Safely Starting Seeds

With gardening being on the minds of so many people across the United States it is so important to know the process of safely starting seeds. Everyone to some degree wants to be self-sufficient. I know that growing up right after Christmas when the seed catalogs started to show up, we began this quiet countdown to Spring. I find that I still do and know that around St Patrick’s Day we can start to really consider some of the cold crops and getting things going in the greenhouse.

There really isn’t much skill around planting seeds. If you have soil and well drained containers the only other thing you need is obviously the seed but there are some safety concerns to think about when getting ready to start this process.

One of the most important things is knowing where your soil comes from. While the risk is low, infection-causing bacteria and fungi live in soil and water, so it’s not surprising that they can be present in potting mix and threaten people’s health. If bacteria or fungi are already present in low numbers, they can quickly grow to very high numbers in optimal conditions. This includes many bacteria in soil that can cause problems in people — such as strains of nocardia (causes nocardiosis, an infection of the lungs or whole body), legionella (causes Legionnaires’ disease), and clostridium (causes tetanus).

According to Fine Gardening, senior gardeners and gardeners with compromised immunity are at highest risk of contracting a disease.

According to Mark Blaskovich, senior research officer at The University of Queensland:

Bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, and Listeria monocytogenes are often present in gardens as a result of using fertilizer consisting of cow, horse, chicken or other animal manure. Bacterial infections can lead to sepsis, where the bacteria enter the blood and rapidly grow, causing the body to respond with an inflammatory response that causes septic shock, organ failure, and, if not treated quickly enough, death. 

It is especially important to disclose the potting mix connection to providers because the antibiotics needed to kill legionella are different than the standard penicillin-like antibiotics used to treat pneumonia acquired in the community.

Another thing we like to look for is what the actual seeds are coated in. Some have a coating to help them germinate quicker than others. The importance of wearing clean gloves and not bringing them indoors where they can cross-contaminate things is so important. I like to have multiple pairs for different yard/gardening chores.

The Implements:

Most of us have garden tools that we use. Cleaning those is so important even just hosing them off with the garden hose and ensuring that the same ones used in the chicken coop aren’t used with the veggies you will be consuming. Just like cooking in a kitchen being outside the same techniques are used. Protect your hands, keep your tools clean.

When using seed starting trays, we always make sure they are clean and sanitary before even starting. A lot of times we buy them on clearance at the end of the prior planting season and then store them for the winter, so a quick wipe down of those to ensure there is nothing sneaking around in the hidden dust.

With some simple cleanliness you can be well on your way to started plants right in your own garden.

For more safe gardening tips please keep an eye on Make Food Safe.