YIKES

I am sure you have all heard that seeds (and other garden supplies) are harder to find this year, as many people discovered the joy of gardening with their 2020 pandemic gardens.  Welcome to year 2 of pandemic gardening!  I have read that there are some strategies to use to get seeds: 

1. Check back with seed suppliers often, especially with smaller seed houses (not big ones like Burpee).  Smaller seed houses often have the seeds, but have limited ability to package them (limited packs to put them in and machinery to package them).

2. Be more flexible in terms of varieties.  The seed company doesn't have your preferred  summer squash? Read the descriptions and try another. You might find a new favorite!

3. Look at your older seed packs! Some seeds are viable for 4 or 5 years, like squash, eggplant, tomatoes, beans. Others are viable for two years- ex. basil and greens from the mustard family.  Others are not viable beyond one year- ex. lettuce and carrots.

4. Seed swap!  Join a local gardening social media page and swap away!  Seeds are inexpensive to mail.

5. See if your community has a seed library, either through Virginia Master Gardeners or your public library.

6. Look to non-traditional places to buy seeds, like grocery stores. 

I have recently hit a little bit of a wall in purchasing seed starting mix and peat pots.  Either the mix is not available, or the price has tripled.  If you have or can buy the components of a seed starting mix, you can DIY:

Seed Starting Mix Recipe:

- 4 parts compost 

- 1 part perlite 

- 2 parts peat moss*

Some recipes call for vermiculite, but I avoid this mined material. Perlite is not so great RE: the environment either, being a volcanic glass that is superheated.  You could try washed sand instead. *You can substitute ground coir for peat moss). (PS If you do find seed starter mix, try to avoid kinds with chemical fertilizers in them, like Miracle Grow. These harsh fertilizer salts are not good for tiny seedlings).

As for peat pots: I really like these, but in a pinch I can make a pot out of a few sheets of newspaper.  I curl it into a tube, staple the top together, and fold in the paper on the bottom to make a cup. You can buy specific molds for these, but I think you can DIY that, too.

Good luck all!