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Answers to your gardening questions |
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Complimentary Copy of "Keys to the Garden Gate" Five-part article series on flower-drying starts here Eight-part article series on vegetable gardening starts here Asian
Lily Beetles Japanese
Beetles An
effective Deer Fence! |
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Flowers
& Veggies From Seed? Sure!
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Welcome through Fred's Garden Gate! Why go the bother of growing from seeds more of the types of plants you now purchase as plants from garden centers and big box stores? Well, for starts, most are easy from seed. . .and you get exactly the colors and varieties you want, in the quantity you need to fill the gaps and build the rows of your garden at a lower cost than buying root-bound and stressed plants crammed into those tiny little six-packs from the store. If those aren't reasons enough, consider the pure — almost joyous — satisfaction of seeing your own personal efforts develop into gorgeous flowers and nutritious food. Wait! It gets even better. If you flinch at the knowledge that those six-packs from the giant chain stores probably started their lives out continually saturated with potentially hazardous chemicals and, once they hit the store shelves, had been neglected and abused. . .then you need to reclaim control of what goes into your garden. You owe it to yourself to at very least, try to grow your own from seed. So. . .what is a seed? When push comes to shove, a seed is little more than a small, dormant, packet of genetics and get-it-off-and-running nutrition that's just waiting for the right conditions to encourage it to begin growing into a mature plant. All flowering plants have the ability to reproduce from seed. Almost all vegetables can be grown from seed as well, but more than a few mature into harvestable crops faster and more efficiently if grown from an enlarged root structure (potato, onion, garlic, for example), a cutting (tarragon is an example), or young plants or roots (think asparagus, strawberries, and rhubarb). The safe and easy way out? Generally speaking (but not always true if you buy your seeds in purely-profit-motivated big box stores) if you see it in a seed rack in a garden center or farm 'n garden store in your area, you can successfully grow it from seed. But don't they all have to be started indoors? A resounding no! While there are certain types that must be started inside during very early spring in order to have enough time in short growing seasons like ours, believe it or not, a great many more will actually do better if sown directly in the ground. Some cool weather types like peas, sweet peas, and most of those vegetables in the "cole" group (broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale and cauliflower, for example) can actually be sown weeks before the last anticipated spring frost. On the other hand, very tender types like lettuce, radishes, squash, cucumbers, and a great many flowers shouldn't be direct-sown into garden soil until after the danger of frost has passed. Aren't sure? All seed packets worth their salt have complete printed growing instructions. If it says on the packet to start them outside. . .go for it! And speaking of seed packets, don't waste your seed budget on "bargain," out-dated, or seeds from sources that you are not totally convinced are 100% reputable. Insist on a no-argument replacement or refund guarantee of freshness and correct variety. And buy from a good seed company as close to your home as is humanly possible. They'll have the flower and vegetable varieties that'll perform well in your climate. Those on the list, below, are reliable. Ok. . .Where do you get your seeds? Rather than put all our eggs into one basket, so to speak, we much prefer to select our seeds from several sources. Here's my short list:
How long will seeds last in storage? | Problems in the seed tray
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