Planting seeds sounds straightforward and, frankly, it should be: Buy a seed, plant it, add water and watch it grow. But one look at the back of a jargon-filled seed packet can have you spewing expletive-filled rants to no one in particular.
Fear not. With this handy glossary at your side, you鈥檒l not only understand exactly what you鈥檙e buying and what it will expect from you, but you鈥檒l also avoid attracting sideways glances .
Most packets advise starting seeds indoors a set number of weeks (鈥�4-6,鈥� 鈥�6-8,鈥� etc.) before the average last frost date in your region. To find your date, enter your ZIP code into this
Find that date on your calendar and count back the number of weeks recommended on your seed packet. Starting seeds indoors at the right time ensures they are ready to transplant outdoors on the target date.
If, however, the instructions read, 鈥淲hen the danger of frost has passed,鈥� that鈥檚 a different story. The 鈥渁verage last frost date鈥� isn鈥檛 a guarantee 鈥� it鈥檚 an average. 鈥淲hen the danger has passed鈥� can be about a month later, depending on your region.
Learning the lingo
Some other terms to understand before you go shopping:
Annual: A plant that completes its life cycle .
Biennial: A plant that completes its life cycle in two years, typically producing seeds only in its second year.
Perennial: Plants with a life cycle longer than two years. Perennials may die back to the ground over winter and or remain active throughout their life span, depending on where they’re growing. In warmer places, perennials continue to grow year-round.
Broadcast: Spreading seeds over a large area instead of planting in rows. Usually recommended for small seeds, which must later be 鈥渢hinned鈥� to create a recommended distance between seedlings.
Thinning: Removing extra or overcrowded seedlings to allow the strongest to access the nutrients, water, sunlight and air circulation they need. Thinning a group of seedlings to, say, 2 or 3 inches apart is usually required after broadcasting seeds.
Direct sowing: Planting seeds directly in the garden rather than starting them .
Germination rate: A number, usually expressed as a percentage, that correlates to the number of seeds that should be expected to sprout from the seed packet鈥檚 contents.
Days to maturity: How long it will take for a plant to produce a harvest. For seeds sown directly outdoors, days are counted from germination; for those started indoors, the clock starts when they are transplanted into the garden.
Sunlight requirements: 鈥滷ull sun鈥� means the plant should be in a spot that receives a minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. 鈥淧art sun鈥� indicates a sunlight requirement of 4-6 hours daily; 3-6 hours; 鈥渇ull shade,鈥� less than 3 hours; and 鈥渄eep shade鈥� means sunlight seldom, if ever, gets through trees or past buildings to reach the site. Sunlight filtered through overhead tree branches, resulting in light, spotty shade, is referred to as 鈥渄appled.鈥�
Resistance: The plant was bred to resist a specific disease or insect infestation, indicated by an abbreviation, such as A: Anthracnose; LB: Late blight; N: nematodes; PM: powdery mildew; VF: Verticillium and Fusarium wilts, etc.
Open-pollinated: A plant that has been naturally pollinated. Open-pollinated seeds can be saved from year to year and planted to produce offspring that 鈥済row true,鈥� or hold the same characteristics as the plants from which they were collected.
Heirloom: An open-pollinated plant that has been saved and passed down for at least 50 years, often holding historical, cultural or sentimental value.
Hybrid: A plant variety that has been cultivated in a controlled setting, usually by cross-pollinating with at least one other variety, to acquire new characteristics such as bloom color, disease resistance, fragrance, size, hardiness, taste or shelf life. Planting its seeds will not produce plants identical to the parent.
F1: Short for 鈥渇irst filial,鈥� which means 鈥渇irst child,鈥� an F1 seed is the first generation that results from the cross of two parents. In other words, it鈥檚 a hybrid.
Non-GMO: Short for 鈥渘ongenetically modified,鈥� this designation indicates that the seeds鈥� DNA has not been , with or without DNA from another species.
Scratching, soaking, nicking or otherwise compromising the hard surface of a tough seed to facilitate germination.
Stratify: Exposing seeds or bulbs to cold temperatures, typically in a refrigerator or freezer, for an extended period of time to mimic outdoor winter conditions necessary for spring germination.
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Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up for weekly gardening tips and advice.
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