Easy Edible Plants to Start from Seed

Published on Wednesday, July 29, 2009, by CHOW Video Team / Edit Post

Easy Edible Plants to Start from Seed

Patricia Becker, center director for Common Ground Organic Garden Supply and Education Center in Palo Alto, California, says that beginner gardeners who are trying to decide which plants to start from seed can follow this general guideline: The bigger the seed, the easier it is to grow. She says beans, peas, corn, and edible nasturtium flowers are all easy plants to grow from seeds.

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  • Toodie Jane is Correct! Expiration of seeds causes alot of garden failures. Another BIG problem is people try to plant vegetables too close together. They may be using seeds or starters but never go by the directions on the correct spacing. You MUST or your plants will crowd themselves out and you will have a POOR harvest. Get on the computer and READ about what you are planting and what...+READ

    Toodie Jane is Correct! Expiration of seeds causes alot of garden failures. Another BIG problem is people try to plant vegetables too close together. They may be using seeds or starters but never go by the directions on the correct spacing. You MUST or your plants will crowd themselves out and you will have a POOR harvest. Get on the computer and READ about what you are planting and what variables are in your area of the Country.

    Another good thing is to write down what PH the plants grow best in. Go to your garden supply store and buy the little soil PH testers. Test a couple areas of your garden spot. Go by the directions to get your garden to the correct PH - otherwise your harvest and your plants probably will NOT make it or produce extremely poor. Sure, people just throw stuff in the ground and it grows fine and they say you dont need to do all that.. but.. Trust me.. a time will come when your soil PH WILL change due to your planting habits and EVERYTHING will start to change.

    I've found that feed stores have good quality seed at VERY reasonable prices compared to home supply stores such as home depot or lowes. You can buy an entire bag of Contender Green Bean seeds on average for about $3.95 a POUND! In the stores you will get a little package for $2.98 that might give you one row. Go to the feed store....

    Water, water, water and do NOT over fertilize. Sometimes Overfertilization will cause you to have HUGE plants, no blooms and no fruit - especially tomatoes. I did that one year with some Big Boys .. they grew to 10 feet tall.. produced a grand total of about 6 tomatoes that I had to gather from a ladder... that was it. The next season I took it easy and couldnt keep up with the tomato crop. Fertilize only as recommended!

    Watch for FROST! A cold snap (not even freezing) will kill most tender garden plants. Dont plant your garden too late or TOO EARLY.-COLLAPSE

  • This is pretty simplified; correct but not complete.

    Larger seeds tend to be easier to see and to handle, especially for kids or those with impaired vision or motor function (like arthritis).

    THE most important thing when planting seed is to use FRESH seed (well-stored) and FOLLOW the detailed planting instruction on the packet. Expiration dates should be on the back of any seed packet.

    ...+READ

    This is pretty simplified; correct but not complete.

    Larger seeds tend to be easier to see and to handle, especially for kids or those with impaired vision or motor function (like arthritis).

    THE most important thing when planting seed is to use FRESH seed (well-stored) and FOLLOW the detailed planting instruction on the packet. Expiration dates should be on the back of any seed packet.

    IF there are no detailed (specific to the seed you are planting, not generic) planting depth instrucutions provided, you may be wasting time and seed. Correct planting depth is as important as available moisture and the right soil temperature.

    Radish seeds germinate very quickly and I would suggest them to anyone who is a first-time gardener. They mature rapidly (40-45 days) so give timely satisfaction to the novice. Lettuce also falls in this category. Nothing like growing your own salad.

    Other seeds take more time. Carrots and onions can take about 15-18 days, depending on the time of year. A beginner might give up, thinking there is something wrong with the seeds, or with the soil, or their "thumb". A quality seed company will give detailed info on not only planting depth, spacing and days to harvest, but also on germ time, rate of growth, and growing conditions (fertilizing, thinning, and other cultural practices.

    Finding a good seed purveyor is as important as seed size to final results and satisfaction.-COLLAPSE

  • When garlic cloves sprout in your fridge, push them into the ground.