Success With Seeds | Notes From Boyd

Whilst there is a certain amount of care needed when raising seed taking a little time and trouble to understand and meet their needs will be well rewarded.

Choosing your seeds starts with deciding if you want to look at the results of your endeavours or pop them on the plate! Or why choose? Nasturtiums, for example, provide both! Their brightly-coloured, peppery flowers are good in salads and pasta dishes. The whole flower, leaves, and buds can be used or just the petals for a milder flavour. Sunflowers are an oft overlooked edible flower - blanch whole buds and serve with garlic butter. Petals can be used in salads or stir fries.

Seed packets have a wealth of information on them so pop in to the centre and browse the range. Choose the ones that attract you and then check on the back of the pack for information on sowing time, conditions, type of compost/soil etc.

The basics of success are…

Watering, over or under watering can cause seeds not to germinate. Never allow seed to dry out before watering, nor should you waterlog the compost. Aim to always keep the seed moist.

Temperature requirements vary so always follow what it says on the packet. Often the time of sowing relates to the temperature being correct. There maybe an option to either sow direct outdoors or indoors/under glass.

Compost/soil – never use garden soil if sowing in pots or trays as it may contain dormant weed seeds and pests. Invest in one of our quality composts, we have a selection suitable for seed raising, including our brand new Garden Store Multi Purpose compost containing Q4 fertiliser – more of this next month. When planting outside, the soil needs to be broken up to a fine consistency and be moist but not too wet.

Sowing depth – sometimes overlooked but very important. Always follow the instructions on the packet as the depth at which seeds should be sown varies considerably. Most seeds don’t require light to germinate but the few that do will need to be sown on or very near the surface.

And finally, for now… pace yourself!
Many packets contain a lot of seeds, this doesn’t mean you have to sow all together. Particularly edible crops are often best sown in small batches so you have a longer period of cropping. Keep spare seeds dry and cool and in their original packet – a cool garage is ideal – and they’ll keep for more than one season.

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We have a wide range of seeds and accessories available instore and online. Please ask our members of staff for any help or advice, they are always happy to help!