It’s that time of the year once again, and you’re excited to fill your garden with your favorite flowers, fresh fruits, green vegetables, and culinary herbs.
There’s just one thing you have to decide first: Will you sow seeds or plant seedlings?
If you’ve never grown anything from seeds, this option may seem too daunting or difficult. On the contrary, it’s easy to find success with seeds, given the right conditions and a little TLC!
It’s incredible how such tiny, dormant seeds hold much potential for life—and it can all be unleashed with a bit of water and fertile soil. Once you get to know the following rewards of growing from seed, browsing through seed catalogs may become your newest hobby!
1. Access to Better Plant Variety
Although it can be fun to go to a local nursery and pick out new additions to your garden, you’ll only find a limited variety of plants in stock. Meanwhile, you can order just about any type of seed from around the world and have it shipped to your doorstep!
Most of the time, local nurseries and gardening stores tend to carry only the most common, popular, and profitable plants. You might miss out on rare, unusual, or special varieties, like Persian cucumbers or rainbow tomatoes, when you opt for seedlings instead of seeds.
2. Cost Effective and Affordable Prices
Did you know that for the price of a young plant or a tray of seedlings, you can already have several packages of your favorite seeds? It’s perfect for gardeners on a budget and will pay off big time during harvest—all you need to do is invest a bit of your time and effort!
One good tip is to split the seeds with your family members and neighbors, as this can lead to even bigger savings. Since seeds are more affordable than plants, you’ll be able to grow more of everything and might even have a few to save for the next season if you store them properly.
3. Sense of Satisfaction
The process of sowing a seed, watching it sprout, and nurturing it into a healthy, full-grown plant can feel highly rewarding. It can be a great learning experience not just for adult gardeners but for kids as well—it teaches them the values of patience and perseverance.
There’s also a sense of fulfillment that comes with growing your own fresh fruits and veggies directly from seed to plate. You won’t have to settle for the produce varieties at your local grocery store and can now grow whatever food is best for you and your family.
4. Safety and Sustainability
When you plant your own seeds, you control all the growing conditions for your plants, including soil, fertilizer, and pest treatment, from germination all the way to maturity. It’s one way of ensuring the safety of your produce and knowing exactly where your food comes from!
Unlike large garden stores and mass-growers that manage thousands of plants, growing your own seeds allows you to dedicate the individual time, attention, and care that they need.
As you harvest fresh produce from your garden, you can collect more seeds from those fruits and veggies and replant them again! That way, you’ll always have a steady supply of seeds and won’t have to buy the same varieties anymore—bonus points for sustainability!
5. Early Start on the Growing Season
Yearning to see some fresh green growth when winter is just coming to an end? Starting seeds indoors can help you beat the winter blues and give you a head start on the growing season!
This is a good option for gardeners who live in places that have especially short summers but would like to grow varieties of plants that take a long time to become mature. It’s also a great excuse to start planning and preparing for your summer garden ahead of time!
Although planting seedlings is like a shortcut that can produce quicker results, the method of starting with seeds enables you to be involved in your plant’s entire life cycle. It makes the moment of your first harvest much more magical and is great for those who have time to spare.
Final Thoughts
Whether you value cost-savings, want access to limitless plant varieties, or plan to get a head start on the growing season—there are countless rewards involved in growing from seeds!
Indeed, nothing compares to the joy and fulfillment of watching tiny, fragile seeds grow into healthy, full-grown plants under your dedicated care.
As you collect more seeds from mature greenery, your self-sustaining cycle continues, and you’re able to take your gardening skills to the next level!
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.