Growing Seeds
Tips and Advice
Growing plants from seed is great value, and also brings with it a genuine feeling of satisfaction. It doesn’t have to be difficult either - some plants are relatively easy to grow and require no special equipment as they can be sown directly outdoors.
You will also find that you have a simply breathtaking array of seeds to choose from.
Growing Flower Seeds
Growing flowers from seed is an inexpensive and rewarding way of bringing colour and life to your beds, borders, containers and hanging baskets.
Hardy annuals are the easiest of all to grow from seed, giving quick results and providing flowers for the first season only.
Hardy annuals that are particularly easy to grow include: Alyssum, Calendula, Candytuft, Clarkia, annual Chrysanthemums, Cornflower, Godetia, Larkspur, annual Lavetera, Nasturtium, Nigella, Night Scented Stock, annual Poppies, Scabious, Sunflower, Sweet Pea, Virginian Stock.
Each variety can be sown outdoors where they are to flower – simply prepare the ground well and rake to a fine tilth.
Growing Vegetable Seeds
Growing your own vegetables from seed has a number of benefits. Obviously you will be able to enjoy freshly harvested vegetables at a fraction of the cost of the supermarket. The best bit, however, is that your own produce will taste a lot better than shop bought produce, having benefited form not being packed, transported, stored at various stages before use.
Also, you can use as many or few chemicals as you choose and restrict the use of sprays to those based on natural ingredients.
Runner and French beans seeds can be sown outdoors, whilst Marrow, Courgette and Sweet Corn should be sown in the greenhouse and also outdoors at the end of May and into early June.
Varieties of Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Kale, Peas, Lettuce, Radish, Spinach and Swede can also be successfully grown from May on to produce bumper crops of delicious vegetables.
Look for varieties which are resistant to disease and blight. For minimum effort, look for those which can be sown outdoors so you don't need to propagate them then break them out and re-plant outside.
