Gardeners urged to put window screens in their garden
Gardening can be an expensive hobby with the numerous amounts of equipment and resources needed to successfully grow crops. However, winter seed sowing is one of the cheapest methods.
You only need soil and seeds with a wide variety available to buy at very little cost.
Seeding can be done both indoors and outdoors, yet starting the process inside isn’t always possible for larger amounts.
When you start seeds immediately outside, it’s common to find a disappointing level of germination rates. There’s a variety of reasons including sprouting too early and not surviving the entire winter, the soil may not be moist enough or, inversely, may be too wet which can produce mould.
Yet, the biggest issue is seeds simply disappearing due to birds picking them out to eat, as food for them is often scarce in the winter.
In order to protect your seeds, experts at The Spruce are advising keen gardeners to repurpose old window screens.
By placing these, with or without the frame, over the seed trays or pots, the screens act as a protection barrier against the seed snatchers.
The screen can be secured by weighing it down on all four corners with heavy objects, such as rocks or bricks. Once the seeds have germinated into seedlings, you can remove the screen so that it does not obstruct the plant’s growth.
Once young seedlings begin to develop, protecting them from the elements may be another barrier. Gardening experts recommend extra defence against the sun and wind until the plant is established, which you can do using an old pipe.
Simply cut a PVC pipe into small sections and push them gently into the soil surrounding the seedlings to prevent them from falling over. You can also use plastic pots with the bottoms cut out.
For those who wish to start the sowing process inside for a smaller number of plants, a no-cost biodegradable pot can be made from old egg cartons or toilet roll tubes. Place either one of these onto a tray and fill the middle with potting mix.
Plant your seeds inside, ensuring that they are watered often. Once the seedlings have outgrown the indoors and are ready to be transplanted, you can plant the entire tube or egg carton into the garden.
