Sometimes I don’t follow the rules when it comes to starting seeds in my kitchen!

Read more: Don’t Try This At Home -Kitchen Gardening

The other day, as I was scrolling through Gardening Instagram – dreaming of spring and flowers……..It seems like there are a million people out there showing us how to, and how not to start seeds at home!

I was shocked by the comments on a particular post. An Instagrammer was posting about seed starting trays – with images of her beautiful white kitchen island – and dirt filling those trays. There were comments about never using dirt on her “food safe surfaces” – and this made me giggle a little. I felt a little angry at the commenters and then self-conscious – and then I thought again about how kind the people of WordPress are!

When it comes to gardening indoors, getting ready for spring – I am definitely bad to the bone! So since I am feeling a little silly, here are a few seed starting chores that you should never do in your kitchen – or maybe you should!

What’s in the Fridge/Freezer?

My husband was rooting around in the freezer, looking for snacks and he came upon a jar of seeds. “Are these edible?” he said. Well I don’t know, but he makes a good point – I should really be careful about what I put in the freezer and fridge – as some seeds are toxic! YIKES!

I have been experimenting with the process of cold stratifying seeds. Some seeds (for example – Purple Coneflowers, Helianthus, and Cranesbill) require a period of winter prior to germinating. To mimic a winter, I put some seeds in the refrigerator and freezer.

The recommended stratification method is to place seeds in moistened seed starting mix or peat moss in a sealed ziploc bag in the refrigerator for a month or more. Now – a month is a looooong time – and I said to myself – “Self – How do seeds know how long they’ve been in the refrigerator for?” So I thought, why don’t I trick those seeds into thinking they are having a freeze and thaw? So I put my jar of Purple Coneflower seeds – in the refrigerator for a day – then the freezer for a day – alternating with three visits in each. My husband was confused about this, but I was pretty excited. Had I actually outsmarted the seeds?

Yes. Hard to believe, that I outsmarted inert seeds, but yes. The Purple Coneflower seeds when planted after my quick stratification – sprouted in 3 days. (I had planted a flat of the same seeds without stratification and had very poor germination!)

What’s in the Dishwasher?

I like to think that I’m a little bit green – by recycling and reusing things – like plastic flowerpots from previous years. BUT – these old pots can harbour fungus, bugs and bacteria in them – and should be thoroughly scrubbed and treated with a bleach solution to kill any of those creatures. Now – I would NEVER do this (at least not when anyone else is around to catch me), but it is possible to put some of those freshly scrubbed pots in the top shelf of the dishwasher to give them another blast of cleaning – but I didn’t say so!

Not on Food Safe Surfaces?

Ok, I confess – I use my kitchen island countertop and kitchen sink all the time to pot up plants. I know that this is not OK – but I do it anyway. I do however spotlessly clean up after myself – so that when it’s time for my Sourdough Man to stretch and fold me a loaf of bread or two – he will have no issues! Too bad Instagrammers!

There’s also the dining room table – which is currently loaded with seed starting trays. Sorry Instagram – I don’t have a greenhouse. And sorry family, there might not be Easter Dinner in the dining room this year, although the Easter Egg hunt might work! I am thankful for a very understanding family!

What’s Cooking?

Now this is where things get really dirty – in the Microwave! Did you know that seed starting mixes, which we think are sterile, can harbour fungus gnats and fungus in them. Those gnats and fungi can quickly kill off our precious seedlings. What can be done?

If moistened soil is heated to 200F, those little critters should be eliminated. In a pyrex measuring cup, I moisten (with a spray bottle of water) about 2 cups of seed starting mix – and then microwave for about 90 seconds. This seems to heat that quantity of earth to 200F. Now – how did I know that the soil was 200F? Did I use the meat thermometer – well NO I didn’t – I had another one – Hah! (Thought you had me there, didn’t you?).

Now – this cooked dirt smells awful, and I set it aside to cool before I use it in my seed starting – but I’m quite sure the fungus gnats didn’t survive!

Whatever You Do – Don’t Try This At Home!

Hope you’ve enjoyed my “bad to the bone” kitchen gardening story. You definitely shouldn’t try any of this at home – but I’m going to keep doing what I do. Starting seeds at home should be fun and not a source of anxiety. It’s almost spring – Woo Hoo!

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