Germination

• The recommended starting time to stratify native plant seeds in Ontario is generally around mid-February (for the majority of species). You can start seeds in the fridge later than this, but know that they will likely not be large enough for planting into the garden until the fall if they have a later start. Most species stratified over the winter months should be garden sized by early summer.
• In Ontario, most seeds can go outside in pots around mid-April to germinate naturally outdoors. So, if you are aiming for an outdoor start in mid-April, count backward to determine when to start stratifying your seeds (i.e. White Turtlehead needs 120 days of stratification, so you would want to start them in the fridge around mid-December)  

What to do: 

• Get yourself a bag of soilless seed starting mix. This shouldn’t contain any compost. Usually, seed starting mixes will be a blend of any of the following: peat, coco coir, bark, vermiculite, perlite. Anything containing compost may increase your chances of having mold grow in your stratifying seeds. Outside, this isn’t a problem due to the presence of predatory organisms. But indoors, it can ruin a batch of stratifying seeds!
• Label zip-top plastic baggies (or, you could also use reusable containers or even small glass jars) with the date and the species it will hold.
• Add about half a cup of seed starting mix and spray it lightly with water. 
• Mix in your seeds! (I always sprinkle in a little cinnamon too! It seems to help with controlling any rogue mold or fungus that you might not want growing in your mixture!)
• Put the baggies/containers into the fridge and check on them every few days. Check for adequate moisture levels and any signs of mold.
• If you notice germination is starting, plant your seeds right away! This happens with milkweed seeds quite regularly.
• Plant your seeds into trays (with drainage holes) once the stratification period is over. Seedlings grown outside may be slower to start than if you use grow-lights indoors. However, they will usually be stronger and hardier because they were ‘born’ under the sun and with wind and weather already upon them! Anything grown indoors will need a hardening off period (a time during which they gradually acclimate to the sun and outdoor climate) and will be more susceptible to damping off (sudden seedling death) during their time indoors.
• You may need to separate or thin seedlings as they begin to grow. It will be difficult to space out your seeds after stratification because they will be mixed in with the seed starting mix. For larger seeds, it will be easier to plant them individually and space them out ideally. But this is tricky when planting seeds that are smaller, as they disappear into the starter mix! Don’t worry - separating the seedlings takes time and patience, but it isn’t difficult!

This is our favourite germination method! 

What you will need to stratify native plant seeds outside, over the winter:

• old plant pots, plant trays, lasagna trays, plastic tubs or any other reusable, re-purposed container that will last through the winter
• potting soil
• a labelling system that is winter-proof!
• your seeds
• a late-fall or early-winter day that isn't too cold for your hands to be planting seeds!

What to do:

• Gather up your containers and be sure that they have drainage holes poked or drilled into their bottoms!
• Add potting soil (not seed starting mix) to the container and plant or sprinkle and press-in your seeds.
• Mist well with a spray bottle to settle the soil and the seeds into place.
• Label in some way that will last through the winter so you know what species is growing in the container!
• Leave the containers outside all winter. They will be covered with snow, they will freeze and thaw and be ready to grow when the spring comes! 
• If you have many squirrels around, it is a good idea to cover your containers with some sort of screen or other barricade to discourage them from ‘planting walnuts’ in your seed nurseries! In the photo, we used a layer of old trellises. Window screens weighed down with rocks also work. Get creative and use whatever you have laying around!
• Transplant to individual pots or directly to the garden when seedlings are bigger than 5 cm tall.

This may be the only method possible when you need to stratify native plant seeds for larger areas. However, it may also not yield the greatest germination results. Or, it may take several years to really see growth starting. 

At Bee Kissed Seeds, we don't have a lot of hands-on experience with this method. We generally work in gardens on city lots which are manageable to plant by hand. We really prefer to baby each little seedling one at a time. But, we can certainly appreciate that this is not always possible!

What to do:

• Map out the area you will be using for the new garden. Decide on the shape you would like it to take on.
• Remove larger plants, turf and weeds, or sheet mulch an area for at least one year before seeding it (see the “Sheet Mulching” section of our website for more on that method). 
• Ensure bare soil is as level as possible so that seeds don't pool into concentrated areas.
• Sow your seeds and gently rake them in or press/roll them in. Mixing your seeds with sand or vermiculite can be a helpful way of dispersing them evenly during spreading.
• Let nature do the rest!
• Note: It will still be important to weed this area until your plants establish. This can be tricky to do without stepping on baby plants. Also, unless you know what your desired species look like in seedling form versus what your garden’s weed species look like, you may run into minor complications with this method.
• If you are using this method for planting seeds in a big area, then you will probably have purchased larger amounts of seed and should research how to use strategic mowing as your weeding control method. 
• It will take at least three years to establish a fledgling meadow garden using this method.
• We are always inspired by The Meadoway Project - check out their website for more advice about the planning, stages, timing and succession involved in planting larger meadow gardens.