Last week, a much-needed break from classes began. My first “fun” chore was to inventory all the seeds I have left from years past and set a plan for each kind. I was planning on this being a 15-minute quick task. About three hours later, I was finally on the last packet of seeds, the SIXTY-NINTH PACKET!

I immediately promised myself I wouldn’t buy any new seeds (a promise since broken) and that I would plant each and every kind of seed I already owned and give them each a fair chance at reaching their plant potential. To meet that goal, I pretty much have to plant a packet a day for the rest of my life…

My seed starting window (my seed incubator) had to be reassembled after a summer dismantling. I accomplished that today. I have a plant tray there with a heating mat, all on a table. Three sets of LED lights will get clamped around the edges so I can adjust the light levels.

Well, after the seed incubator was all up and running, I couldn’t help but get excited and want to plant some seeds. So, first I planted the seeds that followed me home from Hawaii, graciously ignored by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture at the airport. A bunch of them were from the Foster Botanical Garden, and some were from the house we rented. They honestly could be almost anything. It will be fun to see if any of them come up.

The incubator still looked pretty empty, so I decided to try some of the Australian seeds that I ordered last year. I picked five different seed packets and while I wait for the various stratification strategies to kick in, I’m typing this blog post. Here’s what I’ll be starting:

Acacias are one of my favorite tree families, and I’ve always wanted one for the greenhouse. Acacia baileyana “Purpurea” is the cultivar I’m going to try. I had to hot water scarify these. If any of them germinate, I expect they will grow pretty fast, so I could end up with a blooming plant in my lifetime.

Another plant I’ve always wanted to try is Hardenbergia. I just hot water scarified a packet of Hardenbergia violacea “Purple” seeds and hope to get one started this way for the greenhouse.

Every once in a while I’ve seen Kangaroo Paw plants for sale at local nurseries. I decided I would try to grow some from seed. These are Anigozanthos manglesii. The seeds supposedly benefit from smoke treatment because wildfires are common where they naturally grow. Luckily, rather than burning the house down trying to meet their needs, I bought some instant smoke treatment that I can just sprinkle on top of the seeds when I plant them, and when I water, the smoke works its magic.

Another fun Australian shrub is Hakea drupacea, the Sweet Scented Hakea. I thought this would be good for the greenhouse, too. This one likes smoke treatment, too.

Lastly, I want to try something really showy, so I’m planting a packet of Telopea speciosissima. I’m soaking these seeds now and will also smoke treat them, just in case.

Nothing is better in the heart of winter than planting seeds and watching them grow…its like bringing spring a little early.

To get the incubator put together, I had to venture into the greenhouse. It is so stuffed at this point that I have to maneuver like a Cirque du Soleil acrobat just to reach the back. And pretty much every seedling that will come up is destined for the greenhouse. I’m not sure exactly how that’s going to work!