Growing seedlings can be a rewarding experience. If you decide to grow from seeds then there are some basics to know. Seed packets and seed catalogs provide a lot of important information for you.
Heirloom, Hybrid or Open Pollinated
Heirloom seeds normally have a long history normally over 50 years and have been passed down for many generations. Gardeners would save the seeds of their best plants every year making. This makes heirlooms a history of loved plants with some quality traits such as flavor or disease resistance.
Open Pollinated seeds are pollinated by nature. This could be bees, butterflies, wind, or other natural methods.
Hybrids are two plants that were purposely matted by humans to achieve a certain goal such as increased production or prevent diseases. These should not be confused with GMO (Genetically Modified Organism). Hybrids are created by mating two plants by hand where GMO’s are modified in a lab with some form of biotechnology.
If you plan to save the seeds and plant them next season it is suggested to get heirloom or open pollinated seeds. If you have a certain need in your garden see if there is a hybrid that could meet your need. For example, if you always get powdery mildew on your pumpkin leaves then a hybrid with prevention might be the way to go.
Spacing
Spacing is normally broken into how far apart to plant in a row and then how far to space the rows together. For example pumpkins should be at 18 to 36 inches apart in rows five to six feet apart. This is mainly due to how far the vines of pumpkins spread. If planting in raised beds sometimes these suggestions can change if you are using techniques like a trellis to make the plant grow more vertical. I normally use the spacing suggestions to give me an idea how far apart to keep same plants but doesn’t mean I can’t intermingle other plants.
Direct Seeding vs Transplanting
Direct seeding is when you plant the seeds directly into your garden. Transplanting has you start the seeds normally indoors or in a green house. Transplanting can allow you to start seeds earlier than when your last frost is and also allow you to provide a more sheltered environment to start them. Certain seeds do better being transplanted and others should be direct planted. Common plants that do best direct seeding are root crops such as carrots and beans and peas. I normally transplant my beets but always direct sow my carrots.
Timing
Most seed packets or catalogs will tell you days to maturity which is approximately how long from either seed or transplant (normally noted) it will take for the plant to be at peak or be able to harvest. Some plants such as different color peppers may have a date for a green pepper and another for when the pepper will turn the desired color. You could eat the pepper at either time.
Many times you will also get a suggested time to plant seeds indoors for transplanting. This will allow you to plan when to plant the seeds compared to when you want to plant them in the garden. If it is the spring planting you can look up your expected last frost date and work backwards from that date. Your expected last frost date is based off historical data and predictions to give you an idea of when your area is expected to have its last frost. For examples, peppers are normally planted 6 to 8 weeks before being transplanted. I normally push toward 8 weeks since peppers grow slowly and do better with a little larger plant when transplanting.
Temperature
In addition to your last frost date you also need to look at soil temperatures and germinating temperature. Germinating temperatures will tell you an ideal temperature to get your seeds to germinate. Keep this in mind when deciding where you are going to plant your seedlings. Soil temperate will tell you the ideal temperate for the plants for transplanting. If you live in really cold places just because you had the last frost doesn’t mean the soil is warm enough for certain plants.
Determinate vs Indeterminate
When choosing tomatoes you will have the options of determinate or indeterminate. Determinate plants produce the majority of their tomatoes at one time. This is good if you plan to can or want to make sauce with your tomatoes. These plants are also normally smaller and more compact. Indeterminate tomatoes continue to produce tomatoes throughout the entire season. These are preferable for your salad tomatoes or fresh eating tomatoes so you have them all season.
Seed planning
After I know what I want to plant in my garden I will tackle my seed planning. I will review what seeds I currently have from prior seasons. I normally do not use an entire packet of seeds in one season especially for things I am only growing one or two plants of that type. As long as the seeds are taken care of they can be used for a number of years. I use a photo box to store my seeds in and normally sort them by cold/warm and by type such as tomatoes, peppers, flowers, and herbs.
I will also review any notes from last season for any issues I had with any plants to see if there can be a different type I may need to try instead of the seeds I currently have. Last summer I planted a number of amish paste tomatoes and they did not produce well. I had a heat snap and they were not pollinating. I was getting flowers but no fruit. As such I am not going to plant them again this year and started hunting for other options.
I look for my seeds in a variety of places. Three of the main places I order from are Park Seed, and San Diego Seed Company. All of theses companies provide a large variety of seeds both open pollinated and hybrids. Once you order from a few places you will get seed catalogs sent to you normally at the beginning of each year or season. I love browsing the seed catalogs since they provide you a breakdown of the seeds they have for the season normally broken down by type. The catalogs also provide great ideas for new plants to try. This year I am adding nasturtium flowers as companion plants for the first time. Once I make my decision I place an order so I am ready to start planting my seedlings.
Opportunity awaits
Seed shopping is one of my favorite parts of the garden. There are so many options out there and many fruits and vegetables that you can not find at your local grocery store. Every new plant is a new lesson and nature is always willing to teach you. Enjoy the process and try something new the options are endless. If you have any questions please ask in the comments below. If you enjoyed this post please pin and share!
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