Starting to seed for plants and flowers

WARREN, R.I. (FOX Providence) - How do delicate flowers go from tiny seeds to blooming buds? Frerichs Farm has the scoop on seedlings. How do delicate flowers go from tiny seeds to blooming buds? Frerichs Farm has the scoop on seedlings.

Frerichs Farm has a wide variety of plants and flowers. In order to have thousands ready to be taken home by this time of year, timing is everything.

"We actually start seeding in February, the second week of February. And that's why we couldn't plant all our seedlings in one shot, because different flowers take different amounts of time. So by breaking up the seedling over a 10-week period, it gives us a flow of seedlings to do," said David Frerichs.

After the seedlings are planted, David Frerichs says its crucial to maintain them properly, especially at the beginning stages of growth.

"You don't want to put too much water, you don't want to have not enough water and you also want to make sure that you provide a little bit of fertilizer to keep them going. If you don't do enough fertilizing, you'll stunt them a little bit."

Since the planting starts in the winter time, Frerichs Farm has to hold their seedlings in greenhouses in order to optimize growth.

Every house has its own furnace and there's a thermostat that controls the heat, so we try to pick the optimal temperature for the different types of flowers that we grow. You learn that by trial and error too," said David Frerichs of Frerichs Farm.

Once the plants have sprouted, it is time for them to be separated and transplanted.

But, with so many seedlings to tend to, the process can be quite time consuming.

"It took 16 hours for us to plant the 80,000 impatiens. Some plants are easier to plant than others. Ones that are a little bit taller and have a thinner stem, they're easy to plant than ones that have a bushier base. And it can be a little bit difficult at times, depending on the variety, because everything is different."

If you don't have a green thumb, don't worry. Frerichs Farm has plenty of flowers and plants that are ready for you to take home.

When attempting the seedling process for the first time, be sure to cover your roots and secure them in soil without over packing them. According to Frerichs Farm, impatiens are the top-seller of what to plant this year.