How Seeds and Starts Can Make A Huge Difference

When planting you might be wondering if you should use seeds or starts, use heirloom or hybrid seeds, grow indoors or outdoors and more. Seeds and starts can make a huge difference in how your garden grows. We share some of the things you should know when you are making your decisions and steps to take to get started.

Seeds vs starts.

Seeds you start from scratch and may take a few days to weeks to germinate and start growing. With starts the plant has already started to grow and you are relying on nurseries to see what they have available. Starts are a little more gratifying when planting your garden.

Heirloom vs Hybrid.

Heirloom seeds have been passed down through generations, they aren’t hybrid, they are true to form like the parent. Hybrid seeds have taken the best of several different species and create the plant. If you save seeds from those types it is a guessing game of what kind of plant you will be getting. Organic means that is hasn’t been genetically modified (GMO). We suggest looking for heirloom seeds or organic seeds.

Planting seeds.

When you are planting seeds indoors you will want odor-free soil that has organic matter (like pearlite or vermiculite) which is a lighter fluffier soil mix so it’s easier for the plants to immerge.

To know how deep to plant the seeds depends on the size of the seed. In general everything smaller than a pea will be planted as deep as about 3 times the width of the seed. When you planting the little tiny seeds (like lettuce seeds) we like to typically just scratch the surface, lay the seed down and lay a little bit of soil over it then gently tap it down without compacting the soil.

Purchasing starts.

When purchasing starts there are some things you will want to think about when you are picking them out.

1. Avoid visible roots. That shows you the pot has been in that pot way too long and is root bound.
2. Avoid any yellowing plants
3. Avoid any that look like they have bugs or are damaged. That plant will have to work on recovering first before it can start producing.

Planting outdoors.

When you are planting outside in your garden be sure to remember your spacing so there is room for them to grow. You want to plant furthest away from you and work in towards yourself. Make sure you stay off the garden soil so it doesn’t get compacted. When you are placing your plant in the soil you will want to put a divot before and behind the plant so when it is watered it will allow the water to go towards the roots of the plant.

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