Easy Ways of Growing Seeds

Save Time & Have Fun

Children love growing seeds. The wonder and learning are a pleasure to watch. Amid the turmoil of life seed germination brings a real sense of hope and, caring for seedlings gives us all a sense of motherhood.

So what’s the simplest way to get results? Well, you'll be pleased to hear that many of the most popular and the essential plants are indeed easy to grow from seeds. So start with these.

Choose Plants That Are Easy To Grow From Seeds

Seed stockists now have special categories for easy to grow plants. Although they often include children's favourites like sunflowers, and many other old favourites, you can easily produce a beautiful garden with them. Importantly, the reason they are so popular is because they are reliable, tolerant of conditions, and the seeds are easy to handle.

Examples of Easy to Grow from Seed Flowers include:

Zinnia, Cosmos (companion plant), Impatiens, Marigolds, Nasturtium, Gourds, Poppy, Black-Eyed Susan, Echium, Godetia, Pansies, Allysum Coleus...

Examples of Easy to Grow from Seed Vegetables include:

Salad leaves, Spring Onions, Tomato, Pumpkin, Sweet Corn...

You can choose easy to grow from seed varieties online – where you'll often find them listed in special categories in America and U.K.

Further below I describe Jiffy Discs, easy to grow seed mats,   seed tapes,  &  pelleted and coated seed etc...  first ... ...

...Basic Needs Of Growing Seeds

Ready Steady Grow
Cool gardening projects for kids
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U.K. Link

There may be some setbacks when sowing directly outside so let’s start by assuming you are sowing in trays, pots, or modules and planting outside.

Let's spend a moment getting the basics right. To germinate, seeds require sufficient warmth, moisture, air, and sometimes light for small seeds so they know they're near the soil surface - any covering should be transparent.

Experiment: Try placing a few seeds on moist paper kitchen towel, cover with another layer of moist paper, place into a sealed plastic bag in gentle warmth. Keep moist not sodden wet. Check regularly - you may need to wait 10 to 20 days to observe germination.

Now For Growing Seeds Big Time

Simply fill flats (seed trays), pots, or modules with a good seed compost that’s free-draining - holds sufficient moisture - while having plenty of pore-space for air.

That means using a seed compost that is - fine, light, and moisture holding. Find suitable seed composts here.
You can also sow into special growing media formed into plugs or mats. Modules and propagators are helpful in sustaining seedlings. Check my page about growing seeds in modules.

Jiffy Discs are Ideal for Growing on the Windowsill Check this out on My Guide For Starting Seeds
Trays Are Used For Mixed Sowings & Tiny Seeds, For Growing Seeds with Special Composts & Saved Seeds

• I fill my trays with moist (not wet) compost, tapping or pressing down lightly only to remove large air spaces and make a flat surface,
• Normally seeds are covered over to twice their own depth*,
• After sowing seed I sprinkle vermiculite over the surface to reduce water loss,
• I give a once over with a fine-rose watering can so that the vermiculate darkens slightly. Nothing else,
• Don’t over water - good compost should provide sufficient moisture,
• Then I place trays in sufficient warmth for germination (greenhouse, porch, windowsill)

*Note: I regard sowing and planting depths to be the depth of soil placed on top of the seed rather than the depth of the hole. This makes a difference with large seeds.

If my compost over-dries then I stand containers in about ½ inch of water for a couple of minutes to allow compost to take up what’s needed.

Avoid crowding. Spacing is usually better when seeds are thinly sown.

I don't recommend you start your exploits by growing seeds that are very tiny. However, fine seeds are sown on the surface and left uncovered or lightly pressed down with a block. Follow the seed packet guidelines.

AMERICAN GARDENS

Easy To Grow Seed Mats...

Seed mats are an innovation in which the seeds are pre-sown onto a biodegradable fabric.

For Pot Herbs:
Small, seeded mats provide a good way of growing seeds into tasty pot herbs on your window sill or to plant out. You simply lay them on the surface of a pot of compost and moisten. Follow this link for details of small seed mats then select nationality and plant choice.
Pot Seed Mats are here

Attractive Flower Beds By Growing Seeds From Mats:
Larger pre-sown mats for flower borders are available. You should prepare the soil finely if possible to make growing roots comfortable. Don’t forget to remove perennial weeds first. Then lay the mat down and water well.

With pre-seeded mats you won't need to sow in trays and transplant, but don’t expect growth until the outside temperature is warm enough. If you are putting the mat out early you could cover it with clear polythene sheet leaving an air space to warm up and bring growth forward.

Advantages:
Seeded mats can be easily cut to shape to follow an edge or make a shape. There are even seed mats that grow into coloured flower arrangements such as the United States National flag. Imagine that growing in your front garden.
Most seed mats are selected around a theme such as: butterfly garden, fragrant flowers, tall border flowers, short border flowers etc...

Larger mats for growing seeds are on this link, select nationality to get the available plant choice.

Seed Tapes

Vegetable seeds are sometimes available pre-sown onto tapes. This is especially useful for row crops such as carrots. Seed tapes may have pre-sown stations correctly spaced along their length or the seed may be evenly spaced. Lay seed tapes in fine seed bed soil to make good contact. Follow this link - select nationality - check choice of seed tapes choose seeds etc...

Pelleted Seed

Small seeds are sometimes enclosed in clay pellets. This makes them easier to see, to handle and to space out e.g. lettuce seed which is naturally small and light in colour and in weight. Invalid and elderly gardeners as well as children benefit from this innovation.

While pelleted seed is easier for us to see, it reduces predation by birds. It may also protect against fungal attack and seed rot. If a fungicide is used in the coating then you have to decide if it is permissible in your organic garden.

Pelleted seed needs to be well-watered to soften the coating. Check them out in the easy to grow seed categories by following this link.

Coated Seed

Some seed is better described as coated rather than pelleted. The coatings may contain one or more of: fungicide, plant stimulants and micronutrients. Seaweed extract is included in some seed coatings. These additives give the growing seeds more strength with a definite increase in vigour.

Check these links.

Next   >  Starting seeds in propagators  - How to match your method to your plant seeds & garden needs & where to buy stuff you need.

Next   >  Which plants are suited for seed starting indoors?  - matching your plants to the season, & the advantages of growing indoors

My Wheelbarrow

  Gardening Catalogs - U.S.A.

  Power Plant Pro & Seeds - for Canadien gardeners

  Gardening Catalogues - U.K.

The Garden Seat - books by experts to help you grow garden seeds

U.K. Books

Garden Gate

The main plot for information on sowing & growing your seeds  on this link includes:- planning your seed site & sowing seed, making a seed bed, saving seed, seed compost, growing flowers and vegetables from seed, using: modules, root trainers, deep fiber pots, propagators, ... ... ...

ALSO on The Organic Gardener:-
Flower gardening the organic way

My Neighbour's Garden Plots

Home Of The Organic Gardener

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