Putting your hands in potting soil and planting seeds was a perfect activity for a late December day.
That’s what Kara Entrop offered last Saturday at Lost Mountain Hatchery in Warsaw at the Winter Seed Sowing workshop
Participants knew it would be hands on the minute they entered the hatchery building and saw tables set with gallon milk jugs, big bowls of potting soil and little packets of seeds. Each table also had spray bottles of water, scissors, duct tape, wooden garden markers and marking pens.
As with other Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) programs, the workshop was free and included everything you needed to get started. Native plants need a cold stratification period that helps break down the seed coat, Kara explained, so late December is the perfect time to sow seeds in DIY milk-jug greenhouses.
“It’s inexpensive, recycles containers and requires very little care,” said Entrop, a conservation education assistant.
The method can also be used to start herbs and hardy flowering plants, such as marigolds.
Kara prefaced the workshop by explaining how to gather seeds from native plants in September and October. It is legal to gather seeds along state and county road right-of-ways, she said, but you should observe the 1 of 10 rule of thumb — take only one of every 10 seed pods, to leave enough to reseed the site and feed wildlife.
Store the seeds in a dry place. Kara had collected seeds of blue sage, purple coneflowers and yellow Missouri primroses from wild flowers on the hatchery site. She had already poked drain holes in the base of the milk jugs with an ice pick, but said a glue gun can also be used to make holes in the plastic.
First task for workshop gardeners was to cut the milk jug almost all the way around the middle with scissors, leaving an inch attached under the handle to make a hinge for the top.
Then came the fun part — dipping your hands into the bowl of moist potting soil and filling the bottom of the container with soil. Then add the seeds, and cover with a light layer of soil, spray with water, and write on a garden marker the type of seed you planted. Tape the milk jug closed with duct tape, and also mark the type of seeds planted on the outside of the jug.
Milk-jug greenhouses can then be put outside next to your house, and require no care, except perhaps to add a little water if the weather is dry.
“You can just plant it and forget about it,” Kara said.
Tristan Barr, 10, said that cutting the jug in half was his favorite part of the process. In addition to making and planting several milk jugs, participants were offered seed balls of native plants that can be put in the ground. Tristan attended the workshop with his mother, Melinda Barr of Warsaw.
“I’m going to take the seed balls and make a surprise for my mother,” he said.
The seed balls were a left-over gift from the MDC to people who attended Fishing with Santa at the hatchery. Kara said the mid-December event drew 85 people on a windy, cold day. The fish weren’t biting, she said, but the outdoor fire pits were a popular place to gather to keep warm. The kids had fun making s’mores around the fires, Kara said, and seeing Santa.
The next MDC workshop, in February, will be on a native outdoor skill, taking deer tallow and making heel balm, candles and fire starters. The workshop is offered on Feb. 6 at the Clinton MDC office, and at Lost Valley Hatchery, at 28232 Hatchery Way, Warsaw, Mo. 65355, on Feb. 7.
Also in February, you can learn how to make teas from native plants on Feb. 14 at Lost Valley Hatchery in Warsaw, and Feb. 15 at the Clinton MDC office, 2010 S. 2nd St., 64735.
Joe and Linda Abercromby attended the Winter Seed Sowing workshop. They drove from Buffalo, Mo., after Linda saw a flyer for the event.
“I love flowers, and I’ve always wanted a wildflower garden,” Linda said.
MDC workshops are free, and are a great way to spend a winter day, learning something new and getting in touch with nature. Registration is required. Go to www.mdc.mo.gov or call 660-885-8175.
