When growing from seed, the long list of decisions starts with what turns out to be the simplest question of all: which variety of bean (or tomato, or zinnia, or basil) to order. But then things get more complicated: questions like figuring out when to start what, and whether any of your choices need any special pre-treatment, or particular conditions to insure germination—including: what germinating medium shall you use?

We’ve all heard the invocation to use less peat, the standard for seed starting for what feels like forever until relatively recently, when this nonrenewable resource has been under scrutiny…but what peat substitutes work and don’t? That’s just one of many questions today’s guest, Joe Lamp’l, answers on social media and in the online course he offers about his favorite topic—growing from seed —and the one we explored.

Joe Lamp’l is host of the popular “Joe Gardener Podcast,” and creator of a suite of online gardening courses—or perhaps you know him from his former long-running Emmy-winning public television program, “Growing a Greener World.” Joe gardens in the Atlanta area, and I don’t know any home gardener who starts more seeds each season. He’s also the author of “The Vegetable Gardening Book: Your Complete Guide to Growing an Edible Organic Garden from Seed to Harvest.”  

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