Save money and grow your own plants from seed
- Will
- 0
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If you have the time to spend and the space to grow your own plants from seed it is the most cost-effective way of filling your garden with beautiful blooms through the spring and summer months and growing your own fruit and vegetables to enjoy throughout the year. As long as you take care of the seedlings, protecting them from frosts by not planting them out too early and feeding and watering them as necessary there is no reason why your efforts should not be rewarded.
Seed packets always come with instructions on how to start the seeds off and it is important to follow the instructions especially if you are a novice gardener. Depending on the size of the seeds the method that you use when planting can vary for instance very small seeds such as begonia need to be sprinkled finely onto a seed tray filled with good quality, fine compost or vermiculite and watered by standing the seed tray in water for ten minutes. They will take a while to germinate but once the seedlings are big enough they can be pricked out and planted into individual pots. Medium sized seeds such as tomatoes and peppers and some bedding plants can again be planted onto a tray of compost, but they will need more space to grow so they should be spaced out giving the seedlings more space to grow. Watering in the same way by standing the seed tray in a tray of water for ten minutes gives the seeds a good start and then regular watering can be done if the soil is not moist. Once grown the seedlings can be left in the tray until you are ready to plant out in the garden or vegetable beds. Pea and bean seeds are much larger and so can be planted in individual pots straight away. Fibre pots are useful as they can be planted straight out into the soil without having to take the seedling out of the pot.
Some seeds can be planted outdoors without the need to start them off in a greenhouse or on a windowsill. This method can be used for plants such as nasturtium which can be planted out in the pot or flower bed where you want them to grow. As long as the outside temperature is warm enough they will germinate and begin to grow within a few weeks.