Vegetable Seeds or Seedlings

Vegetable seeds or seedlings, that is the question. Some vegetables, including our root crops, must be planted directly into the ground as seeds. Others can be started in small pots or flats that can be set in the garden at a later date as plant seedlings. Once we have looked at the options we can decide if we want to plant vegetable seeds or seedlings.

In the spring our garden nurseries and most garden centers have an overflow of flats, usually with six or eight plants, and single pots of a variety of vegetables for planting. These commercially grown plants are very convenient. They save us a lot of time and eliminate the risky effort of starting seeds indoors. For those who don't have a greenhouse or a sunny window space, they are essential.

When you buy seedlings, sometimes you are limited to a small number of varieties. It is not a very good idea to buy them at a supermarket, particularly if the plants don't have a tag letting you know all the facts about that plant. Your small nursery growers and garden centers will usually give you all the information you need.

The advantage of a single plant seedling is that they are a larger specimen and they do not require separating, which could possible cause root damage. If you need larger quantities, flats are much better and they are cheaper, but you need to be careful pulling the plants apart.

Check the stems of the plant. They should be short and thick; if a plant is tall and spindly it usually means the root system is weak and may never recuperate from transplanting. If the foliage is yellowish or discolored, the plant may be poorly nourished or diseased. If cabbage, broccoli or cauliflower plants have a purplish hue that means they are ready for early planting.

If you have enough sunny space in your house, or if you have a greenhouse, you can sow your own seeds.

How do you choose among the enormous variety of types, colors, shapes, and sizes available for each vegetable? First, obtain a seed catalog. Evaluate each catalog entry according to disease resistance, size of plant, yield, and the number of days to harvest; most catalogs will give you all this information. Newer varieties are generally improvements over the older varieties. They are probably more disease resistant or they have a larger yield. The produce may have a better flavor or it may not take up as much room for growth.

If you are unclear about how much seed to buy it is better to choose the smallest packet. There will be enough seeds to plant a 25 foot row and will give you about 20 pounds of lettuce or beets, or 25 pounds carrots. Although most seeds will last if kept in a cool dry place, it is still better to buy only what you need for each year.