Is it better to grow from seeds or buy established plants?

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I once had a package of kidney beans that had been sitting around for years. On a whim, I planted one in an unused pot. It grew into a lovely plant.

If you replanted it outside in the garden, would it be considered a kidney transplant? :LOL:
I've been known to try these thing too.
 
We're open to both, seeds and plants. The plant choices (vegis) are limited, but with seeds you have a much greater selection. There are some varieties that you can only get as seeds. I have never seen certain chilis or hierloom tomatoes available as plants locally.

Craig
 
Most of what I tried to grow from seed did nothing for me - except for beans! I'm growing two kinds of bush beans. If the bugs will stop devouring them, they should produce a good crop! About 50% of the corn I grew from seed germinated. Radishes and beets did nothing. Lettuce did not do well for me either. :ermm:

I had a smattering of other items that germinated, which was fine for me, because I wanted a few plants of several things. Since this is my first year of ever attempting gardening, I am using the square garden method and spent a good part of winter trying to figure out which plants would grow well with what.

By keeping a garden journal, I will decide what I will try again next year, and what is just not worth the space. Also, I will see what I will try to grow from seed again, and what I really need to buy plants to grow. I was very disappointed that NONE of my San Marzano tomatoes germinated. I ended up buying Roma plants for 49 cents a piece for sauce tomatoes. I saw a few plants very early in the season, but could not find them by the time I realized my seeds were just decomposing in the soil.

I never would have tried anything if it were not for this forum though. I felt that if I got in trouble, someone would help! :)
 
Kathleen, sorry to hear about your san marzano seeds. If you want me to keep some for you for next spring, I can do that. I had pretty good germination on the plants from last year and the seeds germinated again this year.

I've done a germination test, by taking 20 seeds, on a wet paper towel, in a zip lock bag and let it sit over a heating vent, then count the germinated seeds/20. I've taken a tweezers at that point and planted them in flats, and it worked out fine.

Does anyone have advice on corn? I have three rows growing. I know NOTHING of detassling, or why it is done in the farmer's fields. Is it something I need to do in my corn patch? Advice?
 
Kathleen, sorry to hear about your san marzano seeds. If you want me to keep some for you for next spring, I can do that. I had pretty good germination on the plants from last year and the seeds germinated again this year.

I've done a germination test, by taking 20 seeds, on a wet paper towel, in a zip lock bag and let it sit over a heating vent, then count the germinated seeds/20. I've taken a tweezers at that point and planted them in flats, and it worked out fine.

Does anyone have advice on corn? I have three rows growing. I know NOTHING of detassling, or why it is done in the farmer's fields. Is it something I need to do in my corn patch? Advice?

That is a terrific idea, Bliss! I'll try it next year.

You do not need to detassle corn if you are growing it to eat. Detassling is important if you are creating seed corn where you wish to determine the genetics of the seeds. I once de-tassled corn as a summer job. We would detassle three or four rows...then the next four rows were a different variety that they needed to pollinate the first four, and on it would go.

On that same note, if your corn is a hybrid, you do not wish to save seed for the following year. If it is not a hybrid, you can save seed.

Hope that helps.

~Kathleen
 
Kathleen, your post was more Mary Ann than Ginger :) (Science!)

I appreciate the advice on the corn, I knew about not saving hybrid type seeds but had no idea on what detasseling was about, thank you! I'm growing the corn for eating this year, there's nothing like fresh sweet corn.

As an experiment this spring, I took some seeds from my dehydrated san marzano's and did the germination test, and planted the results. I still have quite a bit of those--germination was around 40%. The offer is still open if you want some after harvest this fall. :)
 
Kathleen, your post was more Mary Ann than Ginger :) (Science!)

I appreciate the advice on the corn, I knew about not saving hybrid type seeds but had no idea on what detasseling was about, thank you! I'm growing the corn for eating this year, there's nothing like fresh sweet corn.

As an experiment this spring, I took some seeds from my dehydrated san marzano's and did the germination test, and planted the results. I still have quite a bit of those--germination was around 40%. The offer is still open if you want some after harvest this fall. :)

I'd love some seeds! Thank you!!! More Mary Ann, huh? Now I have to balance that out. Perhaps I should send you my scrub recipe that includes corn meal for an exfoliate. ;)
 
I'd love some seeds! Thank you!!! More Mary Ann, huh? Now I have to balance that out. Perhaps I should send you my scrub recipe that includes corn meal for an exfoliate. ;)
:LOL::LOL::LOL: That was definately more Ginger than Mary Ann!
Just PM me your address when you want, and I'll make a note to send the seeds.
 
Don't worry a bit about squeezing the bottom of the pot to get those seedlings out--but DON'T grab the stem or leaves, or pull from the top. One method is to turn the pot upside down, with the stem of the plant between your fingers, and smack the bottom of the pot with your other hand. Or, if you are using those flimsy 6 pack pots, just push the bottom of the pot.

This year I used that self-watering one with 70 spots in it, so there was NO way I could tip it upside down to get each one out because it takes 2 hands just to pick the thing up, and it's flimsy, you're actually not supposed to pick it up. In the directions it just said carefully transplant them into the ground when they're big enough, well, it didn't say HOW to do it because each compartment is made of plastic and since the whole thing is 2 feet long, there is no way to get them out without destroying the plant and all the ones around it! :LOL: I'd say out of the 70, I only managed to get maybe 10 out without killing them, and even those I'm not so sure about since I just did it a week ago and it's too soon to tell if they will survive or not.

I don't like peat pots, either. If you leave the top of the pot above the soil, it acts like a wick to move the water from the root zone to the surface where it evaporates. If I buy a plant in a peat pot, I pull the pot completely off, and crumble it into the soil.

That's what I did too, last year when I used peat pots, and I didn't like the look of them laying crumbled in there with the dirt. Also, the plants that had more of that in there didn't do as well. I think next year I'll just plant a few seeds in a big pot from the beginning so I don't have to transplant them. I just hope next year I am living someplace where I have a big room to just let them germinate indoors. A friend of mine also told me he plans on doing this next year too, he hasn't had much luck with seeds & transplanting either.

A packet of bean seeds is a couple dollars, and if you buy a grown plant, you have no idea about what chemicals have been used on them.

That's a big reason why I chose to grow from seeds in the first place (the other factor being cost), I am really big on things being organic and I don't want any chemicals getting into my food!

Look for a 'country' store--somewhere out of downtown that does not cater to the 'urban homesteader' crowd. Seedlings are kind of expensive, but shouldn't be anywhere near $10 each. The farmers market may be a good place, but I did pay $3.50 each for pepper plants a couple of weeks ago! :ohmy:

Last year I was unable to get to a farmers market because I had a job working in the mornings when they took place. Now this year I had so many leftover seeds from last year I just used them. I still have enough left to plant next year too. But the plants I bought last year that were already grown I bought at Gertens...I'm not sure if you have those where you live but it's the biggest garden store we have around here, the place takes up a good mile of land, it's just gigantic!

Pole beans need sturdy support--buy 3 eight foot bamboo poles, tie them together at the top (use wire or some kind of string that won't disintegrate in the sun), and make a teepee. Cukes can grow on a trellis, too, saving you some room. Fasten it to a sunny wall.

Ahhh, that's where I made my mistake with my beans...all I had to prop them up was a straw! :LOL: Yes, a plastic straw from a fast food resteraunt! Yikes! Then my friend gave me a bamboo stick thing but it was very small and didn't work, the wind just blew my beans over and they died.
 
I would advise bush, not pole beans, and bush whatever else as opposed to pole whatever. I use long branches from our evergreens to stick in my containers for trellises and supports for tomatoes.
 
I would advise bush, not pole beans, and bush whatever else as opposed to pole whatever. I use long branches from our evergreens to stick in my containers for trellises and supports for tomatoes.

I was unaware there were 2 different kinds of bean plants! Thanks! :) and that's a good tip too, using branches from trees! I can't believe I haven't thought of that!
 
I know just the kind of flimsy divided pot you are talking about. One way to get the plants out is to cut the pot with scissors into sections, then push the plants out. The other way is to use a popsicle stick or a butter knife, run it down the side of the pot, and scoop the plant out that way.

I don't like those kinds of pots--I like to use about a 3 inch individual pot, start two or three seeds in each one, and after they are up and have some real leaves on them, I use nail scissors (or my thumbnail) to pinch off all except the biggest plant in the pot. The plants can generally stay in these pots until you are ready to plant--no transplanting needed.

I also like using individual pots because it tends to restrain me from planting 70 tomato plants. :)

I have 44 tomato plants, so it doesn't restrain me enough. In February, when I start my seeds, I am so winter-sick and gardening deprived that I can't help myself. By August, when the humidity and the temp are both hovering close to 100, I tend to lose a little steam.
 
Do yourself a HUGE favor, save a LOT of time & money, & - best of all - have ultimate success & a goodly amount of produce to show for your efforts.

Get thee to a bookstore &/or library & buy or take out some books on vegetable gardening just to get the basics, along with tons of tried & true methods, good vegetable varieties to start with, seeds vs. transplants, etc.
 
We have over 3000 sq. ft. of vegetable gardens. We start a lot of plants from seeds, but we also direct seed. What we start from seeds are peppers (mid-January), eggplant (takes forever--also mid January), celeriac (I killed the seedlings...oops), celery, peppers, tomatoes, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, herbs. We direct seed beans (we plant 10-12 days apart until late June), radishes, lettuce, kale, swiss chard, spinach, peas, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, kolhrabi, cantalope, watermelon, okra, bok choy, beets, carrots, corn. We plant onion sets and seed potatoes. We plant around May 21st. The only plants I buy are the herbs that didn't germinate or unusual varieties of tomatoes (so we can save the seeds) and aspargus roots (this year). We seem to do okay with growing from seed.
 
I realize that gardening is an art, and you can't just buy a bunch of seeds and stick them all in pots at the same time and expect them all to grow perfectly. I guess it's just overwhelming and confusing to learn how to grow each thing, there is so much out there and everything has it's own requirements. I have read books on it and read websites and watched things on tv, but unless you have been doing it for years or study it every day like you're in school, it's hard to remember everything. I guess I'm a naturally lazy person and just do the bare minimum and expect things to work out (that's how I am with all parts of my life, actually :wacko:) Maybe I'll never become a great gardener :LOL:
 
nope.

here's the voice of decades experience: you're over-thinking the issues (g)

no question as one peers into vegetable x, y, or z you'll find (entirely...) real "expertise" saying 'it grows best at pH 6.3 to 6.5.' - okay. that doesn't mean it won't grow at pH 6.2

it is not overwhelming - with very few exceptions, just start a garden, take care of it, and it will grow. yes, there are some really picky crops... we can talk about that - they are in the extreme minority.

buying good quality "starts" eliminates about 90% of your concerns - those dealing with germinating and seedling TLC.

unless you're blessed with "perfect" soil, work organic matter into the soil every year - spring & fall.
mulch the garden to keep down the weeds and help with an even moisture level.

water as needed. heh, I use a sprinkler - that's pretty 'lazy' (g)

you will learn as you go along.

the biggest 'garden enthusiasm' killer on the planet is "weeds" - they can overwhelm - especially in a fresh plot where there's a _lot_ of weed seed that germinate. there's one simple answer: mulch - 3-5 inches deep. doesn't stop every weed, but about 99.625841% of them. not wood chip mulch - I use grass clippings - but the mulch source may vary by local availability.

oh, start composting. like start last year . . . (g)
 
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I admit I over-think things (I'm an obsessive thinker, always have been, always will be) and that makes it hard for me to actually take action and do things, and decide what to do and how to do it, because I get caught up in the thinking/analyzing/planning part of it!

I don't have to worry too much about weeds though because I grow in pots, last year I lived in an apartment so I had to have my pots on the balcony, and this year I am temporarily living at my moms house so my pots are now on her deck and I can take them with me when I move again. I also like that I don't have to worry about animals or weeds. I think I will always stick to doing it this way, now that I have the pots, I don't have to ever buy new ones, or new dirt (although I did have some Miracle Gro dirt leftover that I sprinked on over the old dirt).

Since I am so lazy, I find it hard to calculate the exact time and manner everything should be planted, I just do it all at once whenever I work up the energy (I've also been seriously depressed over the last year so that sucks up my energy too, so i'm extra lazy now!).
 
I grew up in northern MN. The pole beans mature closer to the end of August, so you can keep harvesting beans until the first frost (around the 21st of September).

And, since we have 300+ tomato plants, we couldn't afford to buy started plants!
 
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