If you are feeling adventurous and want to try your hand at growing your flowers and vegetables from seeds, this is the perfect beginners guide. We must first cover the benefits of growing plants from seeds; one of them being that you can start gardening earlier in the season. If you have the right lighting and environmental control you will be able to see your plants flourish from seed to harvest. However, here are a few top tips to get you started;
1. Don’t stretch yourself
For any experienced gardener it can be very easy for elements in the growing process to go wrong. So, therefore it is best to try and keep the first batch of seedlings you grow nice and simple, by growing just a small variety. For example, some seeds like tomatoes are easiest to grow indoors so as a beginner it is best if you grow these first. Other good choices for beginners are basil, sweet pea and marigold.
2. Sunlight
Whether you are growing seeds indoors or outside in the garden, you will only have the best success if you choose to plant your seeds where they will receive lots of sunlight. Patio areas which are unshaded and greenhouses are perfect if you want to keep the gardening outdoors, but even a south-facing window indoors would do a sufficient job. As long as all the areas get lots of sunshine! The beginning stages of your seeds growth require the most sunlight because otherwise they will grow weak and will be more likely to die. If you do not have access to lots of natural sunlight and live in somewhere like a tower block apartment, you could invest in some artificial lights and timer which will trick the seedlings to grow.
3. Timing
Every seed plant has a different optimum growth period, you must time their full potential with the seasons and environments that they flourish the most in. Some seeds and types of vegetables grow best when they are planted outdoors, it prevents them from sprouting and growing too quickly.
4. The right equipment
Make sure that you have all the right equipment in place so that you are ready for any eventuality; for example, having the right containers will really help. They need to be a few inches deep with some drainage holes, you can even make these yourself with a little DIY using some yoghurt cartons or paper cups.
Having the right soil will make a big difference too, don’t use soil from your garden as it is much better to start with a healthy, sterile mix which will ensure your seeds stay disease free! When you fill the trays with soil, dampen the soil a little so that the soil will mould well around your seeds. If your soil mix doesn’t contain any nutrients, you will need to spray the seeds with a little fertilizer once they have germinated to help them keep growing. You can buy all of this equipment from a local gardening store, just ask for help if you are unsure!
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