Growing from seed. Easy or not?

It's far cheaper to buy seeds and grow them yourself but is this an easy thing to do? What are some good ways of doing this? I have two young boys so protecting the seeds is important in my case. Should I use the half a coke bottle to protect the babies?

 

Growing seeds is easy if you have the right conditions for them.

I have a nice window ledge in full sun in the mornings, and is like a green house for me, which is good as I don't have space for one. Once the seed has germinated, then you have to look after them so that they keep on growing, and I think this is perhaps the hardest bit. It is a combination of trial and error, and what your gut instinct tells you. You have to think about water, heat and light at this stage.

Once the true leaves develop you are almost there at growing the seeds. I only sow a few seeds at a time, sometimes into paper pots, or loo rolls, others into plant pots. It just depends on what you are growing.
Are your Children at an age where they could help you sow the seeds, and have their own plants. Sunflowers are a good starting point.

Hope this Helps!

 

Seeds are a hardy lot, where most of the time it's odd if they don't germinate given a little love and care. By all means, do protect them with half cola bottles, but don't leave the caps on at this time of the year, otherwise you'll find them wilting under the heat.

 

Are we talking veg plants, bedding or perennials here?
It's hard to generalise as different plants need different conditions but there are some easy ones to start with

 

There are, as you might expect, Easy seeds and Difficult seeds.

To give them the best chance start them off as close to their ideal germination temperature as you can. I sowed Carrots in a pot in the greenhouse a month or so back. Zippo ... way too hot (I thought I was doing them a favour!) If the seed packet doesn't have the germination temperature then Goggle most probably does!

I grow everything in seed trays / pots, transplant into individual pots, nurture!, and eventually plant out. You can, of course, sow them direct in the soil - just like Nature :thumb:

Here's what I do:

I used to use "pans" - shallow pots - about 4" in diameter. Get the compost nicely moist (if the compost is too dry then wet it - you should almost be able to get a drop or two of water out of it when you squeeze it in your hand - think of "making a fist" and you'll probably get my drift).

I only ever use a John Innes [soil based] compost for sowing seeds. I find the peat-based ones, like Levingtons, are more difficult to get the water balance right.

Really big seeds (like Runner means, Melons, Cucumbers etc.) I push into the soil (some you are supposed to plant on-edge, I've read research that suggests it makes no difference, but "no difference" gets me planting those ones on-edge, just-in-case!)

Other seeds I just cover (see below). I tip the seed into a ramekin, so that I can see how much there is, get every last seed out of the corners of the little foil packet they come in, etc. Make sure the ramekin is bone dry - I wipe it out with a cloth between seed packets as my hands tend to get moist handling the compost etc - which also gets rid of any odd seeds that my ageing eyes didn't see. If there is too much seed, then just get the amount you need into the ramekin, and leave the rest in the foil packet - then roll it up so none can escape.

I then tip all / some of the seed [depending on whether its a "lot", or not] into the palm of my [non-dominant] hand, take a pinch between thumb & forefinger of my dominant hand, and rubbing thumb & forefinger together distribute it evenly and thinly over the surface of the compost. You can practice this on a piece of paper, preferably a contrasting colour to the seed so you can see how you are doing - then just tip it back into your palm, or ramekin and either try again :( or go for gold

If the seed is pin-head sized, or larger, I gently push it into the surface of the compost - using the blunt end of a pencil - if it has a rubber / eraser on the end so much the better. The sharp end can be used to budge seeds apart that have landed too close together. You can be as pedantic about this as you like! If the seeds grow in clumps, because they were too close together, they become harder to separate when you transplant them. I sow very few seeds (kinda "just what I need plus a bit") and choose to spend the time sorting them out at the sowing stage to make transplanting easier later.

I then cover the surface of the compost with a thin (one granule thick) layer of vermiculite. I take a small handful, make a loose fist, and "drizzle" it past my little finger onto the surface. Try to avoid having to poke it about to get the correct depth, as that may redistribute the carefully positioned seeds underneath!

Put the pot / pan in a clear plastic bag, seal the top (I use the re-sealable "zip" type), and place on a suitable windowsill where it won't "cook" in the sun. Many seeds need light to germinate, but not a huge amount.

There is enough water in the soil to keep the pot going until it germinates. The water can't go anywhere, as the bag is sealed. If the seed takes months to germinate its a good idea to take it out every month or two, leave sitting in a bowl of water for 30 minutes, take out, allow to drain, and then put back in the bag and reseal. Seeds that take that long to germinate, or have to be put in the fridge for a number of weeks, or whatever!, are not what I would class as "easy"!

However, the moment they germinate they need lots of light, otherwise they will get leggy (grow tall, weak, stems desperately trying to find the light, and then keel over, obviously :(). If they have a windowsill with enough light then no problem ... if you have been keeping them out of the roasting sun you need to act quickly once they germinate.

As soon as they have germinated you can open the top of the plastic bag. I leave the pot in the open-necked bag, so that it still has protection and higher humidity. They will need watering periodically, depending on how hot it is. Easiest way is to dunk the pot in a bowl of water for 20 or 30 minutes, then allow to drain, then put back in the (open) bag. If you water from the top you will most likely knock the fragile seedlings over. Use tap water, not rain water (fungal muck is likely in a butt of rainwater, which baby plants may not be able to defend against, and they can then get damping off disease)

After a week, or so, they can come out of the plastic bag. Keep the light levels up.

The first thing that comes out of the seed is the Cotyledons, or "Seed leaves". These usually look nothing like the real, or "true", leaves. It is normal to wait until the first pair of true leaves appear, and then transplant into modules or pots. I often do it sooner than that though.

I use 3" pots for anything that will be potted on into larger pots (e.g. Tomatoes that have to be grown on a long time before they can go out into the greenhouse), and 3.5" / 9cm pots for anything that will then go straight out into the ground. (I find that 3.5" gives me a bit more "holding time" if I'm not quite ready when the plants are big enough to be planted out)

Water the seed tray / pan well, this makes the plantlettes easier to separate. Tease out a clump with the sharp end of, say, a pencil. Gently pull them apart, using the pencil point again as necessary.

Fill the pots with compost, loosely, to the brim. Stick the pencil in and wiggle around to make a nice cone shaped hole. Holding the seedling by the seed leaves only dangle it into the hole. Most things should be plunged right up to the base of the seed leaves. Push down on either side of the plantlette using two fingers so that it is firm. This will also have the effect of compressing the compost and lowering the top of the compost to the bottom of the wider-ring at the top of the pot, which will give enough room for watering.

One step up from pots / pans in plastic bags is a propagator. I have a windowsill one (narrow width to fit on the windowsill) which takes 1/4 sized plastic see trays. Each tray has a clear plastic dome, with an adjustable "vent", which I close until germination occurs. The propagator base is heated, and this dramatically speeds up germination in the early spring. Things don't need the heat, or benefit from it, once we get to the end of May or thereabouts. I still use the base, but unplugged, to stop the windowsill getting mucky when I water the trays :thumb: (My Blog has a picture of my windowsill propagagor)

What could possibly go wrong? :D

 

Kristen--love your detailed answer.

Years ago I wanted a few Meadow Rue for my garden, saw the price of the plant, thought well, I'll just grow it myself. The perennial seed needs a certain cold length of time for it to germinate, so into the fridge it went. And the baby plant itself would also want a cold spell. So I had to prepare a "safe" place outside for them. So finally out of the fridge and into small cubes go 50 seeds. Fast forward, only 25 came up, separated them, tucked the pots in the safe place outside. Following spring only 15 came back, kept in the pots for the next year to tiny to put in garden, another year goes by, now only 10 plants made it, fast forward finally into the third year, eight good size plants are thriving, they go into the area for them looks like they are doing great all year, following spring 5 came back and they have remained with me now 6 years. Moral of story I respect the cost of any perennials in nurseries and will happily shell out the money for them.

 

"Moral of story I respect the cost of any perennials in nurseries and will happily shell out the money for them"

Indeed

I bought a specific "desirable" (read "expensive") Sweet Pea variety this spring. They were pots of seedlings a couple of inches tall. There were about 30 to a pot, and cheaper than a packet of 20 seeds - not all of which would have germinated, of course.

Of the perennials I have grown from seed I often get 30 or so from a packet of seed, and of course 30 look ridiculous in a border :thumb: but by the time a few snuff it I get all that I want for a couple of quid's worth of seed, and a year or 18 month's delay - which is fine as we are building a garden on a budget.

 

Delphinium are the only seeds I have had difficulty with, as they're very tricky to grow from seed as you have to keep the germinating seeds in darkness for a time. Otherwise for very small seedlings I've often used small lolli-pop sticks or broken the prongs of plastic forks to use as stakes or support. Then again, I generally grow all seeds indoors on a south facing window sill,and all the usual rules apply: regular turning, regular watering, adding vermiculite.

 

wow!!!
That is an answer, you saved there at least 4 years for anyone who sarts now, if they will listen to u of course