February Seed Starting with the UIC Greenhouse

“Seed Starting” with Adam Peterson, Agricultural Gardener Foreman at the Biological Science Plant Research Laboratory/ Greenhouse

Though temperatures are dropping this week, the days are getting longer, and we are thinking about the return of spring.  Gardening has grown in popularity this past year and with many still working and studying from home, we will be able to nurture our inner horticulturalist.  You might be asking yourself whether it’s too late to order seeds or whether you should have all your tomato plants started already. Which plants will tolerate transplant or a little frost?  How deep should you plant your common foxglove seeds? Answers to these questions and more will take place during the February EcoReps Webinar: Seed Starting.

This webinar will provide information and tips on starting fruit and vegetable seedlings as well as flower and native plants. We will discuss the process of stratification and scarification of native seeds, how deep to plant certain vegetable seeds, and why some seeds don’t need soil cover at all. The good news is you aren’t too late to start your seeds, but now’s the time to get things organized, create your crop plan (even if it’s just a few herb plants in a kitchen window), and begin your seed starting operations.

Adam is the Agricultural Gardener Foreman at the Biological Science Plant Research Laboratory/Greenhouse where he supports faculty and graduate students doing botanical and climate research as well as assisting undergraduate students from many UIC colleges and majors interested in the natural world. He is a UIC alumnus (LAS ’11) with years of experience in diverse fruit and vegetable production throughout the Midwest. He has worked on diverse production farms ranging from 8 to 300 acres. Additionally, Adam worked at the Chicago Park District doing restoration and ecology work as part of the city’s parks department initiative to expand its native areas footprint.

This webinar is open to all and will take place via Zoom.  Please register here: https://sustainability.uic.edu/events/february-ecoreps-webinar-seed-starting/