How to Use Seed Starting Sponges to Grow a Beautiful Flower Garden

Getting ready for summer gardens is an exciting adventure, one filled with possibilities and the promise of a tasty harvest and colorful flower beds. Park Seed makes starting your garden super easy with an innovative product called Bio Dome Sponges. They are part of a unique seed-starting system that promotes thick, healthy roots and reduces transplant shock. Best of all, Bio Dome Sponges will compost in less than two years, meaning no waste or added landfill debris. Many seed starting planting mixes retain too much water, are not sterile and prevent oxygen from getting to the roots of baby plants. Bio Dome Sponges remove all these concerns while also promoting nutrient uptake. The Bio Dome Seed Starter System is the first step to a beautiful garden. It comes with a tray and insert that provide perfect irrigation. Each Bio Dome Sponge fits neatly into the individual planting section of the insert and is spaced to prevent overcrowding. With this system, planting is just a simple 3-step process! Once you have each pocket filled with a sponge, you simply pop the seed into the prepared hole. The sponges provide aeration, water retention and nutrient access for seedlings. They also contain oilseed extract to promote plant health. After planting, mix up the fertilizer with water and add to the bottom of the system. There is a clear, vented dome that acts as a mini greenhouse during germination. Once the seedlings have sprouted, the dome should be vented to air the system. After your little plants have at least two sets of true leaves, it is time to plant them in their home. Don't forget to harden off plants to accustom them to the outdoors. Planting is a snap, since the Bio Dome system promotes thick roots and the sponges are biodegradable. That means you just dig planting holes and pop the whole sponge in, pressing soil in around them. There is no need to remove the seedling from the sponge, which reduces transplant shock and the risk of hurting the roots. You can use the system year after year to start all your annuals and vegetables. The Bio Dome system has planting blocks or inserts available in 18,40 or 60 cell counts. There is even a Mega Dome system that is perfect for starting cuttings, divisions or larger plants. It is humidity controlled and has the perfect irrigation system, just like the seed starting domes. Once you have tried this system you will be hooked. Just remember to keep extra Bio Dome Sponges handy so you don't have to wait for delivery to start your next batch of seeds. No matter what size system you need, Park Seed has plenty of seeds from which to choose. Their Anniversary Flower Garden Collection celebrates the company's 150 years in business and is packaged to provide your landscape a bevy of beautiful blooms in a rainbow of colors. The collection even comes with a 60-cell Bio Dome to get you started on a fabulous flower garden. You will receive 8 packs of colorful flower seeds:

• Zinnia Park's Picks Mix
• Coneflower 'PowWow Wild Berry'
• Anemone Double Harmony Mix
• Geranium 'Maverick Scarlet'
• Coleus Giant Exhibition Complete Mix
• Petunia Shock Wave® Deep Purple
• Celosia 'Dragon's Breath'
• Muhly Grass 'Undaunted'

Using the Bio Dome system will make you the envy of the block with earlier, healthy, lush greenery and bountiful flowers. As an added bonus, it's nice to know you are taking an environmentally friendly stance as you develop your landscape and are partnering with a company that has integrity and more than a century of gardening knowledge.