Sowing your seeds: Timeline
Although the alder and birch seedlings will grow quickly, you will still need to ensure you’ve grown reasonable-sized seedlings by July. There are two reasons for this – the end of the school term and the need to “harden off” the trees so they are capable of surviving the winter.
For schools in Scotland, in particular, this means seeds will have to be sown as soon after you receive them as possible.
There are only 9 weeks between returning from the Easter break until Scottish schools break for summer.
Even in the rest of the country, there are only about 12 weeks in which to grow the seedlings before term ends.
The seedlings will then need to harden off outside to get them ready for the end of the growing season in autumn and then to survive through winter.
You might be able to plant out the alder and birch seedlings in November, possibly as part of Tree Week at the end of November, but you might also want to plant some out early in 2010.
The Scots pine seedlings will take longer to grow and might not be ready to plant until later in 2010.
Next step...
Now click on ‘Identifying the seeds’ on the left of this page for the next section.
