If you harvest your own seeds, air-dry them then store in paper packets in a dry place until you’re ready to sow again.
Once the work of building and preparing your vegetable beds is done, it’s time for the fun and rewarding step: planting. Now you will transform a tiny seed or flimsy seedling into food.
There are a number of things to consider when deciding whether to grow from seed or seedlings.
Availability Seeds are readily available via mail order and the Internet and can be sent to country areas and remote locations.
Variety The range of seedling varieties that are available is limited. Many heritage or unusual varieties can only be grown from seed.
Transplanting Some crops do not like the root disturbance involved in transplanting. Root vegetables such as carrots, beets, rutabagas, parsnips, and turnips do best when their seed is sown directly into the soil where they will grow. If you transplant these seedlings into the ground, they will suffer a setback.
Value Seeds are better value than seedlings, as you get more plants for your money.
Time Buying seedlings saves time, usually up to six weeks of growing time. Always remove the seedlings from their containers very carefully so they don’t get damaged or suffer transplant shock.
Needs of specific vegetables Some vegetables, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, and Jerusalem artichokes, are best grown from cuttings of tubers. Others, such as asparagus, globe artichokes, and rhubarb, are best grown from crowns, which are advanced plants that are already a year or two old.
Always have your soil prepared well. Most seeds germinate best in light, friable soil, so ensure that you have worked the soil over well, to a fine tilth, before sowing. Mark out a shallow furrow. Use a string line, garden stake, or the handle of a rake as a guide to keep your row straight.
Large seeds, such as beans, peas, sweet corn, pumpkins, and winter squash, are best pushed directly into the soil. Some gardeners like to plant several seeds in one hole. This is because one or two seeds may not germinate, but you will be left with at least one that does. If more than one germinates, thin them to leave only one seedling to grow properly.
Some seeds, such as radishes, are quick to germinate. You will see the first green leaves in as little as five to eight days, with small roots ready for harvest in four weeks, although they are fully grown in six to eight weeks. Other seeds, such as parsnip and parsley, will take much longer to germinate.
When sowing seeds or planting seedlings, always follow the directions and recommended spacing on the seed packet or plant label. Always insert a label at the end of each row identifying the vegetable and the variety.
Sowing very fine seeds
When sowing fine seeds, such as carrot, radish, and onion, add 1 packet of seed to 1/2 cup of sand and mix well. Sow this seed-and-sand mix 10–15 mm (1/3–1/2 in) deep. Cover with compost and tamp down firmly. Cover with an old dish towel, damp newspaper, or shade cloth and water gently. Check daily and remove as soon as seedlings emerge. Sowing with sand helps to thin out the seeds physically so there is less thinning once they germinate.
Plant seedlings into well-prepared soil, water them, and make sure they are kept moist by rain or supplementary watering. Apply a seaweed-based plant tonic to minimize transplant shock. You’ll need to water new seedlings more frequently in hot weather until they harden up and their root systems get established.
Protect them from snails, slugs, and insects that may attack the tender new shoots. Birds and rodents may also go for the seeds or shoots, so cover them with netting or row covers.
Many varieties of vegetables will naturally self-seed. If you have an informal garden layout or are using permaculture principles, you can to some extent let the plants decide where they will grow. If you prefer a more ordered approach, harvest seeds once they are dry and store them in labeled paper packets ready for next season’s planting. Even simpler is to harvest the seeds just as they are about to fall and scatter them where you want that particular vegetable to grow.
If you harvest your own seeds, air-dry them then store in paper packets in a dry place until you’re ready to sow again.
Water vegetables regularly, depending on your climate, the weather, and how the plants are looking. It is better to give them a good soak once or twice a week rather than a light sprinkle every day. The soft, leafy nature of many vegetables means they have high water requirements, so don’t let them dry out or their quality will suffer greatly.
Keep seedlings moist, and in dry climates water gently once a day or as required until they are well established.
It is important to keep your garden beds weed-free, because weeds will compete with your vegetables for space, light, water, and nutrients. Weed, then mulch lightly with straw or alfalfa hay. Don’t put mulch over areas that have been sown until the seeds have shot and are 5 cm (2 in) high. Add extra mulch as the seedlings get bigger.
A straw mulch over these beds of cabbages helps keep the soil evenly moist. It’s critical if you want to grow the best cabbages possible.
The love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies.
GERTRUDE JEKYLL (1843–1932), ENGLISH GARDEN DESIGNER
Drying tomato seeds
Tomato seeds are coated in a gel sac that must be broken down by fermentation before the seed can be dried.
Add water to seed pulp and leave for a few days. The seeds will sink. Carefully pour off the water before sieving the seeds under running water to clean them. Let the seeds dry completely before storing them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
