Today we are going to talk all about seed selection! You might be wondering what seeds are appropriate for you zone and where to buy seeds. At the end of this post you can find a simple list for beginner gardeners to shop for. This is the first post of my new Gardener’s Series where I will walk you through selecting, starting and planting seeds for your garden. Be it flowers or vegetables, we are going to talk about it over the next several weeks!
There is a TON of information out there, and many different methods to growing plants. I am going to try to keep my posts informational, and geared towards the home grower. This are my tips, and you might find other suggestions that you want to implement as well. I am going to assume you have some space in your yard, in a bright sunny location (6-8 hours of direct sun per day) with adequate soil, and the ability to keep your plants watered throughout the season. As I mentioned, today’s focus is all about seed selection, so let’s get started!
The very first thing you need to do before selecting seeds is determine when your last and first frost dates are. Why does this matter? It determines the length of your season, which will be the guide as to when you start seeds, when you can safely plant them out without the risk of a hard frost killing them, and how many days the plant has to grow before harvest! Easily find your first and lost frost dates here.
How to Choose Seeds
Did you know every single plant has different light, soil and moisture needs to germinate, grow, fruit or flower? They also all require a different amount of time before they will flower or produce fruit/veges. It can take as little as 45 days and as many as 130 days to yield a harvest from different flowers, fruits or vegetables. The average seed packet will give you a slightly confusing graph about “when to plant out” “bloom window” and “harvest window.” And sometimes there isn’t much information at all!
For this reason I recommend using a resource like Johnny’s seeds which outlines average days to harvest for hundreds of flower and vegetable varieties. They also include growing tips like temperature requirements, and days to germinate, as well as trouble shooting pests and disease. This will help you on your growing journey.
When it comes to choosing seeds, I would suggest choosing varieties that will be ready in 85 days or less if you are a newer gardener.
Where to Buy Seeds
First and foremost shop your local garden centres! They will typically have a great selection of vege and flower seeds. You also won’t be waiting on delayed shipping times due to all the shutdowns and restrictions.
If you are looking to shop online for your seeds Johnnys Seeds is a great option for my American friends. For Canadian seed suppliers take a look at West Coast Seeds and William Dam Seeds.
So…Let’s say our season is about 110 days, and our last frost date is May 20. If I choose seeds that need to be started 4-6 weeks before last frost (as many do) then I will be working my way backwards from May 20. I want to make sure there is enough time from planting for the plant to mature for harvest.
However, if I am choosing something that takes less time to mature I can usually plant it directly in the ground. This is the most straight forward option as you don’t have to baby seedlings along!
Here are 3 things you should aways consider when choosing seeds:
- Days to Maturity/ Harvest
- Will the plant provide multiple veges/flowers (ie. Zinnias, cosmos, tomatoes, zuchinni, greens) or is it more of a one hit wonder (single stem sunflower, stock, pumpkins, root veges like carrots, beets etc)
- spacing (this is a huge one! squashes and melons need a lot of room to grow, whereas carrots, peas and beans are great choices for square foot gardening)
- light and soil requirements (most things like 6-8 hours of sunlight per day and need good draining soil)
As I mentioned, if you don’t want to start any seeds indoors, then only select seeds that are quicker to mature! Then you can sow them straight into the ground.
5 Vegetables I Recommend for First Time Growers
- carrots (75 days)
- lettuce/spinach or salad greens (25-50 days)
- beets (50-60 days)
- sugar snap peas (58 days)
- green beans (55 days)
This selection offers a variety of greens and root veges. You will also notice their days to maturity is relatively quick, which means you can have multiple harvests if you plan your succession plantings properly (more on that in another post!) They are also relatively resistant to pests and harder to kill.
5 Cut Flowers I Recommend for First Time Growers
- Calendula (50-55 Days)
- Gypsophila (45-50)
- Cosmos (75-90 days)
- Bachelor’s Buttons (65-75 days)
- Zinnias (75-90 days)
This selection gives you the opportunity for an abundance of flowers. For the most part they are all high producers, and will produce more blooms the more you cut them! They come in several color options too!
If you are planning to use them for flower arrangements be sure to select long stem varieties. For years I grew zinnias wondering why they were so short- and it was because of the variety of seeds I had bought! Pair any flower stems with an abundance of greenery from your yard and you will have beautiful bouquets for you and your neighbour. It was hard to narrow it down to 5 (I’ll share more favorites in the future!) but these are pretty hardy and easy to start with. Cosmos for example are notorious for thriving on neglect!
If you are just starting out I would offer this piece of advice: Less is More. It is better to try a few things and have a smaller or less varied garden so that you can have success! The learning curve can be steep in gardening, so if you are just starting out moderation is key. If you have too much going on or plant too large of a garden, you will have too much work on your hands when it comes to watering and weeding.
Make sure you know where you will plant. It might require thinking outside the box. It’s ok to interplant flowers and vegetables. Put your salad greens in a portable pot so you can easily clip them close to the kitchen. You don’t need to have a strict flower garden and a strict veg garden. Flowers and Food are friends!
We are all sure to have big plans for the garden, buy too many seeds and realize we might be dreaming too big, but that’s half the fun!
I think that is a good stopping point for today! I’ll be talking about seed selection in the future, but hopefully this is a good starting point. Thanks so much for visiting the blog, and I hope you found today’s post helpful. Next up I will be sharing my affordable set up for starting seeds early without a greenhouse. I will then be sharing how to start seeds…. and much more!
-Miss Ash
Curious about my gardens? Check out my past garden and flower farm tours here.
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