All the Dirt on Gardening

There is an easy method I use to check left over seeds from last year (and older) and you can use the same method to get a jump-start on seeds you will plant in this year's garden, Seeds in several layers of damp paper towel Last year when Conrad Farms in  Bixby went out of business, I bought several packs of  going-out-of-business sale seeds.  They were a great deal but that is only true if the seeds sprout and grow into vegetables and the seed packs had no year stamped on them. One of the seeds I bought was Salsify Mammoth Sandwich Island (Tragopogon porrifolius). They even look tough to germinate with their hard, thick, seed coat. When planted directly into the ground on April 1, they would normally take 3-weeks with constant moisture to sprout and come up. Since they were seeds from an unknown year and have a reputation for being reluctant, pre-starting seemed like the best option. Place a sheet of paper towel on a flat surface and moiste...