How to Grow Plant Seeds. 5 Easy Steps

Through Autumn and Winter one of my favourite pastimes is browsing seed catalogues and online seed shops. Now is the best time to start sowing some of the ones I obtained and also some that I collected from my garden. Read on to learn How to Grow Seeds   5 Easy Steps.

For me planting seeds is very therapeutic and though it requires in no small measure, patience and optimism, it is a very calming task to do. Imagine all the flowers, colour and fragrance you are growing and nurturing for your garden. Flower Garden Colour Combinations

How To Grow Plant Seeds 5 Easy Steps

It really is quite straightforward and extremely relaxing after a busy day, also it’s rewarding to know that you, your garden and wildlife will all benefit from your endeavours.

What Do You Need?

• Seed trays and/or small pots
• Your selection of seeds
• Seed compost
• Water
• A plastic cover
• Propagator (optional)   Electric-heated-propagator
• A warm place

5 Easy Steps

• Fill a seed tray with seed compost and water it sparingly so that the compost is damp.
• Sprinkle the seeds on the surface and cover with a thin layer of compost.
• Cover the tray, or place in a clear plastic bag.
• Keep them somewhere warm, away from draughts until they germinate.
• When the seedlings have their first true leaves and are large enough to handle, gently lift them from the tray, taking care not to damage the roots and transplant them into individual pots with fresh compost.

By sowing seeds this way means that you can get a head start with tender plants. When your seedlings are larger, healthy plants they can go outside to acclimatise for a couple of weeks before planting them in their final place in the garden.

Tips For Growing Seeds

A great tip for sowing sweet peas is to use the cardboard centre from toilet paper rolls, sweet peas need good root space, so one seed per roll and plant in the same way as above.

When the plants are strong you can plant the cardboard ‘pot’ with the seedling straight into the earth, thereby causing less root disturbance. The pot will biodegrade naturally.

You really don’t need any fancy equipment although electric propagators are available and will keep seeds at an even temperature.

Seed trays placed on the windowsills will do the job just as well.

Vegetables, Annuals and Biennials

Many vegetable seeds and ornamental seeds can be sown directly outdoors.

Remove any plastic or fleece covers from the seed-bed. Ensure the seed-bed is weed free and the soil is of a fine, crumbly texture.

Make shallow drills in straight lines and water before popping the seeds in, evenly spaced.

Gently cover the seeds over with soil.

Label each row.

Cover with protective fleece.

Keep them watered in dry weather and weed free.

Alternatively ornamental annuals and biennials can be sown in drifts, this results in a more natural look to your borders. For flowers it is more aesthetically pleasing in my opinion than straight rows.

There are a huge variety of seeds for the ornamental garden and the vegetable garden that can be sown now.

Sweetpeas, cosmos, hardy annuals, wildflower mix, calendula and cornflower.

Tomatoes, peppers, salads, broad beans, beetroot, Swiss chard,

to mention but a few.

Go on…have ago at growing your plants from seed, you will have a massive sense of achievement and accomplishment by doing so!

Plants can be propagated from Cuttings too, to find out how to take root cuttings read my

How to Take Root Cuttings. A Step by Step Guide article.

To learn how to propagate shrubs and woody perennial plants read my guide on Hardwood Cuttings Technique-5 Easy Steps

Happy Gardening!

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