Fancy Science Here- Cold Stratification pt 1

Cold Stratification - what the what?!

So, you know how Wisconsin is cold?

 Well, everything that grows here needs that cold, wet dormant period to store energy. It's necessary that they get a period of time to enjoy the wet fall, hopefully not too cold winter, and a nice spring thaw in order to germinate.  

Sometimes seed packet instructions tell you to sow in the fall. Well if it's February, it's a little too late for that. It may even lead you to forget the seeds and just throw money at seedlings a few months later. Cold stratification is just a process that can recreate that 'winter' and force seeds to germinate. 

Winter in Wisconsin is brutal. So so brutal. Negative temperatures, wind chills, and snow so high you can't see around the corner. It's true. Many of the tips I've seen around the Internet are for much more mild climates. They say to start an outdoor garden in milk jugs or the like, while the whole time they say 'just don't let the soil freeze.' That advice is damn near useless here. While you can't expect to keep the topsoils from freezing using mulch alone, I've found that a sunny window and grow light are my best friends. 

Here's where we need cold stratification. Since those seeds that we want to sprout in the spring can't germinate without the cold (but not frozen) temps, we artificially recreate that environment. Not all seeds need this, by the way- but more on that later.  It's very easy to do, to ensure a higher germination rate. All it takes is a damp paper towel and the seeds wrapped up, placed in a ziplock bag. Label the bag with the seed and date ( I keep mine separate) and store in the fridge or cold pantry. I have a basement cellar that stays about 45 degrees year round- this is perfect. The length of time you need to keep them in the cold varies. I check on mine once a week, to let air ventilate and check for mold. Some varieties encourage you to keep them cold for 60-90 days (purple coneflower) and some for only 7 days (lupine). 

This year, I decided to do an experiment with ALL THE SEEDS!! I saved some seeds last year (which I didn't stratify, tomatoes, etc) and the seeds I did stratify I wanted to see how quickly and what percent actually germinated. This is a useful tool to determine how many cells you should start in case some seeds don't sprout. Seeds with longer germination rates especially, since you don't want to wait a month to see if they germinated, only to be left with no plants. 

I have a spreadsheet that I will upload soon. So imagine that here:

However, I will say that last year I had no success with my spinach. Since it's an early, cold hardy version, I am trying to get it to sprout now. In February.