Welcome to February, Detectives! In Ireland, February 1st marks St. Brigid's Day and the official beginning of Spring. The days are finally starting to get a little bit longer and brighter. While it might still be too chilly to plant seeds outside in the freezing mud, we can create a cozy, warm nursery for our baby plants right inside on our windowsills!
Why do we start seeds indoors?
Some of our favorite summer snacks—like tomatoes and peppers—come from warm countries and love the heat. If we plant them outside in Ireland in February, they will shiver and refuse to grow! By starting them indoors, we trick them into thinking it is already summer, giving them a huge head start before we move them outside later in the year.
Step 1: Sow Your "Heat-Lovers"
It is time to get your hands a little bit dirty! Let's set up our indoor seed trays.
- Gather Your Supplies: You will need small pots (or recycled yogurt cartons with holes poked in the bottom!), seed compost, and your seeds. Tomatoes, peppers, and sweet peas are perfect to start right now.
- Fill and Tap: Fill your pots with compost almost to the top. Tap the pot gently on the table to settle the dirt.
- Sow the Seeds: Place a couple of seeds in each pot. Cover them with a tiny sprinkle of compost—just enough to tuck them into bed.
- Water Gently: Give them a light drink of water and place them on your brightest, warmest windowsill.
Step 2: The Potato Check-Up
If you started "chitting" your seed potatoes in late January, it is time for an inspection!
- Measure the Shoots: Check the little green or purple shoots growing out of your potatoes. We want them to be about 2 to 3 centimeters long (about the size of a gummy bear) before we plant them next month.
- Turn to the Light: If the shoots look long, white, and stringy, it means they are stretching to find the sun. Move them to a brighter window!
Step 3: Muddy Boot Patrol
On a dry day, pull on your wellies and head outside. We need to get the vegetable beds ready for their new residents.
- Weed the Beds: Pull out any sneaky winter weeds that have popped up in your empty veggie patches. It is much easier to pull them now when the soil is wet and the weeds are small!
- Feed the Soil: If you have a compost bin, ask a grown-up to help you spread a layer of dark, crumbly compost over your beds. The earthworms will pull this down into the dirt for you, making the soil super healthy and full of vitamins for your spring plants.
Did You Know?
Inside every dry, hard little seed is a tiny sleeping baby plant and its packed lunch! When we give the seed water and warmth, the baby plant wakes up, eats its packed lunch, and pushes out of the soil to find the sun.
