WHY I START MY OWN SEEDLINGS
Few gardening pursuits are as rewarding as growing your plants from seed. Starting crops from seed is a satisfying and economical way to grow your plants, flowers, and veggies. So I thought today I’d share my top reasons for starting my own seedlings.
EARLIER HARVEST
You can get a much earlier start in the garden, and therefore put fresh food on the table sooner. In addition, the sooner you can begin picking from your garden, the greater your yield for the year.
GREATER VARIETY
If you’ve ever gone to a local nursery to buy plants, you know there are usually only a few varieties available for each plant. In contrast, you find hundreds when you look in a seed catalog! This is because we like to harvest our seeds from our plants or purchase them from a local farm. Having a variety of plants in will allow you to experiment with different flavors, shapes, and colors and harvest your favorite edibles over a more extended period by planting varieties that mature at different times.
STRONGER SEEDLINGS
Seedlings you’ve grown yourself can be the best seedlings. By following a few simple steps, your plants will have well-developed roots grown in good soil. You can also ensure that everything is organic if important to you. It is for me.
HEALTHIER SEEDLINGS
When you raise your own seedlings, you minimize the chance of introducing soil-borne diseases and pests into your garden. But, of course, for this to be true, you must make sure you are using uncontaminated soil.
COST
By far, seeds are way cheaper than plants. You can buy a pack of seeds for less than $2 and have over 100 seeds in the pack instead of paying about $ 2.00 per plant from the nursery. Since I am saving so much money, I can plant extras in case some don’t make it or giveaway to family and friends.
SAVING SEEDS
If you are interested in saving seeds for the following years’ harvest, you need to plant heirloom varieties. Unfortunately, most nurseries will not carry many, if any, heirlooms at all, so your best option is to buy heirloom seeds. Not only will your product be tastier, but you’ll also only have to invest in seeds one time if you learn to save them properly.
LESS DEPENDENCE
Once you learn how to raise your own plants from seed, as well as to save seed from year to year, you’ll no longer depend upon somebody else to start your garden for you. There’s a learning curve when it comes to raising your plants from seed, so learning now, before you depend on your garden for survival, is a really good idea.
SATISFACTION
If for no other reason than the feeling of planting a plant that you watched emerge from the soil! If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know I’ve been pretty obsessed with watching my seedlings grow for our fall garden.
Are you ready to get started with growing your own seedlings? Be sure to read The 5 Must_Have Supplies For Starting Seeds Successfully.