Growing plants from seed is one of the most important and rewarding techniques for gardeners to learn. Once mastered, sowing seed is an easy and cheap way of producing all sorts of plants quickly, whether vegetable, herb, edible flower, ‘green manure’ or even fruit.
Start with good quality seed, ideally organic. Buy new each year or use seed saved by fellow gardeners. Choose plant varieties that suit the following:
- Your available sowing and harvesting times, taking into account school holidays
- Pest and disease resistance
- Flavour, type and reliability of variety
What seeds need to germinate
- Temperature Wait until the recommended month for sowing indoors or out (see seed packets and Food Growing Instruction Cards). You can also check the soil temperature using a soil thermometer.
- Moisture Soil or compost should be moist, but not wet. Seed won’t germinate when dry, while too much moisture may cause them to rot and encourage fungal diseases.
- Light Many seeds will germinate in either dark or light conditions. Once germinated, seedlings need good light or they will become pale and straggly.
- Sowing depth Generally, cover large seeds with sieved compost or soil no deeper than twice their size. Very small seeds should be left uncovered or with a thin layer of vermiculite (very fine mineral rock).
- Soil or compost Use organic, peat-free potting compost or a well-prepared soil with crumbly surface ‘tilth’.
Be careful when handling seed, compost and soil, washing hands afterwards. Ensure appropriate adult supervision.
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