Growing flowers and vegetables from seed can be fun, save money, and give you a lot of satisfaction. Now, if you are a gardener, you probably have a number of seed catalogs that have just arrived. The vibrant and colorful pictures are enticing and can make you want to plant everything you see. If you are new to planting seeds, you may feel a little overwhelmed by all the choices you have. It’s tempting, but you need to know a few rules before you start getting too excited.
Now is a good time to order seeds. Whether you are starting at home or planning to sew directly in the garden, if you spend some time now going through the catalogs and make some choices, you will not have to worry about the company that comes out with the seeds you want. But if you do this, make sure you remember where you put them. One year I didn’t find my seeds until June. Don’t let that happen to you.
One of the first rules is not to be more orderly. I tend to do this every year so I’m not the one to tell you this, but it’s true. It’s hard to go through one of the new seed catalogs and not want one of many of them. Remember how much space you have and choose one or two types of vegetables and see how they do. “If your eyes are bigger than your space” and you have more order the first year, this is a good way to be frustrated and quiet. For seasonal gardening, make a list of plants that have done well, your favorite plants to grow, and plants you might want to try if you want to branch out this year.
I usually have seeds left over from the previous year and check them to see what I have before I go back too far in order. The seeds will last two or three seasons if stored in a cool, dry place. I keep mine on the door in my freezer in an airtight bag and they seem to do well the following season.
When you have studied the different catalogs, note the key symbols that are displayed by the article. There will be a graphic that tells you about the article. You need to know if what you want to buy is right for your area. If you are an experienced gardener, you should refer to the notes and remember what worked well for you and what did not. Seasoned gardeners tend to know what works in their area and tend to buy many of the same seeds every year.
I think you already know if you want to plant a vegetable garden or a flower garden. So if you’re thinking of growing some cool-weather flowers or vegetables, like broccoli, cabbage, pansies, lettuce, or other cool-weather plants, starting seeds indoors will give you a jump start and give you the possibility of growing crops earlier. the summer heat becomes too strong. You can start it indoors and then transplant it outside when the soil warms up.
I tend to plant more flowers than vegetables, well, I had my pumpkin, corn and tomato. With these, plant most of the seed directly in the ground when the last frost for the season has passed. People always say to plant on Good Friday. This may be true in some areas, but everyone’s land is not warm enough since then and as you know; some years Easter is early and other years Easter is late.
When researching which varieties to grow flowers, I look for disease-resistant varieties, especially if you’ve had problems. For example, when looking for zinnias or phlox, I want to make sure I have a mildew-resistant variety. If you are looking for tomato seeds, look for varieties marked with VFN which means they are resistant to certain diseases such as verticillium and fusarium. Today you see more and more disease resistant seeds available. 2
See if the seed catalog includes a growing guide for each flower or vegetable species. This includes soil pH, if you need to soak your seeds, the best soil temperatures for germination, planting depth and spacing, germination time and the fertilizer that is needed. This can be very useful information.
When ordering vegetables, some people want to make sure they have a choice of heirloom varieties. I am a big proponent of growing heirloom tomatoes. I’ll choose a purple Cherokee tomato over a regular tomato any day of the week. They are my very favorite tomato and you can’t beat a home grown one.
If you have the space and want to grow corn, you need to know if you want an heirloom corn or one of the carefully selected hybrids that were created the old-fashioned way, through selective breeding. I tend to love the two-tone grain and there are many to choose from. But we also know that the taste can vary according to soil conditions, climate, fertilization and irrigation.
If you are new to this, try a pack of zinnias or squash or cucumbers. These are some of the easiest seeds to grow and will give you confidence to grow more next year. Just remember, don’t make your first garden too big. Start small and grow. Happy Gardening everyone! Betty Montgomery is a master gardener and author of “Hydrangeas: How To Grow, Cultivate & Enjoy,” and “A Four-Season Southern Garden.” He can be reached at bmontgomery40@gmail.com.
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