Grow THIS From Seed

March 17, 2020 | CLFornari | Uncategorized

Buying plants is instantly satisfying, and for many varieties it’s the smart thing to do. But there are several good reasons to grow some plants from seed. There are some wonderful selections that you won’t find for sale as plants, others that are super-easy to direct sow into the ground, and occasionally seed starting is a great way to get many plants for less money. Here are some wonderful plants that are good to grow from seed.

You Usually Can’t Buy Theses Plants

There are plants that you won’t see offered in the garden centers because they don’t transplant well or do best when sown directly into the ground. Most poppies, for example, including the corn poppies pictured at the top of this post. Many taller annuals, such as Indian pipe (Nicotiana sylvestris) aren’t typically sold in pots or six packs, so growing these yourself from seed is the only way to have them in your garden.

Mexican sunflower is a tall annual (up to six feet tall) that attracts birds and butterflies, but you seldom see it sold in pots. Borage can occasionally be found in our herb section, but it’s another plant that is easy to grow from seeds put directly in the ground.

Root Crops need to be planted from seed…you won’t find six packs of carrots, beets, or radishes in the spring.

Wow! Black radishes. These are an unusual variety that can only be grown from seeds.

These double cosmos are a special variety not usually seen in six packs or pots.

One of the must-grow vegetables in the Fornari garden is Tuscan Kale, also known as dinosaur kale. It is mild in flavor and highly productive. It’s also seldom sold in pots or packs.

These Are Easy to Sow Directly in The Garden

Some vegetables are easy to plant directly into the ground. Beans, peas, most squash, lettuce and other salad greens do well from seed.

Not only do winter and summer squash grow easily from seed, there are many varieties that aren’t usually available as plants. The smaller varieties of butternut squash such as this Honeynut are a good example. Honeynut vines are smaller so they fit in raised beds better. These can also be grown up a trellis.

Nasturtiums are easy and edible! Grow them in a flower or vegetable garden, or tuck some seeds in your window boxes or pots.

Grow Many Plants For Little Money

There are times when we want a big show of flowers. Sometimes these might be perennials and other times annuals. Malva sylvestris, the shorter purple hollyhock, is one example, as are the varieties pictured below.

Sunflower seeds are one of the best examples of plants that are easy to have many growing without spending huge sums of money.

Purple coneflowers are a favorite for cutting and butterfly gardens, and they are easy to grow from seed. Note: most perennials don’t flower until the second year. Not to worry…it’s worth it to have patience because you get many flowers.

Butterfly weed, aka Asclepias tuberosa, is another easy-to-start-from-seed perennial.

The suggestions above are just a few plants that you might want to raise from seed. Tip for success: read the back of the seed package carefully for timing, where to start the seeds, and any special instructions for germination. If you have any questions about what those directions mean, come into the store and ask us!

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