Well, I learned a few DOs and DON’Ts while I was fiddling with seed starting and tuber wake ups this week.

DO try germinating a few seeds early in a Ziplock “greenhouse”. It reassures you that the seeds are viable, and gives you time to adjust for cold stratification or purchasing new seed if you realize it is needed. But don’t overdo the spouting! It may be a bit early to plant, so don’t waste too many seeds.

DON’T assume snapdragons will be, well, a snap to grow. (Snapdragons and I are still working on our relationship. First indications suggest it might be a rocky one…) So far my only luck has been putting seeds into the freezer, then starting them in Ziplock baggie “greenhouses.” Using that method, every seed germinated, but I just transferred them to a tray this morning, so I have no idea if they’ll take off or fizzle out.

DON’T beat yourself up mistakes. I was getting down on myself over several seed failures (every germinating seed I transplanted from the “greenhouse” to a seed tray died), but after moping around for a bit, I decided this was a great opportunity to reassess the situation and try again! These seed failures lead me to the next lesson.

DON’T start seeds directly in trays in early March without a heating pad. It simply isn’t warm enough this time of year. (Except for snaps; in the Ziplock they germinated without extra heat in the baggies. In the trays seems to be a different story.) After my little sprouting test run, I quickly went online and bought a couple large heating pads with adjustable temperature controls. They should arrive today, and I’m looking forward to making a hospitable germinating and growing environment for these little seeds!

DON’T forget that every single bit of this year is different than I’m used to, include the timing for starting plants, the larger scale, growing in a different location, and a different grow light setup. This is going to be a big learning year whether I like it or not, and I need to roll with the punches and use the failures to improve as a grower.

If you purchase dahlia tubers that come in pairs or clumps, DO consider dividing them. My tuber order came in this Saturday, and most of the tubers came in pairs or small clumps (a lot of growers do this to ensure that at least one viable tuber arrives). I was fairly confident I could see multiple eyes, so I decided to divide most of them. Time will tell if it works, but if so, I’ll have extra plants, right off the bat! I figure that as long as I get at least one viable tuber per clump, I’ll break even. Any extras will be a very welcome bonus!

When waking up dahlia tubers, DO make sure they’re appropriate sized for the baggie. Some of mine were a bit of a squeeze and I happened to come across a post on Facebook where growers were talking about how you don’t want to let the sprout touch the side of the bag. I’m guessing it’s because the moisture that can accumulate there might cause rot, and because the sprout may break off when you try to transplant them. So I went back through my baggies and cut a number of tubers down to a more manageable size. In the process, I did accidentally break off a developing eye as I tried to get the tuber out of the bag. I’m glad that happened now, when there is still plenty of time for it to regrow instead of later when it would totally defeat the purpose of waking them up indoors! Anyway, I’m letting the cuts harden over before putting the tubers back under the soil in their wake-up baggies. Hopefully this will save a lot of heartache in a few weeks.

So, there were a lot of lessons this week. Watching seeds germinate made me realize, once again, how extraordinary nature is and how much I love plants and helping them grow! But watching them die off made me very aware of how delicate they are at this stage and how I need to be mindful of caring for them correctly. And it hurt my pride. I wanted everything I touched to turn to gold…or, rather, to green. I wanted some kind of reassurance that things will work out this year, a sign right off the bat…but what I got was a much-needed reality check. It was certainly for the best—the next try will be better, I’m sure!—but it still stings.

So, I’m going to start the seeds again this weekend and here’s hoping for some wonderful green growth!