There’s nothing quite like the feeling of opening that packet of seed, scattering it’s content over damp compost and waiting for the first few signs of life as they finally germinate. It’s a profoundly comforting and therapeutic past-time that is better than any medicine; a real cure for the dulls of winter.
I’m sure many a gardener-wannabee out there has dabbling in sowing, failed and subsequently abandoned their seed-trays and regarded such pursuits as nothing more than a ‘sore-point’. What a shame. The beginner will have to put up with plenty of failures in order to truly appreciate the wonder of it all.
Sowing in pots
One of the re-occuring problems I had as a young gardener was not failure, but quite the opposite. I would sow too many seeds, be burdened with a large tray brimming with masses of over crowed plants and not quite enough room to store them. I would feel over-burdened by this and put off pricking-out to the point that I would end up with no plants at all, just a tray full of straggly stems. Does this sound odd or familiar to you?
A number of years back I discovered for myself a solution to this problem – grow less seeds and sow them in pots rather than seed trays. Although this method has worked for me for many a variety of flowering plant, it’s not suitable for everything. For instance, sowing sweetcorn; their roots grow deep and fast and don’t like too much disturbance. Planting several seeds in one pot wouldn’t be the solution. In this case, I would opt for a tray of plugs and plant one or two per station, removing the weaker of the two once germination have taken place. There are many plants that will suffer if you disturb their root systems.
There are plenty advantages to growing fewer and in pots – you save on greenhouse/windowsill space. Of course, at a later point you will have to prick-out your seedlings and pot them on individually (in most cases), but less seedlings will mean that you will be able to concentrate your attention on the stronger few. Another advantage is that you can share your unwanted, half-used seed packs with neighbours and friends…perhaps do a little swapping to beef up the diversity?
Whatever method you opt for, always remember that some plants require different conditions in order to germinate. It’s very important to read the instructions on every packet carefully and follow them as closely as you can. If you do so, the rewards are plenty as you can boast ‘I grew this from seed!’.