Ah, New Jersey—home of diners, boardwalks, jughandles, and, as our license plates so boldly declare, THE Garden State. If you’re lucky enough to live here, you’ve likely already been subjected to unsolicited opinions on tomatoes, bagels, and why the traffic is always terrible (spoiler: it just is). But let’s focus on something more uplifting—literally—like gardening! Specifically, let’s talk about starting perennial plants from seed, because nothing says "I have my life together" quite like growing plants that actually survive the winter.
Why Perennials? Why Not Just Buy Established Plants Like a Normal Person?
Look, I get it. There’s something seductively easy about waltzing into a garden center, grabbing a few pre-grown plants, and smugly declaring yourself a gardener. But real plant enthusiasts? We start from seed. Why? Because it’s a test of patience, skill, and emotional resilience. Also, it’s cheaper. Those mature plants at the nursery aren’t just expensive for fun—they’re marked up because someone else did all the hard work for you.
Besides, starting perennials from seed gives you access to a ridiculous variety of plants that big-box garden centers wouldn’t dare stock. Want obscure, old-fashioned, pollinator-friendly flowers that make your yard look like something out of a fairy tale? Then strap in, because we’re about to dive into the slow, stubbornly rewarding world of perennial seed starting.
Step 1: Choosing Your Perennial Seeds Like a Pro
New Jersey’s climate is basically a game of meteorological roulette—hot, cold, wet, dry, sometimes all in the same week. Your perennials need to be tough enough to handle that nonsense. Here are some solid choices:
Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) – Because we love the monarch butterflies and want to impress our neighbors with our eco-consciousness.
Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) – Looks great, survives anything, and makes you feel like you belong in a rustic apothecary.
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) – Cheerful and low-maintenance, like the gardening equivalent of a golden retriever.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – Smells great, repels mosquitoes, and makes your yard look like a Tuscan daydream.
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) – Hummingbirds love it. And you love impressing people by saying, “Oh, that? It’s just my bee balm.”
Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) – Blooms forever, doesn’t need coddling, and thrives in NJ’s chaotic climate.
Step 2: Understanding Stratification (a.k.a. Tricking Seeds into Thinking They’ve Been Through Winter)
Perennial seeds aren’t like your average vegetable seeds. They need a wake-up call before they decide to sprout, and that’s where stratification comes in. This is just a fancy way of saying, "Put them in the fridge for a while so they think they survived winter."
Here’s what you do:
Grab a damp paper towel (not soaking, just damp—let’s not drown them before they even get started).
Sprinkle your seeds onto the towel and fold it over them.
Stick the whole thing in a plastic bag and shove it in the fridge for 4–8 weeks. Yes, weeks. No, you can’t rush it. (Patience, young grasshopper.)
Check on them occasionally to make sure they’re not molding. If they do, congrats, you’ve learned an important lesson about moisture control.
After their chilly vacation, your seeds are ready to wake up and grow. If you skip this step, they’ll just sit in the soil like lazy freeloaders, refusing to sprout until next year.
Step 3: Starting Seeds Indoors (Because NJ Spring Weather is a Hot Mess)
Unless you enjoy gambling with frost dates, it’s best to start your perennials indoors. Here’s what you need:
Seed trays or small pots – Those flimsy plastic trays work fine, or you can use whatever container you have lying around (as long as it has drainage holes). Egg cartons? Sure. Yogurt cups? Why not. Just don’t forget to poke some holes in them.
Seed-starting mix – Regular soil is too heavy for baby seedlings, so get the fluffy stuff.
Grow lights (or a very sunny window) – Winter light in NJ is about as useful as a diet pizza. If you want strong seedlings, invest in a cheap grow light.
A spray bottle – Because seedlings are delicate divas who will throw a tantrum if you water them too roughly.
Fill your containers with seed-starting mix.
Sprinkle your stratified seeds on top and barely cover them with soil (most perennial seeds need light to germinate).
Mist them with water and cover with plastic wrap or a humidity dome to keep them cozy.
Place them under your grow light or in a south-facing window.
Now you wait. Some seeds will sprout in a week. Others will take a month. Gardening is a long con, and you’re in it for the eventual bragging rights.
Step 4: Transplanting (or, The Moment of Truth)
Once your seedlings have at least two sets of true leaves (the ones that actually look like the plant and not those generic baby leaves), it’s time to move them outdoors. BUT WAIT. You can’t just throw them outside like a kid on the first day of kindergarten. They need hardening off.
Hardening off is a fancy way of saying "gradually introduce them to the outdoors so they don’t freak out and die." Here’s how:
Put them outside for an hour on a mild day.
Bring them back inside.
Each day, increase their outdoor time by an hour, slowly exposing them to sun, wind, and the sheer existential horror of the real world.
After a week or two, they’ll be tough enough to survive full-time in the garden.
Step 5: Actually Getting Them in the Ground
Once your seedlings are sufficiently tough, plant them in their forever home. Pick a spot with good drainage, decent sun, and, ideally, somewhere you’ll remember to water them. Dig a hole, plop them in, and give them a nice drink. Mulch around them to keep weeds at bay and moisture locked in.
Step 6: Enjoy Your Perennial Kingdom
Congratulations, you have officially joined the elite club of people who start perennials from seed. Now you get to enjoy the smug satisfaction of watching your plants return year after year with minimal effort on your part.
Just don’t forget: Perennials are the slow burn of the gardening world. The first year, they’ll be small and unimpressive. The second year, they’ll start to show off a little. By the third year, they’ll be thriving, and you’ll be the person casually saying, “Oh, that? I started it from seed.”
And that’s the real goal, isn’t it? Happy planting, fellow Garden State green thumbs!
