Jeff, the A.D.D. Chef

This is the time to start your seedlings for planting in April. Since it’s still chilly here in the Northeast U.S., the first planting should be cool weather vegetables. I selected Butterhead lettuce, Spinach, a red leaf lettuce, Romaine and Black-Seeded Simpson. In addition I’ll be planting broccoli.

Creating seedlings is easy and fulfills the A.D.D. minimum daily requirement of getting dirt under your fingernails.¹ You’ll need seeds², seedling tray and soil. The seedling tray is your typical flimsy plastic tray and the soil is Jiffy-Mix® Seed Starting Soil.

Before filling the plastic trays you might want to cut them into smaller sections and place them in small aluminum trays which makes it easier to find a spot for them on your windowsill. (See below) You then fill the little plastic trays with soil, place one or two seeds in each pod and used your finger to push the seed into the soil. Warning! Each time you put a seed or two on the top of the soil push it down immediately. If you do not you will find that it is almost impossible to differentiate the seed from the soil. (Yes…I speak from experience. )

I used a piece of masking tape to label each grouping of seed pods. Be sure to do something to label the pods because you will certainly forget, usually within fifteen minutes, as to which seeds are in which pods. After you’ve finished putting seeds in the soil, take a measuring cup and carefully water each seed pod. (You did put the seedling tray into another tray to catch the water that dribbles through…right?) Don’t drown them. Just get them moist. When you are done you can place a piece of cellophane over them to help keep in the moisture. (See below) Water them every two to three days.

Check back here in ten days or so for a “progress report” on the seedlings.

1. The FDA recommends A.D.D.ers get a minimum of 120 days worth of dirty fingernails. [↩]
2. Duh!! [↩]