One of the first tasks to tackle early in the new year is to evaluate your annual vegetable and flower seeds. Those stacks of opened seed packets from last season (or even years past) can be used again in spring or tossed if they are too old to germinate and grow.
If unused seed is stored properly, it will last well from season to season. Keep it in a sealed container in a cool, dark and dry place around 40 degrees. Some folks even store seed packets in their freezers. Most importantly, keep the seeds away from sources that might cause them to sprout (think warmth, moisture and light). This handy resource from High Mowing Seeds has key tips on seed storage and seed longevity, too.
Sort through your own seed collection now to get rid of seeds that won't germinate well and determine which seeds you'll need to buy new. This also creates a great opportunity to think about whether you liked the annual flowers and vegetables that you planted last year or if you'd like to try some new varieties.
Take a look at the packing date on the seed packets. Vegetable seeds like leeks and onions, parsley, sweet corn and peppers tend to only be viable for one to two years after that date. Other seeds can last three or four years, like beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, peas and tomatoes. And longer still, basil, cucumber, lettuce and radish seeds can germinate and grow well up to five or six years after purchasing.
If you're not sure about the viability of some of your leftover seeds, try doing a germination test.
To do it, place about 10 seeds in a plastic zippered bag along with a moistened paper towel. Leave the seeds in a brightly lit, warm place for about a week. Check to see how many of the seeds germinated. If more than seven or eight germinated, the seed is viable and will grow well this spring. If fewer seeds germinated, plan to get fresh ones.
Once you've got a handle on your seed stock, you can better plan for spring planting ahead.
Hand-pollinating a clementine tree
Q: So, I bought a citrus tree! A clementine tree, to be exact. It moves from house or green house to terrace and back. It bloomed before it was warm enough to take back outside. Do you have info on hand-pollinating clementines? Not sure how many hours to use grow lights on it. It also gets window light and regular house lighting. - Linda, via email
A: Citrus trees are self-pollinating, for the most part. When they grow and flower outdoors, the wind blows or insects do the pollinating and the trees form fruit.
Citrus trees don't have those conditions indoors. So, if your clementine is blooming in March or April — before you can put it outside for the summer — you can be the pollinator!
Get a small paintbrush with fine hairs on it, or even a cotton swab. If the citrus tree's flowers are fully open and you can see yellow pollen in the center, dab the swab or brush on it, then go from flower to flower, moving the pollen around.
As for grow lights, it's recommended to keep them on your citrus tree about 12 hours a day. Just as citrus growing outdoors continuously flowers throughout the year, keeping the grow lights on will help them continue to flower indoors, too. It's not uncommon to have clementines ripening on the plant with some flowers opening at the same time.
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