Starting Flower Seeds in the House— By w. c. McCoiiom, & 



MAKING USE OF ORDINARY HOUSEHOLD ARTICLES TO START THE FLOWER 

 GARDEN INDOORS — A COMPLETE SOWING TABLE FOR THE FLOWER 

 GARDENER WHO WANTS TENDER PLANTS WITHOUT A GREENHOUSE 



I HAVE often wondered at the lack 

 of ingenuity that is shown by many 

 amateur gardeners who fail to have 

 gardens of character because they 

 " haven't got a greenhouse." As a matter of 

 fact the greenhouse is a luxury not really a 

 necessity if the will is there. And why rest 

 content with the old stereotyped things 

 when a little bit of ambition will produce a 

 better — so much better — garden? Year 

 after year the lackadaisical one remarks 

 "What's the use? I haven't this or that," 

 but still goes on in his half-hearted way, 

 takes a trip over to his neighbor's garden 

 occasionally, and thinks how lucky that 

 man must be. Flowers, flowers, every- 

 where ! He concludes it must be luck, when 

 as a matter of fact there is not a particle 

 of luck about it. It is simply promptness 

 and perseverance. These are the watch- 

 words in the successful garden. 



A little careful study of your conditions 

 now will save a whole lot of worry later on. 

 What kind of flowers do you want? Are 

 you going to plant perennials along the 

 garden walk? Or down the path by the 

 garage? What kind of annuals will pro- 

 duce flowers all summer? What flowers do 

 you want for cutting? It is the one that 

 studies these points now and decides them 

 now — not next June — who will have the 

 good garden. The procrastinator's garden 

 will just be nicely developing when frost 

 is due, and what little effort he 

 does expend will be absolutely 

 wasted. 



If you have a couple of good 

 windows in your house, it is all 

 you need to start enough seed- 

 ings to stock a young nursery. 

 Mind, I do not say this is 

 quite so convenient as a green- 

 house and several coldframes. 

 A cold frame isa wonderful help, 

 it is so simple and easy to build 

 that anybody can make one. 

 A plain square box is all that 

 is required, and if you cannot 

 afford sash to cover it, use 

 boards, opening them in the 



middle of the day to get some light for 

 the plants. But get the better appliance 

 if you can. 



It is now time to sow some seed. Have 

 a pail or two of good soil from the garden 

 moderately dry, half a pail of sod chopped 

 fine, a few old tin cans or flower pots, a 

 little broken stone or sifted cinders for 

 drainage, and something for a tamp. I 

 use a glass tumbler. 



Here's the essence of seed sowing in a 

 nutshell: About one-third the depth of the 

 seed pan should be filled with drainage. 

 Then add just enough of the rough sod to 

 prevent your soil from running down in 



Maxe use of a window like this and your flower 

 garden win be an eight months delight 



Here are all the tools necessary for a right start 



Chopped sod. tumbler for tamping, cinders for drainage, netting for sieve, etc 



Remember the holes in the bottom of the pans 



the drainage. Then cover with about one 

 inch of fine sifted soil, pack firmly but not 

 hard, using the fingers; then smooth the 

 top and sow the seed. Always sow the 

 seed thinly — never overcrowd; then firm 

 the seed in the soil with the tamp just 

 pressing lightly. With a piece of wire 

 mosquito netting, sift a little soil on 

 the top — just enough to cover the seeds 

 nicely, say about twice their thickness. 

 Water with a fine hose, or lacking this lay 

 a piece of cloth on top and water gently 

 through this, but be sure it is resting right 

 on the soil. Then the pans can be placed 

 away until germination starts. 



Light is not essential for the starting 

 of seeds, but they must have light just as 

 soon as they sprout. If they do not get 

 sufficient fight then, the plantlets will 

 "draw up" and get weak and spindly. 

 So after germination starts another process 

 is in order. For this purpose we need 

 some boxes or something similar. Some 

 old soap boxes sawed about four inches 

 deep, with open spaces left in the bottom, 

 are ideal. Place about one inch of some 

 drainage material in the bottom and cover 

 with sod as recommended for seed sowing; 

 then add about two inches of soil. This 

 soil should have a little sifted manure 

 sprinkled through it, or some other ferti- 

 lizer; but don't get it too strong as the 

 young plants are very tender at this age. 

 Now firm the soil with the 

 fingers and we are ready for 

 the seedlings. 



The seedlings are right for 

 handling when they have just 

 developed their third leaf 

 which is the first character 

 leaf. Do not allow them to 

 get too large as they then get 

 soft and fall all over, and do 

 not make strong plants. Lift 

 the young seedlings with the 

 thumb and forefinger of the 

 left hand and with the right 

 make a hole with the dibble. 

 A lead pencil can be used for 

 this purpose or a stick about 



Drainage in the bottom of the 

 seed pan 



Soil on top ready to receive 

 the seed 



Seeds sown and tamped, 

 to cover 



Ready 



Seed lightly covered and tamped. 

 Ready for water 



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