Start Sowing Your Own Vegetable Seeds For Wholesome And Nutritious Vegetables

Even after many years of growing vegetables it still amazes me what you can get from vegetable seeds. Just ponder on it the next time you hold a head of cabbage or cauliflower in your hand. That hefty head came from a seed only about the diameter of pencil lead. Or if you've ever split watermelon seeds, then you know the size of fruit that can come from those small wonders.

You can of course purchase vegetable plants, but some how I find it so much more gratifying to grow vegetables from seeds.

When you think of it, there is wholesome food, choice of variety, learning, amazement and economy in store for us when we start our vegetables from seed, all we do is add water, soil, sunlight and a little care.

By planting a just a few dozen seeds even in the smallest of plots, can supply a range of fresh and nutritious vegetables that the whole family can enjoy.

There a wide range of varied seed catalogs available for those of looking to grow their own. Some specialize in heirloom vegetable seeds, while others offer greenhouse seeds for vegetables we grow indoors.

One of the benefits of starting your garden using vegetable seeds is that you can keep using the same seeds for many years as long as you take good care of them. There are several methods for extending the useful life of vegetable seeds.

Planting Seeds

Next, let's look at sowing seeds by using a seed bed or by using seedling heat mats to get them going. There are pros and cons of getting a head start on the gardening season. For some vegetables, it's a must, whilst for others it's optional.

When we start our own seedlings, we make use of seed trays, sheet pots, peat pellets, small plastic pots, clear domes, high domes, seedling heat mats, grow lights and a seedling greenhouse with comforters and other coverings to help keep our little plants warm during the early spring nights that can get down to single digits.

Seed Bed

Before planting seeds in a seed bed it should be well prepared. This is done by forking over the soil several weeks prior to sowing, to make any weed seeds in the soil germinate. It's then an easy task to hoe them off in advance of planting crops. By disposing of the first flush of weeds, vegetable seedlings aren't going to be competing for light, space and water.

Opt for a day when the soil is on the dry side and tread over the area to make it firm. Add a good amount of organic matter such as compost and then spread a general fertiliser over the soil and rake it in well, at the same time removing any sizeable stones. Carrying out this simple procedure will produce the best surface for sowing.

After seedlings are up and running, we use variations on garden cloches to protect them from low temperatures, drying winds and the harsh sun until they get used to their new home in the garden or in the greenhouse.

Vegetable seeds are quite remarkable when you come to think of it. All the information necessary to create a bountiful harvest is contained in a package so small that you can hardly assign a weight to it. It's a miracle in a little dried up form.

If you've never started your vegetable garden from seed, you're in for a pleasant surprise. It's easy and a great joy to see new life spring forth from the seemingly lifeless soil.

More importantly, when you realize all the hundreds of pounds of food that came from a few ounces of seed, you'll come face-to-face with one of the true miracles of life that vegetable gardeners never take for granted.

Happy vegetable gardening to you, whether you start from seed or seedlings. May your crops be bountiful, nutritious, beautiful and delicious.

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Start Sowing Your Own Vegetable Seeds For Wholesome And Nutritious Vegetables

Planting Seeds