Starting seeds - everything you need to know to start seeds for your permaculture garden.

[@carriewhelpley2542]

Thank you for this video! I've tried seed starting half a billion times and always feel like I'm stumbling around -- watering from the top, trying from the bottom, different mixes, etc -- but this is the first time someone has explained SIMPLY not only what to do at each step, but why. I'm gonna give it another shot.

[@deborahtofflemire7727]

Thank you so much I appreciate the inspiration. Keep up the good work. People like us need your help. Most especially in the times we are in. From Harrow Ontario Canada

[@Im-just-Stardust]

Wow this is so complete. By far the best tutorial I watched so far. No need to make another one ;)

[@derekhewko]

decent game collection, I like it

[@Renee-cd3sm]

Oh my gosh wish I'd seen this back in February/March.... such a great video

[@sigridkingma961]

Photosynthesis in the background! I used that game to plan out my guilds. The hexagonal shape I used in the whole lawn design because it always fits. 👍 Great game!

[@SpencerFarris]

As well as your excellent content, I'm a big fan of your game collection

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Haha! We love our board games. That rack is about 1/5th of all our games. I should make a proper wall of games! I was actually thinking of making some board game videos in the winter, but I'm not sure how many gardeners would enjoy them.

[@SpencerFarris]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Gardners have to do something when it's cold out! ;) My wife and I actually set a 10x10 board game challenge this year we've nearly finished. And at the same time I'm watching your videos, planted garlic a few days ago, and trying to setup a hydroponic flood-and-drain in our greenhouse

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Favorite games? Maybe I can get one for Trish as a Christmas gift. We just picked up wingspan. One of our favorites is Aeons End.

[@SpencerFarris]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy 7 Wonders is my all-time favorite. But we get a lot out of Brass: Birmingham, Robo Rally, Scythe, Gaia Project, Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition, and several more. Maybe we need a game that teaches permaculture design and principles...

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

LOVE 7 wonders. Also terraforming Mars. I hear so many good things about scythe... I think I'd enjoy it, I enjoy deeper games, but I think my family may be overwhelmed? Thoughts?

[@stacycossey12]

I have watched several of your videos and I appreciate the simple scientific explanation behind why things are done the way they are. I love your comments at the end about tomatoes simply being different because they are grown on your own place and there are no greenhouse gases attached to them. There is another level however. Have you heard about Anastasia of the Ringing Cedars of Russia? In my humble opinion, this series of books is the spectacular spiritual component to the scientific component that you explain so well. In her first book, Anastasia, she explains that there are forces beyond what we can see that are at work in the home garden. The plants connect to the sun and the moon and the stars and are fully capable of developing in such a way to provide healing for you. One of her suggestions is to place the seed in your mouth and allow it to assimilate the biology of your saliva, and it will grow in such a way to heal your physical body. Once we see begin to see and appreciate the magnificence of nature, such a claim doesn't even seem to be that far of a stretch. Thank you for sharing your passion for permaculture. You are the seed!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Interesting! I really love it when spiritual believes and science coalesce. I can see the scientific reasons why that would work (basically biological innoculation).

[@stacycossey12]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Yes! It is pretty amazing to think about, right? If you are so inclined, Anastasia represents a culture of life on our planet that was actually in harmony with nature at one time. She outlines how to create our own Space of Love which also connects to the Universe. Since you are already rockin' the garden aspect, you might (or might not) enjoy her description of Russian Cedar Trees, the Vedic marriage ceremony, how they raised children, and how she suggests we save our planet. You already are doing much of what she suggests, but there are some additional aspects that might just blow your mind. In a good way, of course!

[@stacycossey12]

And thank you, because you have already blown my mind at least once! I have been a political activist, working to inspire the 99% to make the 1% obsolete. In one of your videos you stated that humanity was 1% of the species on this planet and it HIT ME! Wow! We are the 1% for the rest of the planet! That is something ANYONE and EVERYONE can do something about! Permaculture rules!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Yeah, and I just said 1%, the real number is probably 1 millionth that. But we are 99% of who can make a difference. We just need to decide if we are a symbiote or a virus.

[@stacycossey12]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Yes! And that isn't just in thoughts or ideas, it is literally in our productive creations. Thank you for helping mine along!

[@Lochness19]

I managed to germinate my salsify in about 90 hours outside (just starting to poke up this morning) rather than the 10-15 days it's supposed to take. I'm glad it did because I got the seeds rather late. They were in sandy soil topped with a thin layer of composted manure, in near full sun, and I've been keeping the soil moist for the past few days, watering as needed (although it's been pretty rainy, so didn't have to water much). I guess they're a meadow type plant that likes to germinate in mid-late spring so they don't mind germinating in more sun exposed soils.

[@Growinginontario]

😂that stare at the end .

[@Lochness19]

I've had pretty good luck with the spruce needle compost from under my trees. I use the layer below the hard yellow needles, where the needles have degraded into this soft reddish material, and are a bit mixed with the sandy soil below. It seems to have relatively little insect eggs, weed seeds, etc compared to the material out of the compost pile.

[@d.w.stratton4078]

Would be more acidic there I'd imagine

[@lesliekendall2206]

True story. Before I had internet and was in my first year of growing and read "needs cold stratification", I thought they had to be planted for it to work. So before the frost ended, I planted the seeds in pots of soil and had all those pots in my frig. 😁.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

That's so funny. It's easy to look back and think how silly something is when you already know something. I'm not sure how old you are, but for me, I find my generation (42 years old) wasn't taught ANY of this kind of thing. I'm sure some people in rural areas this would still be their bread and butter, but we were true suburbonites, my parents didn't garden or grow food whatsoever. So we weren't taught anything about how to grow seeds. It's amazing how if we don't teach our kids these things, in ONE generation that knowledge is GONE.

[@lesliekendall2206]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy I'm 64. JUST TURNED 😆. My Gma was born in 1907 and lived until she was 103 in 2010. I took care of her the last 3 years. It's her former home in the middle of the city of Boise on 1/2 acre that I'm starting my food forest. A 1910 bungalow. I told my 87 y.o. mother that the only way I would leave this house was feet first (not that they were asking me to leave but because they wanted me to stay). Gma, at 103, still had her mind and took no meds. She was bedridden only because she was "no longer weight bearing". So yes, it only took one generation (my parents) of city life to lose the knowledge. My dad's mother also grew her own food in a 2 acre garden until she passed at 80. Although I WOULD follow along with my dad as a little girl when he'd go out pheasant hunting. Any opportunity to have dad's undivided attention was always special and I remember it vividly. I also remember being out in the garage with him showing me how to make the bird ready for eating. I also learned about auto mechanics as I'd love to be with him for his company and the other girls weren't interested in that sort of thing. The only other thing he taught me was golf. 😄 He was a Nuclear Engineer at Hanford. I know, I know but back then those men believed there were so many safeguards that an accident could NEVER happen. And when a cousin pressed my dad about hypotheticals, Dad said "WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO? DAM UP EVERY RIVER IN THE COUNTRY?" And he was right. Read sometime about what dams did to fish populations. I guess that's why the dams make their pathetic attempt at having fisheries. As if they could ever replace what God made. And just like you're thinking of the videos as a memory saver, back in the 60's my mom bought us and dad's parents each a tape recorder and would tape correspondences instead of writing letters. To hear my dad and Gpa's voices decades later is something a person would have to experience. Like, if you close your eyes, they're still in the room right next to you. 😢. A painful joy that you don't want to end. You're doing a very good thing, kiddo. 👍

[@lesliekendall2206]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Another thing I like about my Boise property INSIDE the city limits is I can have farm animals here. 3 chickens, 2 ducks (which are on order for March 1st) AND a horse (but only cuz I found a loophole, normally the requirement is an acre). So if my VA claim goes through....I'll be literally saying YEE-HAW. The house is only a few blocks from a major trail head where people can ride, bike, or hike for miles in the North hills. 👍

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Sounds amazing!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thats so nice you could learn so much from your father. Auto repair is such a useful thing to know, even if they are mostly computers now. Its good to know how to clean and flush and take apart and put together w stroke engines and such. That will always be useful. For the whole I am very pro nuclear. Its a big discussion on why, but I am also a nuclear engineer, and I'm very passionate about how robust the current designs are. Even the older designs were extremely robust, but the humans are always the problem. In the past, operators did things that would never ever be allowed these days. They were like cowboys and insanely reckless. Every single accident has been caused by humans doing really stupid things like overriding safety features and neglecting to do maintenence and testing... things that would put yoy in jail these days, or at the very least lose your license. I see nuclear power as the only possible stepping stone from coal to renewables. We just need to get better battery tech, and then we could move towards full renewables.

[@belieftransformation]

Great vlog; thanks! Have you used food grade hydrogen peroxide in a small percentage to water, to prevent mold? I saw it in a video where they’re growing micro greens.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I think it's unnecessary. I prevent mold by allowing the soil to dry out completely for a few hours. Once you get your seedlings established, watering from underneath is a great way to avoid mold issues.

[@malloryyoung2310]

Best video I've seen on the subject. Even though I live in Perth, Australia, and therefore have a much different climate, I've been binge watching your channel because it's so helpful. Where I live it's quite warm year round, does this mean I can skip the step of transplanting to beer cups and just put the little seedlings straight into the soil? or is there a reason for that other than temperature? I would just direct sow, but the sun is so intense they inevitably dry out. Also, could you please give the link of the tomato planting video you mention? I can't seem to find it...thank you!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Indeed, we start seeds inside because when the soil warms up the plant is already large. It helps us gain a few months in time for the growing season. If you are in a climate that is warm all the time then you want to be just direct sowing outdoors. Or just sow indoors and when we would transfer to a larger cup/pot, you can just transfer it outside at that point. Here is the video on how I plant my tomatoes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIDNpJqnprtqqsU. It's one of my earlier videos, and it was quite windy that day, so there's a bit of wind noise.

[@carriewhelpley2542]

I'm watching from Florida, so also in a warmer climate -- starting seeds indoors to keep them out of the extreme heat and storms until September planting season. I'd be afraid to transplant to the garden before potting up, as I haven't mastered the "hardening off" process yet... unless maybe there is a video here about that?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Not really, that one you have to get experience with how to do it in your climate. It would be different everywhere. Start with an hour a day in the shade, then slowly go longer and more sun. Try to keep them protect from too much wind.

[@davidpruitt3982]

I have a double 4 foot t8 fluorescent shop light that is rated 6500 kelvin and I believe around 2800 or 3200 lumens, my question is how many inches should I have above my seedlings? Also the video was great with alot of information. I am also glad to see your channel growing.👍 thanks.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Thanks for the kind words! T8s are going to be pretty hot. I would start out 4 inches away (I would start closer for other lights, but T8s start further), and just adjust. If you see no burn damage (will look like tips turning brown and dry) then move slightly closer. Keep doing that until you see a sign of browning. Don't do that overnight or at work, but say when you get home from work, then check on them every couple hours, to minimize the consequences of a mistake. Once you get a rough idea where the sweet spot is, just adjust daily. If your plants start looking leggy, air on the side of too close. If your plants look thick and strong, air on the side of slightly to far. If you want be checking on them for 12 hours or so, air on the side of too far.

[@kcoker9189]

I haven't tried it yet, but I got some of the roof melting cables to make my own seed heat mats. I need to see how hot it gets when plugged in for hours on end but a 100ft cable of those is way cheaper than the store bought seed starting heat trays!

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Bury them in sand and you should be okay.

[@johnsemailstash]

Why do you bake your indoor compost? For the pests? gnats etc or are you worried about E.Coli

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Just to kill weed seeds and prevent bugs. To be honest though, I didn't do that this year, and I didn't notice a difference. I think I'll stop doing that, just to not kill all the healthy bacteria and fungus in there.

[@d.w.stratton4078]

Amazing info about seeds but brother o mine, you going to tell us what universal machine you've got for workouts there in the background and where you can get a good deal on one?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

That thing is amazing. I got it about 20 years ago, and it has followed me through 3 moves. I have always liked doing free weights, to build stabilizer muscles also, and this thing lets me simulate that as much as possible, without having to spend thousands on free weights, and the real estate that they occupy. As far as actual brand, I can't remember and it has long worn off. But I believe I spent 4k on it, a few decades ago.

[@d.w.stratton4078]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Figured an engineer would have an intelligent take on it. Yes, I bitch prefer free weights too but Jesus H they're expensive, as you say. I don't do much mine the real estate it takes up because it's worth it, but for a squat rack, bench, and 600 pounds or so of weights in plates plus dumbs up to 100lbs PLUS bars and collar locks, I'd be looking at like 10k for quality equipment.

[@TyWooly42]

NewBee Question: I'm also a Canadian. Are we allowed to order seeds from sources outside Canada?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I'm not sure, I would think there would be problems getting seed across the border. I would also think its just a bad idea. Better to get local seed from the same climate as you are in.

[@TyWooly42]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy This is a question I've had for some time, and I noticed that this video shows (time index 3m 50s) a packet of seed from Fedco Seeds, in Clinton, ME. However, I take your point about buying locally. Thnx.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Ah, indeed. Those were Christmas gifts. Our Walmart and home depot has seed from them, and my family all knows I'm a plant nutter, so they often get me seeds for birthdays and Christmas. I tend to buy most (maybe all) of my seed from Ontario Seed Company.

[@helio2k]

Have your thoughts about seed starting changed? Or is there anything you would like to expand on. I want to be absolutely ready next year. Do you recommend anything in particular to read?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Not really to be honest. My seedlings were really strong this past season. Thats about the only update I would have. It worked really well.

[@UnknowinglyDerpy]

Speaking of peat, coming from an asian country where coconuts are a major produce, is coconut peat a good medium for starting and growing herb/vegetable seeds? Furthermore, since specialised gardening supply stores are a little far from where i live and the cheapest alternative to pots around me are cut 2 liter soda bottles and ice cream tubs how far apart should i plant my seeds in each one to make sure that i cam maximize the space in each 'pot'? Edit: Also I saw your comment in that thread on askReddit and followed your cheeky little channel plug. Nice channel you have here :) subscribed !

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Coconut coir is great "moisture retention media". You will still want some kind of "draining media" mixed I'm with it. I'm all for using what is in abundance near you, so if that's coconuts then go nuts. For potting, it depends on the plant. I typically double every "cell" then pick the strongest as soon as the first set of true leaves show up, cutting the weakest at soil level. You could do the same thing. For most things, you will want 1 plant per 2L bottle, unless you are making a mini guild. For example a tomato with some anise hyssop or mint co planted with it for aromatic protection while outside. Just be sure all things you plant take to transplanting well. For example, garlic coplanted with tomatoes wouldnt be a great idea because garlic transplants poorly. However, garlic planted with tomatoes outdoors in final location is a great pairing. Start the garlic in the fall where the tomatoes will go, and slip that tomato in there in the spring. That sort of thing.

[@UnknowinglyDerpy]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Thanks for the advice although i'll skip on the seasons bit because i live in the tropics

[@richardruss7481]

although seeds do carry in them "nutrients", the most important thing they carry is the biology they need to promote with their root exudates (this will change depending on the soil, which is why second, third, etc. generation seeds do so much better). This is similar to human life, where a baby is inoculated with biology during birth (which is one reason why natural birth is so much better than a c section),

[@RussellBallestrini]

I decided to orgainise and inventory my seeds today after watching your video. I have so many saved seeds, almost too many. Any ideas?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

I'm not sure what you are asking, ideas on what aspect? How to store them and organize them? Whatever works best for you. I have mine in "money envelopes", in a cool, dry, dark place. I think whatever organization method works best for you, mine is sub par at best right now lol. My cold room is too humid, so I'm storing them in a cupboard in the kitchen.

[@RussellBallestrini]

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy like you say in your video, I have too many seeds (which would result in too many plants). I was wondering what you do with surpluses.

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

@@RussellBallestrini ah, I get you now. Call your local library and see if they have a seed saving program. Google "seed swap (your town)", and "seed saving (your town)", and see if you can find someone somewhere nearby running this kind of program. They would LOVE your seeds. Reddit also has a seed swap subreddit you could try. Just list what you have in excess, someone somewhere may want what you have, and you can trade for something you dont yet have, and build that diversity. Just make sure you do searches for invasives, etc.

[@kcoker9189]

Random question, do you have a PO box to send things to?

[@CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

Not really, we have a postal code here, but that would give away my location. If you send me an email to [e-mail], I'll send you my info.