Cat Nip Seeds

How to Plant Catnip Seeds

Date: 2009.06.12 | Category: how to grow cat nip seeds | Response: 0

Planting catnip seeds is the least expensive way to grow catnip. It can be a part of a flower garden or an attractive single planting, and it does well indoors, too.

You can buy catnip seeds from most regular flower and vegetable garden companies, and sometimes from seed racks, although they are less common than other mints. If you know someone who has catnip already growing, it’s easy to get the seeds from the spent flower stalks in the early fall.

Like other mints, catnip is not hard to get started from seed, but because it’s a tender plant, you’ll need to start it indoors in most climates.

If you live in a warm climate or where it warms up early enough to start it outdoors, simply dig a fine seed bed, press the seeds into it and cover with a light layer of soil. Keep the seed bed evenly moist until the seeds sprout. Be aware that you may have a few stray cats in your yard if you plant it outdoors.

To start indoors, about eight weeks before your last local frost date, gather together potting soil, small planters or pots with good drainage, a tray that will hold your pots, some plastic wrap and a small trowel or scoop with which to handle the soil. You will eventually also need a sunny spot that can’t be accessed by any indoor cats because they’ll eat the catnip or tear it out of the soil as soon as the seeds sprout, but only a warm place is necessary until the seeds begin to grow.

Using the scoop, fill the pots with potting soil to within a quarter inch of the top and dampen it. Don’t make it too wet, but be sure it’s uniformly damp. Potting soil can take a few minutes to absorb water if it’s dry, so you may have to wait a few minutes for it to spread evenly. When it’s ready, press three or four catnip seeds gently into the soil in each pot and sprinkle a little more of the potting soil over the top of them. Just a light layer of soil will do.

Place the pots on the tray and cover all of them, along with the tray, with plastic. Be sure the plastic is sealed well around the tray and plants, or the soil will dry out and the seeds will not sprout. Set the tray in a warm place. The top of a refrigerator or water heater are good choice, or you can use a heating pad set on the lowest temperature.

As soon as the seeds sprout, remove them from the heating pad or warm area, and put them where they can get plenty of sunshine, but not where they will have to endure scorching heat. A south facing windowsill is ideal if it doesn’t get too hot. Watch them closely and water as needed, but don’t overwater them. You can remove the plastic as soon as the plants are established.