Growing from seed is easier than you think
and much cheaper than buying established plants.
Here's how.
All you need to get started is some seed
raising mix, your seed trays, propagators
or pots, labeling gear, and your selection of seeds.
The great thing about growing from seed
is that you don't need a lot of space.
You can do it a few different ways.
We've got our Jiffy trays.
These are biodegradable.
These also go straight in the ground,
so you avoid transplant shock.
Secondly, you've got your plastic seed trays.
And they're great, because obviously, they're reusable.
I've got a range of flowers and veggies to plant today.
But basically, they all go in the same way.
First up, I'm going to use some of these plastic seed trays.
I'm going to plant some flowers into those.
Before anything, fill this up with some seed raising mix.
Because these trays are nice and small,
I'm just going to use a scoop to fill them up.
Just lightly scatter that in.
And you're aiming to get these about 10 mL from the top.
Now, with the seed raising mix, it's free draining.
It has a slow release fertilizer in there
to feed them right through to germination
and also a fungicide to protect them as they grow.
Much better than just topsoil from your garden.
All right.
These seeds are so small, we really
are just doing a light scatter over the top.
We're not trying to drop one onto each little side.
Just pour a few into your hand.
These are pretty tiny.
So we're just scattering them.
I'm not too worried about how many are going in each one,
because we'll thin these out once they sprout.
I'm just going do the same again for snapdragon.
Exactly the same process, just putting a few into each one.
All right.
Now, we're just using a little bit of seed mix
to top up these trays.
You don't want to do this too deep.
You just want to just cover those seeds.
Now it's a good idea to put in a couple of labels
so you don't forget which one's which.
Next, we're going to use some of these Jiffypots.
We're going to plant some veggies into them.
I've chosen to do zucchini.
Before we fill these up, it's best
to check the back of the packet of your seeds,
see how far down you need to sow the seed.
These say 20 mL, so we know how much to leave at the top.
And then it's just the same as before.
Fill them up.
Give it a little press down, nice and easy.
These seeds are a little bit bigger.
I'm just going to do one per pot.
And then same again, just back fill.
Pop in a few labels so you don't lose track.
And then they're ready to be watered in.
Now, the key here is to just make sure that these stay warm.
You can cover them with some plastic or some glass
and place them on the windowsill if you
have the space or, even better, a little mini greenhouse
like I've got here.
Just pop them in.
Now, depending on the seeds that you planted,
germination will generally be between two weeks and a month.
All right.
So it's been about three weeks since we've sown our seeds.
These are our flowers that have all come up.
And there's a little vegetable plant.
So we've got the cotyledon, which
is the first stage of the leaf.
These are really just a nutritional source
for the seed.
And they'll eventually fall off.
The second stage is the true leaves.
So these start to take the form of the actual plant.
And when you see that, you know that they're
ready to go into the ground.
Now, because that's in a Jiffypot,
it's nice and easy to plant--
literally just straight into the ground.
Dig a little hole, and then pop it in.
Make sure that it's right about the same level.
These Jiffypots are great, because they'll just
break down into the soil.
Just literally back fill this, and then it'll
become a nice little veggie plant.
Cool.
So now we're going to move onto our flowers.
The next process for these little guys
is called pricking out.
And that's where we're going to transplant them into here.
As you can see, some of these haven't actually
come up and turned into seedlings.
Potentially, those seeds were planted a little bit deep.
But that's all right.
There's lots more to choose from here.
So you just use a little tool.
I've got a label today.
You can use a pencil or anything similar.
And just sort of tease the roots out really, really gently.
And that's going to separate them out.
And then we can choose the strongest ones
to put into our pot.
So just before we do that, another little tip--
if they had been growing inside, it's
a good idea to take them outside during the day
for a couple of weeks and then back in at night.
And this is called hardening them off.
This will get them ready for their outdoor life.
So get your little tool.
Go in around the base, being very delicate not
to damage the roots.
Hold them by their leaves.
And just sort of try and untangle them, really.
And then we'll just lay them in our pot, ready to go in.
This is quite fiddly.
So just be really careful with them.
So I think three is probably about enough
for this sort of sized pot.
Now really, it's as easy as pricking a little hole
with your finger and just laying the roots in there
and just back filling around, making sure most of the leaves
aren't covered in soil.
Now, it is normal for these guys to look
a little bit sad and floppy.
They are pretty delicate and at a very early stage of life.
But they will harden up.
Make sure to use a decent potting
mix to get them started.
And this will keep them going.
Press down firmly around the base.
Now they're ready for some water.
It's a good idea to use a 50% mix of seaweed tonic
to stop transplant shock.
Lastly, keep them protected for another three
to four weeks until they are fully established,
either in a sheltered spot or under a cloche tunnel.
Check out our website for the best times
to sow or plant flowers, herbs, and veggies.
It's generally spring or autumn for maximum
cropping or flowering.
And stagger it so they don't all come at once.
Most seeds will germinate in light or shade.
But it's important to keep them warm.
Water small amounts when required during germination.
Don't let them dry out, but don't flood them either.
Water well when replanting.
Feed new seedlings with seaweed tonic at half strength.
Protect them from the cold with a mini greenhouse or cloche
tunnel.
If your seedlings disappear overnight,
blame the slugs and snails and use some Quash.
And watch for damping off, when seeds rot from overly wet soil.
And that's it.
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