From Seed or Seedling?
Established Seedlings
If you're new to growing, starting from an established seedling is usually the way to go. Starting directly from seed can be a tricky process, and many things can go wrong when you haven't had practice keeping plants alive yet.
The benefits to this method are mostly self-obvious. Established plants are hardier than newly germinated seeds. They're more likely to tolerate less than ideal growing conditions, and they're ready to be put in the ground. Another benefit you might not think of immediately is that plant nurseries will almost always sell varieties that will grow well in the area. If they didn't, they would have a lot of unhappy customers.
The biggest drawback of this method is primarily that you have a smaller variety you to choose from. While your local nursery may have only a handful of different varieties, there are thousands of varieties of every crop imaginable available through online retailers.
Starting from Seed
So, as a new grower, should you always start from seedlings rather than directly from seed? Definitely not. In fact, there are many types of plants you actually cannot buy in stores. Potatoes, corn, and carrots, for instance, do no like to be moved once they've germinated. The stress of moving these plant often kills or irreparably stalls the plant's growth for the season, so sellers exclusively sell seeds of this time of plant in stores.
When you're choosing which plants to grow from seed, you'll need to do a small amount of research (or check our guide for edible plants!) or you'll need to review the seed packet of the crop you're looking to grow.
How to Read a Seed Packet:
Type of Plant and the Specific Variety: This is, of course, the name of the plant you will be growing. (Tip: ALWAYS label your plants clearly. It's much easier to lose track of what is what than you might think.)
Days to Germination: This is how many days you should expect to wait before the seeing the plant emerge from the soil.
Soil Depth: This is how deep in the soil to plant the seed. (Tip: In general, the larger the seed, the further they need to be planted into the soil.)
Seed & Row Spacing: This tells you how far apart to plant each seed and , in a traditional in-ground garden, how far apart the rows need to be for ideal group. (Tip: If you're using the "Square Foot Gardening Method," you should disregard this suggestion and google how many plants can be planted per square foot.)
Days to Harvest: This tells you approximately how may days from the day of planting until the day you will be able to harvest your crop under ideal conditions. This is especially important for root crops, like potatoes and carrots, as you won't know how developed the plants are under ground until the day of harvest.
Sow Outside /Start Indoors Dates: This section will tell you whether a plant can be started indoors or should be sowed outside, and it will also tell you what month this plant should be planted for ideal growing in your location.
Tips for Starting from Seed:
- Seeds do not need light until they emerge from the soil, but they do need heat and moisture. Keep the soil moist and keep the plants in a warm location (or use a seedling heating pad) until they emerge from the soil. Then, you can add light and remove the heating pad.
- When growing indoors, consider placing a fan directed at your plants after they germinate (at a low speed). This will keep mold from developing and sucking energy away from your plants, as well as strengthen the stems.
- If using a grow light indoors, keep the light 1-2 inches above the seedlings and gradually raise the light as they grow. Grow lights are generally weaker than naturaly light, and keeping that light close to the plants keeps them from 'reaching' for the light and developing a weak stem.
- ALWAYS harden off your indoor seedlings before planting them in your garden. This is the process of acclimating them to the conditions outdoors. Take the plants outdoors for only a few hours at a time, for a few days, grandually increasing the amount of time outdoors until they are able to be outdoors all day. This process takes a few days to a week, and it's well worth the effort. If you don't, you may find your plants dying off within just a few days because of the sudden change in conditions.
- When sowing plants directly outdoors, ensure that you are keeping the new seedlings soil moist, but now wet until the seedlings are 3-4 inches tall. At that point, you may need to this out extra plants to ensure the correct spacing, and check the plant's preferences for water. Some plants require consistent moisture. Other plants will prefer you to allow the soil to dry before watering again.
Bareroot Plants
Not a seed or a seedling, but a secret third thing?
Just briefly, I'd like to mention a third type of plant start, the bareroot plant. This is a type of dormant plant start, often fruit trees and plants, sold online by plant nurseries. They are often cheaper than established plants, but like starting from seed, they require a little extra work to set up.
Bareroot plants arrive looking almost like dead plants. They are usually bare roots and a stem, with little to no foliage. This is because they are dormant and need time in the soil to get started for the season. You should plan to get these plants into the ground within 48 hours of receiving them. (Though, if you need extra time, they will often last up to two weeks in the fridge before the need to be planted.
Before planting a bareroot, you should soak them in cool to lukewarm water for 30-60 minutes. Then, follow the instructions included for planting them directly in the ground.