A few years ago, when we had our "snow day" of winter, I quickly became anxious to go outdoors, feeling that I had been snowbound for days instead of one morning. I chose to make a visit to a garden center.
Actually, I found a great project that I could do indoors since any outside activity was not an option. If you haven't done this, you must…if only for great personal satisfaction.
I purchased two of the large #72-count compressed-peat growing trays. Following the directions of adding warm water to the trays, I watched the small peat disks expand to four times their size. I carefully planted my seeds of choice, determined by seeds that would germinate the quickest and plants I could use as a border in my flower beds. The winning selections were lettuce and spinach.
Within three days, my trays produced babies---and I mean hundreds of tiny plants. The small plants of salad makings flourished for two weeks in my breakfast room. Soon after they had grown to about one inch in height, I put the trays outside during the days and brought them back in at night.
In about a week, I felt that I could safely plant them in the ground. Needless to say, I had a fun and edible border for my garden. I can re-use the trays simply by purchasing more compressed peat disks. The total cost was less than $15 for approximately 140 plants. I will definitely do this again, with or without a snowstorm.
Betsy Shaw, Smith County Master Gardener
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