Starting Seeds & Attracting Birds

Here’s the rest of a game plan Lara Brinker, Molbak’s vegetable specialist, follows to get a jump on the growing cycle.

First, make a list of vegetables and flowers based on past successes and this year’s wish list. Next, decide where you want to plant everything, keeping in mind that most crops need to be rotated to keep soil healthy and to discourage pests.

Once your garden is mapped out, it’s time to buy seeds. Look at catalogs, check online and visit stores that carry good-quality seeds. One of Brinker’s favorite brands is Botanical Interests seeds. This particular brand has a high germination rate and the packets contain lots of information, even recipes, outside and inside. Brinker also recommends Territorial Seed Co. and Seeds of Change products.

The last step is to assemble all your materials, including compost and fertilizer. If you’re starting seeds indoors, you’ll also need a heated greenhouse or growing space, cold frame, fan for air circulation and spray bottle for watering. Many vegetables, including peppers and tomatoes, can be started indoors now.

Starts for vegetables usually appear in garden shops in March. Brinker warns that it’s important to pay attention to weather forecasts after moving your tender grown-from-seed crops and store-bought starts outside in early spring. “Be prepared with a covering in case the temperature drops.”

Throughout the planning process, Brinker consults the Seattle Tilth Society’s “Maritime Northwest Garden Guide” by Carl Elliott and Rob Peterson. “It’s packed with easy-to-understand information on crop rotation and other topics for each month of the year. It’s the most useful book I’ve found for this region and it’s a great value.”

Once your seeds and starts are in the ground, turn your attention to the sky. Overhead, you’ll likely see all sorts of birds that would love some shelter and a free meal. “The more birds you have the better off your garden is,” says Laura Lennon, Molbak’s staff member and bird lover. Not only are birds a delight to watch, they also eat many unwanted insects—pests that could harm your new plantings.

To lure chickadees, finches and other year-round species into the garden, put out homemade and store-bought seed cakes, suet and thistle-seed socks. To attract hummingbirds, homemade liquid feed will do the trick. It’s easy to make, just dissolve 1 cup sugar in 3½ cups boiling water and add bit of red food coloring if desired.

Once you’ve decided on the bird’s menu, it’s time to choose a birdhouse or feeder. (This is truly an anytime project, and one that kid’s love. So involve the little ones, they’ll take a lot of pride in helping nourish and protect their feathered friends.)

The basic three types of feeders are tray feeders; hopper feeders which are usually hung from a branch, patio fixture or wall; and tube feeders which are normally used for smaller birds.

You’ll want to pick a good location for your birdhouse or feeder, one that provides a good vantage point for you. Birds also like protection so position your feeder so that trees (especially evergreens) and larger bushes are nearby.

Think also of easy access to the feeder so that it is not a survival test for you to fill and clean the feeder.

Then sit back, relax, and watch the excitement as birds weave and dive bomb, enjoying their meal, and protecting your beautiful new garden at the same time.

Happy Spring!

Molbak’s in Woodinville, owned by Jens and Blair Molbak, has been serving gardeners for more than 50 years.