Seeds And Cuttings 101

When I started gardening, I got intimidated by the terms used by the video bloggers and Facebook groups I was following. But turns out, it was fairly easy to understand once you start reading and watching more and more. 

So to start my gardening blog, here's a 101 on Seed Germination and Planting Cuttings. Of course, I'm no expert, everything written here are the result of my own experiences on my Urban Garden Journey. 

Germination: the sprouting of a seedling from a seed. 

There are two ways to germinate a seed, one is directly sowing them in soil, and another one, which I also just recently learned, is through the tissue paper method. 

Soil germination is fairly straightforward. Sow the seeds in soil - make sure to follow the instructions in the seed packet on how deep the seeds should be. Keep the soil moist (but do not overwater!) and wait. For some, they leave the pots in a ventilated area / greenhouse and wait until the seedlings are bigger before they put them outside to "harden". In my case, since I don't have this, I put the pots outside and just keep an eye on them. 

Don't forget to tag your plants so you won't forget what seeds you sowed!! Germination depends on the type of seeds you planted, some germinates within 2 to 5 days, some not until 2 weeks. Patience is a must in this case. haha. 

Also for the soil, it took a while for me to get the right mix, but now I use part cocopeat (I buy in Ace Hardware and Handyman), ordinary potting soil from local garden stores, vermiculite (because it has been really rainy and I want my soil to drain better), vermicast (for nutrients), eggshells, banana peels and epsom salt (for nutrients as well). I find that this mix really germinates better and gives me healthier plants as compared to using just ordinary potting mix. 

For the tissue paper method, it's basically putting the seeds in a moist tissue paper and keeping it in a dark dry place. See photos below:

Put in Tissu

Bell Pepper Seeds

After a few days, the seeds have sprouted roots. Leave this longer and wait until the roots are a little longer and bigger before transplanting in soil

Here are a couple more seeds I germinated via tissue paper method

Planting Vegetable Scraps

There are also several vegetables wherein you don't need a seed to start planting. I've tried Ginger, Pechay and Carrots, and so far, only the pechay has died. haha. 

For the ginger, I soaked the shriveled ginger I've forgotten in the pantry in water for 24 hours before planting it in soil. It took around a month, but it sprouted and is now a ginger plant :)

I also tried this with carrot. I put the top in very very little water and waited until some roots and leaves sprouted. I actually tried this a couple of times before I finally was able to sprout one. 

Stem Cuttings:

You can easily double your Basil, Peppermint and Tomato plants by doing cuttings. Cut a stem and put it in water and wait for it to grow roots. When viable roots have grown, then it's time to plant them in soil. 

Basil and Peppermint cuttings

Look at em roots

Tomato Cutting

Seeds from the Grocery:

Have also tried planting the seeds I got from grocery vegetables and they germinated as well! Below I tried planting one whole slice of tomato, and I got more seedlings than I really need. lol. 

Also on the last photo, I put the pumpkin seeds in my compost bin, and after a few days, all of them germinated. Hahahah! So I have no choice but to transfer them to pots. Sayang eh. haha. 

Planted one whole slice of tomato

volunteer pumpkins 

Next I'll post something on transplanting seedlings. Something I'm still bad at (because I have no patience. haha)..