Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners

What better way to have clean, fresh garden vegetables than to grow them on your own? With more and more pesticides and chemicals used in plant growing, it becomes a concern as to what we eat in our daily lives and is it really healthy. Gardening on your own can be fun, fulfilling and an engaging experience for you.

When doing your own gardening, you can either choose to plant flowers or vegetables from its seed stage or the seedling stage. Most professional gardeners would opt for the vegetable seeds stage as it is more economical. In the vegetable gardening process, choosing the right kind of seeds is crucial. Vegetables seeds can be obtained easily whether from your local farmer’s market or a nursery or even gardening store.

There are a few considerations to take into account when choosing your vegetable seeds as you cannot simply buy them without know what they are and how to plant and nurture there. Here are a few of them:

Primed or Pelleted

When choosing your seeds, it must either be primed or pelleted. These kinds of seeds are the ones that have been treated to protect it from certain diseases. Primed seeds are those that you treat it yourself whereas if you buy it from a store or garden center, and then it are pelleted. When wanting to prime seeds yourself, be fully aware that different types of seeds need different treatments. Carrots are best treated with valerian extract diluted in water. Radishes, cabbages, peas and beans are best treated with a chamomile solution. Pelleted seeds are individually coated making them easier to handle. Also, never buy old seeds as they may not germinate or may be short lived.

Choose Based on Variety

Buying seeds that are harvested at different times of the year is better than buying ones that need to be harvested at the same time or use the same nutrients. Buying a variety of seeds ensures that you harvest every season such as in the spring, summer, and even fall and winter vegetables can be harvested. Vegetables have their own growth cycle and harvest time so even if you plant them around the same time, you harvest it at different times because of their growth periods.

Learn Your Seeds

Seeds come packaged with important information on care, growth and nutrients. It will tell you when is the best time to plant, when can it be harvested, instructions for planting and so on. When reading this information, choose the types of vegetable seeds that harvest at different times.

Get Seeds from Different Places

Apart from garden centers and nurseries, you can also get seeds from the planter’s market or directly from farmers themselves. Local farmers are a great source for vegetable seeds as they know the area well and its weather conditions so you get the best seeds for your area. You can get these seeds from your local planter’s market or vegetable market.