Resident Master Gardener and friend

This morning, my son, who is a Master Gardener Volunteer, shared with me the information from his Master Gardener Volunteer training.  He located the seed starting recommendations. As you can see in the photo, our cat Natalie, was quite interested. I think she's hoping we'll grow some catnip.

The UMaine Cooperative Extension has this to say about germination temperature:

"Place seeds in a warm location for germination. Generally, a range from 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit is best. Find a warm spot in the house, like the top of a refrigerator, near a wood stove or on a germination mat to help ensure a consistent warm temperature. A few plants such as larkspur, snapdragon, sweet pea, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower are best started at about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Don't place covered containers in direct sunlight."

Temperature after germination:

"Most annual plants and vegetables prefer night temperatures between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Day temperatures may run about 10 degrees higher. If temperatures are warmer than this, leggy plants result. Cool-season vegetable crops and a few flowers prefer night temperatures no higher than 55 degrees Fahrenheit and day temperatures near 65 degrees Fahrenheit. An unused bedroom, basement or sun porch is often a good location."