Let’s Start From the Beginning (Cutting Garden 101)
If you’ve ever wanted to grow your own cut flowers, this is a great place to start. I’ll walk you through the very basics of what you’ll need to get started.
Cut flowers vs. flowers. First thing’s first! Why do I keep saying “cut flowers?” Can’t any flower be cut, then be called a “cut flower?” Yes and no. Any flower can be cut from any plant. But will every flower do well in a vase? Absolutely not. Some flowers are best left to adorn your garden as they wilt and wither almost immediately after being cut, but many have a great vase-life when cut and brought inside. My focus as a former florist turned flower farmer is the latter. Historically these gardens were even given the moniker of “cutting gardens” differentiating them from traditional gardens intended to produce food. Bear this in mind as your peruse garden-centers and seed catalogs looking to make your seed selections. Most often will have a little symbol of scissors on the description indicating that the flower is ideal for cutting. Make sure to buy your seeds from reputable sellers. Many box stores have large seed selections, but they often sell flowers in very basic colors and varieties. If you’re on a budget go to your local Library, they most likely have a seed library. Elder gardeners are often bringing in their seeds to share to the library. Or you can look for seed swaps online. Here are some of my favorite places to buy seeds!
Know your “last frost” date (and “first”). These are dates based on historical weather patterns. For my area the last expected frost date for Spring is typically around Mother’s day. If you don’t know yours a simple Google search will generally yield the answer, but asking a gardening neighbor is even better. There is a big misconception that this is the magical weekend to plant everything, but that is a large myth. While many plants are safe to plant at that time, many benefit from being planted much earlier, and others benefit from later dates. Nonetheless, this date is used to calculate and plan the garden. You must know your date so that you can start your seeds accordingly.
Plan your setup. Another misconception is that you will need a greenhouse. You do not. Greenhouses are lovely and helpful but not necessary. You can absolutely thrive without one. You do, however, need a few basic supplies.
First, you will have to dedicate some area of your home or garage to the cause. If you don’t have a lot of space you can get creative by using the top of a refrigerator, the back of a closet… anywhere there is a little room! Wherever you choose the temperature will need to be somewhat stable (not freezing, obviously, and not above 80 degrees). This is why a garage or basement is great. I like to use the metal storage shelves often found in industrial kitchens from Costco for my setup. They can fit a TON of plants on them, and are conveniently on casters for easy movement. If you plan on a small amount of flowers, they make smaller versions of this same thing. For scale I use about 3 of these.
The next purchase is lights. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a window is not sufficient to grow healthy plants. Sure, I’ve seen a handful of plants do alright from some people doing it that way, but it is not a wise or safe choice. First, the seedlings need at least 12 hours of light daily. In our zone we aren’t even getting 8 hours. Second, the sun is so far South in the natural sky (and through a window even farther) that your plants will have to reach and stretch to get to the light. The goal of starting plants early is to give them a strong root system. Using a window will cause your plants to grow leggy and weak defeating the whole purpose of starting early. Windows also magnify the temperature causing inconsistent heat and the possibility of burning your plant, or alternatively getting them too cold on a freezing day (as me how I know both of these things!). That all being said don’t waste your money on “grow lights.” They are unnecessary for starting seedlings. Regular T5 LED shop lights are what you want. Whichever lights you choose you want to cover the whole length of your growing trays and as much surface area as you can. I buy packs of lights like these from Amazon. It includes 10 lights so I can use 2 lights per shelf and they run the full 4 ft length of the shelves. Again, you can find much smaller if you’d like to grow less (ten is a LOT for a home gardener). You always want your lights only 2” above the seedlings at all time (this creates strong roots so your plant isn’t reaching too far to get to the light). So make sure to attach your lights with something that is moveable. These lights come with chains and S hooks so I can move them u and down easily.
Trays and lids. You’ll need the little trays to start the seeds in (think pony packs), as well as the trays to put them in so water doesn’t leak everywhere (or to bottom-water). These packs will also come with humidity domes (which many seeds need to germinate). This is a great option from Amazon. If you’re a Spokane local you can go to Northwest Seed & Pet- they have a great selection! Greenhouse Megastore is another fantastic option online. Some people use random recyclables around the house- or even eggshells! You can get creative if you have the space and patience to water each container uniquely.
I prefer to use a Soil Blocker to make blocks out of soil instead of the seed trays. This is a greener option and more economical for me since I am planting thousands of seedlings. It’s a bit more money up front, but I’ll never have to buy another. It’s less storage and waste for me, as well! There’s a little learning curve but I really love mine.
Soil. You’ll want to use a mix intended for starting seedlings (very high drainage). There are plenty of recipes to make your own if you’d like to save some money (although I often find I spend more that way). Locally I go to Northwest Seed & Pet or Marle Worm Growers. Many flower growers use ProMix.
Make a schedule. Look at your selected seed packets and note the dates on the back. Most will indicate when to start indoors (ex: 8 weeks before last frost). If it does not, I refer to Johnny’s and their Grower’s Library- it will have all of that information! I make a calendar with the weeks proceeding my last frost date with what I need to sow that week. Sweet peas 10 weeks before last frost, Snapdragons 8, Zinnias 6, and so on. I find a visual calendar is easiest for me but do what’s easiest for you.
Start sowing. Follow your seed packet’s advice for what it needs to germinate. If it needs warmth you can put a warming mat underneath the tray (although if you’re growing in your home this is almost never needed). If it requires darkness you can cover the tray with a towel. Be prepared to kill a lot of seedlings, so plant at least 20% extra seeds for what your end goal is. This is normal so don’t be hard on yourself.
Prepare your garden. Decide if you’ll use raised beds, or garden in-ground. Perhaps you’ll decide to start a no-till garden. No matter your plan you’ll need to do some preparations (and possible soil amendments) to your intended garden. I always recommend a soil test regardless. You can get basic ones on Amazon, or order from somewhere with more comprehensive results. Once you have the results of your soil you can determine what you’ll need for amendments. This can very comprehensive but easily resolvable. This may seem uneccesary, but your garden can only be as good as the soil it’s grown in. If you’re planning on a weed barrier this is what I use. It’s reusable and it’s wide enough to also cover my walkways! I love that I can burn circular holes in it for my plants. That’s a huge time saver.
Growing! If you have a greenhouse this is when you’d utilize it if it had a stable(ish) warm temperature. Greenhouses are like elementary schools for baby plants after they’ve had their time in a nursery. If you don’t, then that’s ok! For met it’s helpful to rotate plants out of the seed-starting room to maximize space. Keep your lights always only about 2” above the seedling at all times. Once they have their first true set of leaves you can start introducing them to the elements of outdoors if the weather and temperature is permissible. This process is called “hardening off.” For example, you bring your tray of seedings outdoors on a nice warm day for 1 hour, the next day for 2 hours, the following day 3 hours, until the plant is acclimatized to the outdoors. This is a nuanced process as mother nature is fickle and temperamental (especially in early spring). You will need to follow your gut and intuition a little bit.
Fertilizer. Everybody has different ideas and solutions for fertilizing their plants. I (and many other growers) rely heavily on fish-emulsion. It’s nasty, but effective! You can begin fertilizing once your seedlings have their first true set of leaves. Please be cautious and refer to the recommended dosage and measure properly. While it’s one of the safest fertilizers available, it’s still hot and can “burn” your plants if you overdo it (again- ask me how I know).
Planting. The time has come to plant those babies in the earth. Some seedlings transfer easily and some are fickle and get shocked. It is normal for a plant to look like trash for a few days post transplant (I mean, can you even blame them?). Don’t give up on them. And give them lots of water.
Watering. While many people tout the benefits of drip lines, I will admit I use a basic $15 overhead sprinkler. Drip lines are wonderful, but also expensive and time consuming to build. Remember my mantra that flowers are for everyone? A basic sprinkler will work fine, I promise. Just be sure to water in the evenings or very early morning so that the flowers don’t burn from the water evaporating too quickly from their petals. If you want to invest in drip lines, that’s great, too.
That was a LOT to cover to begin, but I hope it gives you the first steps you need to start your cutting garden. They are so worth it.