouts and microgreens indoors. I know how well they grow with only a fibre mat and water. I also know that many grow sunflower shoots that way. So I figured, is there any reason why I wouldn’t be able to start my seeds using the same method? There wasn’t, so I got started.

I started the seeds last week, and I already have beautiful seedlings that are getting larger every day. Not all of the seeds germinate but the vast majority of them do. However, they do not all germinate at the same time. So it is a waiting game, and I love it. There’s this excitement that I feel every day now. I get to tend to them every day by giving them water, turning the growlights on and off etc. When I wake up, I am excited to go see how far they’ve come since the night before, and they never disappoint.

It’ll probably be another week or two before they are strong enough to go outside, but it isn’t safe for them to be outside for a few more weeks anyway. The weather is still fickle and anything could happen. While I hope it won’t, it could technically snow tomrorrow.

We have had a few especially warm days since this weekend, and you can tell just by looking at the plants outside. The trees are close to blooming. Leaves are beginning to form on the perennials and the alliums have begun rising from the soil.

Allium

Three out of four beds full of alliums have greens sticking out of the winter covers of sawdust and straw. I think the fourth one just needs a little bit more time. I am sure it would appreciate the soil being a bit warmer before they emerge.

Propagation

I went into the greenhouse today and all of my baby trees and berry bushes have buds or a full set of leaves already.

I will propagate the same amount or more this year. Probably more, since I endavour to buy land this year and I want to be able to get the first round of plants (from last year) planted in containers outside before fall.

If someone tells you to throw away cuttings from fruit trees and berry bushes because they’re “useless”, don’t listen to them. Each cutting can turn into three or more plants, depending on how large the cutting is. Propagate and become more self-sufficient instead of letting the cuttings go to waste.

Last year I used a large jar – about 3L – and I filled three quarters with filtered water. Each time I pruned something, I placed the cuttings in there. Then when I was ready, I cut them into smaller cuttings and planted three or more into each pot. I placed them in the greenhouse and the rest is history.

Potatoes

It’s no secret that potatoes is a staple food in many households and they can be incredibly easy to grow. I used to buy seed potatoes years ago, mainly because I wanted to try new varieities. But nowadays I let potatoes sprout and then I plant them, or I chit them and then I plant them. That’s the way I deal with most fresh food that sprouts. I either regrow it or plant it outside to get more of it or seeds from it.

I also grow my own seed potatoes. I choose the largest ones from each harvest and I place them in a paper bag. It is important that you don’t wash them. Let them sit in the paper bag in cold storage until it is time to plant them. I did so with my potatoes from July and August last year and I went to fetch them last week. They were looking better than most seed potatoes that you buy. I chitted them and today they proved to be ready for planting.

I won’t plant all of the seed potatoes in one go. Today I went to fetch five potato buckets from storage and I will plant potatoes in them tonight. Then later this week, I will likely start my potato tower. At the end of the week or the beginning of next week, I will plant the remaining potatoes. I will have about 15-20 containers with potatoes growing by the end of April. I have not yet moved, so I have 5 sqm of space to utilise outside. It’ll require a bit of tetris this year, but it should be fine.

Preparations for the season

By the end of April I should also have beets, radishes, kale, carrots, black kale and spinach growing outside. Those were the seeds I planted outside in the containers last week. They haven’t emerged from the soil yet, but I wasn’t expecting them to have germinated this soon after being planted.

During the last week of April I will take all of my seedlings outside for a few hours each day to harden them off. And sometime during the first days of May, I will plant them outside permanently.

I have not yet prepped the containers that the four sisters will be planted in, but as long as I do it by the 18th, then they’ll be ready in time. At this point it is a matter of space and I need to rearrange everything I have outside to make sure the perennials have enough room to move and the annuals have enough room to grow.

The remaining sunflowers will be planted a bit here and there throughout the containers in the garden. I will make a list of all the plants sunflowers can bunk with so that I know where they’ll do best. The onions will be planted in the onion bed. The flowers will be planted here and there throughout the garden to attract pollinators. Some cucumber plants and tomato plants will be planted in containers outside and some will be planted in the greenhouse. The physalis and tomatillos will be planted in the greenhouse. The chillies and peppers will be planted where there’s room. The smaller plants will be companion planted and the larger ones will have their own containers.

That’s all for today. See you tomorrow!

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