Page 9 - Oundle Life April 2023

SOWING
THE SEED
...and then swapping some
The Oundle Community Seed Swap is going from strength to strength. The box is brimming with seeds for you to come and collect. See
if you can get them growing in your garden, allotment, flowerpots, or window boxes.
The growing season is now well underway, and although there are no guarantees that every seed will germinate, it is exciting to experiment and see what you can grow to produce flowers, fruits or vegetables to enjoy.
Please do come and visit the box and take a sample of seeds you would like to grow, then return someday and put back seeds for others to try.
Tips for Germinating Seeds:
In the drawer we have been receiving some helpful feedback from users who have written down comments on how they found the seed swap experience. Some seeds need special attention. A general rule of thumb is to plant
no deeper than a seed’s diameter. Larger seeds may need to be planted deeper in the soil, whilst smaller seeds are happier scattered on top of
the compost. Seeds with tougher coatings like ‘sweet peas’ often do better if soaked overnight in water before being sown in soil. Seeds that are flat such as courgettes, pumpkins, or squash seeds, prefer to be pushed into the soil on their edge rather than sown flat.
Most seeds prefer warm temperatures
to germinate, so find the optimum time to start them off. On a windowsill, in a warm greenhouse, or scattering them later in the season when the sun has warmed the soil and frosts are over, is best.
Watering first with lukewarm water can be a useful practise when trying to encourage seeds
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