In this special podcast for the Garden Basics Newsletter, Beyond the Basics, I wanted to highlight five great garden hints offered by Debbie Flower from the original podcast, Episode 163 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred:

• Soaking pepper seeds in hydrogen peroxide can speed up germination; and, how seeds germinate. 

• Why seeds don’t need fertilizer.

• How to know when to transplant those seedlings into larger containers. 

• Why seedlings need a light period and a dark period each day.

• The importance of air movement and the development of reaction wood for the young seedlings.*

On Episode 163 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, we delved into seed starting tips, especially for those slow-to-germinate pepper seeds, which can take up to three weeks to show their first set of leaves. Our favorite retired college horticultural professor, Debbie Flower, offered several speedy seed germinating tips, which could be applied to just about any seed you’re trying to coax to life.

What you’ll need for successful seed germination and growth, according to Debbie:

• Small, clean seed trays or containers with drain holes.

• A soilless seed starting mix. (We offer up several homemade recipes, too)

• The benefit of soaking pepper seeds for a few minutes in hydrogen peroxide.

• Bottom heat via a propagation mat.

• Consistent moisture.

• Lights, once the seedlings appear.

• Air movement.

• Transplanting those seedlings into bigger containers once roots pop out of the bottom.

Listen to all of Episode 163 for more details about all those tips. Or read the transcript.

Debbie Flower is a horticultural treasure. One listen to what she has to say isn’t enough. She is offering up so many great tips for gardeners in our “scenic bypasses”, that it really pays to either listen a couple of times or read the entire transcript. I am amazed at all I am learning from her; and, I’m listening to what she has to say at least four times (the original interview, two editing sessions, proofing the final) and polishing the transcript. And reading and editing that transcript, although last on the list, reveals more great gardening information that I had missed before.

(A word of warning for future podcasters who will deal with transcripts: digital robots that provide the original transcript are notoriously inaccurate. Be prepared to spend at least an hour per 30 minutes of interviews to do the corrections. Translating from a transcription of the spoken word to a transcription intended for readers takes work. I am convinced that World War 3 could start due to someone reading a raw, robot-generated transcript; there’s that much misinformation included in the original file.)

In Episode 163, we also discussed the importance of gentle watering of seedling trays, so as not to dislodge the seeds. We have different ideas about the best sort of gentle watering equipment to use. A list and links of all the seed starting implements that we discussed, including watering equipment, is here:

Grow lightsDramm Water Breaker nozzlePump Pressure Water Sprayer

Multi Head hose-end sprayer with Mist settingSeed Starting trays, kitsIndoor GreenhousesOutdoor GreenhousesSeed Starting Mix

* The phrase, “reaction wood”, awakens the thirteen year-old boy in me. I wonder how many giggling scientists it took to come up with the explanation of the importance of air movement in the development of reaction wood among young plants. According to this scholarly presentation, the answer would be: 10.

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Fred Hoffman is also a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County.

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