To grow from seed or buy young plants?
Tomatoes, cucumbers, and sweet peppers are currently on this gardener’s mind. Why? Because we’ve reached a stage in the season when a decision is to be made about growing from seed or buying young plants. In the past there was no question attached to starting the seeds this early in a heated propagating frame.
The seedlings were then introduced to first pots and moved into the open greenhouse, moderately warmed by an electric fan unit until planting time.
However, rising heating costs persuaded us to try plan B. It entailed using the propagator for germination then transferring plants to the conservatory which provided the necessary warmth and light for steady progress.
They remained under cover, transferring through stages into bigger pots, then going back into the now unheated greenhouse with fleece protection against late frosts.
With overnight temperatures, even under glass, falling well below zero Celsius, some young tomatoes developed blue-tinged leaves that brought a slight setback in growth.
In response we bought a few well-advanced replacements some weeks later and this gave food for thought!
Fellow gardeners confirm that despite the costs and time spent in raising their edible and ornamental plants from seed, there’s a tradition involved that is worth preserving.
Besides which, most seed packets contain the potential for more plants than we need – and bartering is a fine tradition.
So, rather than abandon sowing when the first sight of emerging seedlings still gives such pleasure, we’ve developed a plan C approach, of limited sowing in late March and buying young plants a little later.
Let’s consider the seed situation in terms of how many plants you intend to grow and the cost. ‘Moneymaker’ is an old favourite capable of delivering a heavy crop of medium sized, tasty tomatoes, and a packet of 50 seeds costs £2.99. ‘Alicante’ and ‘Ailsa Craig’ sachets contain 60 for £2.99 and 65 for £2.49 respectively. Seeds of the large-fruited ‘Marmande’ also cost £2.49 and there are 120 in a packet.
Whichever of these you choose there’s going to be a surplus for friends and charitable plant stalls, but this said, most tomato packets (Suttons) only contain circa 10 seeds.
Consider this. If you only want a couple of plants to grow on the house windowsill or a handful to cultivate in a tiny greenhouse, there’s a better chance of achieving this with reasonably well-established plants on sale at your local garden centre in the weeks ahead.