How to grow vegetables from seed?

Growing vegetables from seed may take a little effort, but there are several advantages for the home gardener. They include:

• More varieties are available as seeds than from full-grown plants.
• It’s cheaper.
• When you grow your own plants, you are getting a known quality.

If you decide to start growing from seed, the next question that needs to be answered, is whether to start them indoors or outdoors. The answer depends on plant quantities, how much space you have to devote to indoor gardening and the length of your growing season. Another thing to think about: plants begun indoors have higher survival rates than those started outdoors. Learn more about starting seeds indoors from the University of Nebraska Extension.

Keep in mind that this is not an all or nothing deal. You can make case-by-case decisions and start some vegetables from seed and others from plants. It’s your garden… go nuts!

Planet Natural offers heirloom garden seeds that are non-treated, non-GMO and NOT purchased from Monsanto-owned Seminis. Need advice? Visit our vegetable guides for tips and information on growing specific types.

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Seven Steps of Seed Sowing

Eileen Powell, author of From Seed to Bloom, divides the sowing of seeds into seven steps:

1. Prepare the containers. Clean with well-diluted bleach (nine parts water to one part bleach). Punch drainage holes in the bottom of your container and then line with a layer of newspaper.
2. Prepare your growing medium. If you are using soilless growing media, Powell recommends dampening it. Place it in a plastic bag and add four parts water to one part soil. Mix well by squeezing the bag. End result should be damp, but not wet.
3. Fill containers. In addition to your growing medium, you may want to add a layer of sand to promote drainage. Fill pots or flats to within 1/4 inch of the top with your potting mix and level the surface.
4. Sow your seeds. The easiest way to avoid mixing things up is to plant only one variety of seeds per container. Powell says, “as a general rule of thumb, seeds should be covered to three times their diameter.” Read the directions on the seed packet for specific planting instructions.
5. Label containers. Label each container with what seed you’re planting, date planted, expected date (range) of germination. Also, mark a calendar with your plants germination dates which will make planning easier, Powell says.
6. Water. If you’ve pre-moistened your growing medium, you can skip this step. Otherwise, water to moisten, but do not saturate the soil.
7. Cover containers. Cover seed trays with plastic wrap or place them inside a plastic bag. The idea behind covering the container is to keep moisture levels constant. Seeds are very sensitive to the amount of water they receive. Too much water or too little water will greatly effect your success rate. Remove the cover once the seeds have germinated to prevent plant diseases such as damping off.

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As soon as your seedlings develop true leaves (usually the second set of leaves), it’s time to give them more room.

Thin them by trimming off the plant’s leaves at soil level. You’ll want to end up with one plant for every 1 to 2 inches.

Tips and Tricks to Grow Vegetable Garden

1. If its getting cold and you have tomatoes still ripening on the vine — save your tomatoes! Pull the plants up and bring them inside to a warm dry place. Hang them up, and the tomatoes will ripen on the vine.

2. Companion planting is an excellent way to improve your garden. Some plants replenish nutrients lost by another one, and some combinations effectively keep pests away.

3. Paint the handles of your gardens tools a bright, color other than green to help you find them amongst your plants. You can also keep a mailbox in your garden for easy tool storage.

4. Compost needs time to integrate and stabilize in the soil. Apply two to three weeks prior to planting.

5. There is an easy way to mix compost into your soil without a lot of back breaking work: Spread the compost over your garden in the late fall, after all the harvesting is done. Cover with a winter mulch such as hay or chopped leaves and let nature take its course. By spring, the melting snow and soil organisms will have worked the compost in for you.

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If you’re looking for the fastest ticket to a lush garden, start at ground level. Planet Natural offers a large selection of soils and amendments to help you produce healthy, productive plants year after year. Now, let’s grow!

6. Like vining vegetables, but don’t have the room? Train your melons, squash, and cucumbers onto a vertical trellis or fence. Saves space and looks pretty too.

7. Garden vegetables that become over-ripe are an easy target for some pests. Remove them as soon as possible to avoid detection.

8. Onions are ready to harvest when the tops have fallen over. Let the soil dry out, harvest, and store in a warm, dry, dark place until the tops dry. Cut off the foliage down to an inch, then store in a cool, dry area.

9. Keep dirt off lettuce and cabbage leaves when growing by spreading a 1-2 inch layer of mulch (untreated by pesticides or fertilizers) around each plant. This also helps keep the weeds down.

10. When planting a flower or vegetable transplant, deposit a handful of compost into each hole. Compost will provide transplants with an extra boost that lasts throughout the growing season.

11. Insects can’t stand plants such as garlic, onions, chives and chrysanthemums. Grow these plants around the garden to help repel insects.

12. Milk jugs, soda bottles and other plastic containers make great mini-covers to place over your plants and protect them from frost.

13. For easy peas, start them indoors. The germination rate is far better, and the seedlings will be healthier and better able to fight off pests and disease.

14. Healthy soil means healthy plants that are better able to resist pests and disease, reducing the need for harmful pesticides.
15. Another reason to use natural and organic fertilizers and soil amendments: earthworms love them! Earthworms are extremely beneficial in the vegetable garden; increasing air space in the soil and leaving behind worm castings. Do what you can to encourage earthworms in your soil.

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16. Diatomaceous earth makes an excellent organic insecticide – it is an abrasive white powder used to damage the cuticle, skin and joints of insects. It also makes an excellent slug barrier.

17. Some vegetables actually become better after a first frost, including kale, cabbage, parsnips, carrots, and Brussels sprouts.

18. When transplanting tomatoes, cover the stem with soil all the way up to the first set of leaves. This greatly encourages root growth, making a stronger, healthier plant.

19. Healthy soil means a thriving population of microbes, earthworms and other organisms. A soil that has “good tilth” will produce robust garden plants that are better able to resist pests and disease.

20. A simple five percent increase in organic material (compost) quadruples the soil’s ability to store water.

21. Plants will do best if they are well suited to your growing area. Take some time to read up and choose plants accordingly.

22. Keep garden vegetables from getting dirty by spreading a 1-2 inch layer of mulch (untreated by pesticides or fertilizers) around each plant. This will also help keep the weeds down.

23. Water your garden in the early morning to conserve moisture loss and to help avoid powdery mildew and other fungal diseases that are often spread by high humidity levels.

24. If you’re short on space, garlic, leeks and shallots make excellent container plants. They tend to have few insect or disease problems and don’t require much room for roots.

25. Over watering is worse than under watering. It is easier to revive a dry plant than try to dry out drowned roots.