Because they're too tiny and fragile to fend for themselves, seeds sown directly into the soil can use a little protection. Jan Peak in Georgia and Virginia Garrelts in Kansas offer these suggestions for keeping an eye out for the little guys. They use buckets and baskets to protect newly planted seeds.
Bucket rings: "When sowing flower seeds in my garden, I cut apart plastic pails or large plastic pots, making rings 3 or 4 inches wide," Jan says. "Then I push them into the soil and plant the seeds inside them."
She says this not only protects tiny seeds, but also helps you keep track of them. "Lots of seeds, especially perennials, are slower growing and can get lost in your garden." Then, when they get a few inches high, you can remove the ring and use it again next year.
Strawberry baskets: To keep the squirrels from devouring the acorns a friend gave her from an English oak tree, Virginia caged the seeds with strawberry baskets.
"There are so many squirrels on our property. To keep them away from the acorns after planting them, I inverted a plastic strawberry basket around each one, pushing them down so they're snug with the ground," Virginia says.
Like the bucket rings, strawberry baskets offer protection for any small seedling and mark the location so you know exactly where they are.
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