Many of us first experienced the magic of seeds in elementary school, when our teachers handed out cups of dirt and single beans and showed us how to sow. We watered our seeds, set them on the sunny windowsill and waited. I still remember watching the little radicle break through the seed coat and root down, and the new shoot rise up, dragging its dual cotyledons with it, before opening two new leaves to the sun so photosynthesis could keep it growing.
What I didn’t learn about seeds then, I’ve since gleaned in my life as a professional gardener. Lessons like some seeds need to go through winter (stratification) and others need to pass through an animal’s gut (scarification) before they will sprout. That we sprinkle small seeds on the surface of the soil
