It has been barely three days since seeds hit the soil and already we are seeing some green. Today’s sunny warmth helped warm up the soil and the pots lucky enough to get the plastic covers enjoyed an atmosphere that was downright toasty. This warmth is necessary for germination and all seeds crave a particular temperature before they are willing to shed their skins and start to grow. They also require moisture, of course. When water starts to fill the seed, a process called “imbibition,“ it triggers enzymes to awaken the embryo and begin the process of growth. The moisture needs to be slightly damp but not soggy or saturated as the transfer of gases is also important, known as “respiration.” They also require a condition of lightness or darkness. Seeds like lettuce, for instance, germinate from the top of the soil and require light. Seeds likes beans like to be underground int he dark.

So basically we need the optimum moisture content, temperature, and light condition for our seeds to grow. We can create this perfect micro-climate in our windowsill with a little care and attention to detail. A south-facing window offers the best chance of good solar exposure and a spray bottle may be the optimum tool for delivering early moisture. I like to cover my seedlings with plastic lids to give them added greenhouse effect. This year, however, I am running a deficit on these little lids and plan to rotate them off of the sprouted plants and onto the dormant seeds as soon as the true leaves start to emerge. Some people turn to plastic wrap and other concoctions. I don’t have plastic wrap on hand so am going to have to utilize my rotation method and hope for the best.

Not to be too educative, but now’s a good time to review the stages of germination. The first part of the seed to emerge from the is called the “radicle;” the embryonic root of the plant that generally seeks the soil. After primary roots take hold, the seed leaves, or the “cotyledons,” come hooking out of the soil and eventually straighten upwards towards the sun. My little lettuce seedlings are dicots, which means that they have two cotyledons. in June, when my corn starts to emerge, each will only have one cotyledon, as all monocots do.

But right now, we are in the cotyledon stage of our little lettuces. Soon the primary leaves will begin to grow and the cotyledons eventually drop off. These foliage leaves are able to use photosynthesis to create food for the plant. After the plant has successfully grown to its full size, then it will be food for me. Somehow this seems barbaric when I phrase it that way!