Printer friendly format - Sowing Seeds in Pots is Dirt-cheap and Foolproof

By P. Allen Smith

Sowing Seeds in Pots is Dirt-cheap and Foolproof

P. Allen Smith's bountiful potted garden is a movable feast for the eyes.

Plants shown here:
A.'Solar Babies Mix' sunflowers
B.'Pygmy Torch' amaranth
C.'Lady in Red' salvia
D.'Sunspot' sunflower
E. Polish amaranth

Buying $8-a-gallon perennials isn’t for everybody, especially the beginning gardener. But seed packets for a couple bucks? Now you’re talkin’. Seed catalogs and online sources feature hundreds of varieties of seeds for annuals that can be sowed directly into soil-filled containers, later to flourish and enliven your front stoop or elsewhere. Here’s how to get started.

Step containers up to the front door to create a waterfall of seasonal color. Rotate pots as blooms come and go.

What you’ll need:
Large, clean containers (12- to 24-inch diameter)
Potting soil
Seed packets
Plant labels
Permanent marker
Watering can
Trowel
4-inch pots
Water-soluble fertilizer

1. Plant the seeds. Fill containers with potting soil, and plant one seed variety per pot. Be sure to label with the plant’s name (I keep the packet for future reference.)
2. Sprinkle, don’t soak. Once sown, seeds should be kept moist, but don’t over-water. (Soil should be as wet as a wrung-out sponge.) Once plants are

photography: Kelly Quinn

up and growing, follow packet instructions for the best light conditions.
3. Move it or lose it. Growing seedlings compete for light and water. Thin out, spacing according to the packet’s directions, but don’t discard these seedlings.
4. Get Extra value. Pot thinned-out seedlings into individual 4-inch pots; add fertilizer. (Allow seedlings to grow in these before transplanting into garden.) Feed and water larger containers—expect seeds to flower in about 60 to 90 days.

photography: Kelly Quinn

photography: Kelly Quinn