Hello, my fellow gardeners and welcome (back) to another installment of the highs and lows of my ongoing adventure into organic gardening. Today’s post is more about the lows as I am struggling with my seedlings. As you may know this year I decided to start my garden from seed. I had this brilliant idea after having issues with the quality of the plants sold in my nurseries last year. However, it is proving to be much harder than I expected.

In mid-march, when the moon was full (according to gardening folklore – I wasn’t leaving anything to chance) I lovingly planted my seedlings. I obsessed over these plants and used only the highest quality organic soil, plant food and seeds. I labeled all of my planters and read extensively from both online and printed resources about the process. I even had my local library order books for me (yes, they still have those) and then put all that knowledge into practice. I placed my five hundred plus seeds in two hundred containers (some were small biodegradable cups for only two to three seeds) in my basement. I kept them in an area that was very warm and comfortable and even though the basement is below ground, they were placed in an area that receives a good bit of light.

The number one rule to seedlings is to keep them hydrated but not overly so. Everyday I tested the soil, using my knuckle as per the gardening guide I read. If the soil was damp and pliable I left it for the day. If the earth was dry and hard, it received a gentle watering. Weeks passed and I soon saw signs of life as little green pinpricks were beginning to sprout. I was overjoyed that my experiment worked. My mind raced with all that I could do with the bushels of tomatoes that my plants would yield – I was mentally bequeathing extra seedlings to various people in my life because I wouldn’t possibly be able to manage so many on my own. Unfortunately, as more days passed, the joy became short lived.

Healthy seedlings

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