Some good and some not so good this year. Cosmos Xanthos and Brightness were a poor show. Very small and insignificant, but Pinkie and Cranberry are getting into their stride now. Antirrhinum F1s from Sarah Raven have been wonderful. Deep blue Larkspur have been great, with individually dotted Calendula Neon mixed in.
Nigella in the ground amazed me by growing well as it doesn't really take here normally, but I did sow them in seed trays. The Verbena Bonariensis which I grow from seed decided to self sow, so I have lots in pots that I will overwinter just in case they don't grow next year. The purple Nicotiani again from Sarah Raven have been a lovely surprise too.
Salad lettuce has been very productive, Tumbling Toms are prolific and tasty, Radishes and early potatoes Rocket good and Scarlet Emperor runner beans producing well now.
I have probably forgotten a few things, but overall it has been a great year for growing from seed and I certainly could never afford (or want to) fill my garden by purchasing plants from the garden centre.
Edit: I just remembered Foxglove Camelot Cream really has earned its reputation for flowering in the first year. It is flowering now from a March sowing and is really beautiful.
I have grown plants from seed since the year dot always a joy to watch them grow into the final item give that feeling of satisfaction.
Did have a spell in the middle years when I could not grow so many due to work and being away from home for long periods, but now thats over and with polly going up I will be in seventh heaven and intend to grow as much as possible from seed veg and flowers.
"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
I've just started growing plants from seed this year. We moved house December last year and the garden is very large. I wouldn't be able to pay the prices for full grown plants to fill my borders. So decided me and my toddler would grow flowers together. She loves going to her trays and seeing whats popped up, her eyes light up as she tells me their "her flowers" haha. I've also decided this year to dedicate a large patch to a flower cutting garden, so I'm getting that ready for next year. I love it! I've been looking at getting a polytunnel with the amount I need to grow but they seem so expensive. I dont know if its worth it?
I expect the majority of posters here are self taught via trial, error, TV and books and magazines. I love growing from seed and taking cuttings and divisions and then sharing and swapping.
Well done you and yes, do consider joining the RHS which has a seed distribution scheme for members as well as a monthly magazine and free access to their gardens, partner gardens and also experts for advice. Hardy Plant Society has to. For veg seeds, try Garden Organic which has a Heritage Seeds Library.
As for shop prices they have to cover land and building rents and rates, employee wages and insurance, costs of materials to grow and maintain and ship plants, profit margin........
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I think there's something special when looking round the garden and a friend says " oh, that's lovely " and you're able to say " I grew that from seed / a cutting" somehow more rewarding IMHO.
there's nothing better than 'borrowing' seed from someone else's garden and sowing it yourself, especially if its from a plant that's hard to get hold of in the garden centres/nurseries.
I'm sure it was Alan Titchmarsh that said he carries a small plastic bag for cuttings and a small paper bag for seed whenever he visits a large garden. (he is from Yorkshire like me, we'll do anything to save some brass)
I think there's something special when looking round the garden and a friend says " oh, that's lovely " and you're able to say " I grew that from seed / a cutting" somehow more rewarding IMHO.
I couldn’t agree more Hosta, we’ve had some very good seeds drop into our pockets haven’t we. If I do buy a plant, and that’s very rare, it gets immediately chopped up for cuttings. Buying a plant and putting it in the ground is just not the same, you haven’t grown it, someone else.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I've only been gardening seriously for 7-8 years and have only been growing plants from seed for 4-5 years. I am self taught with the odd bit of advice from family/friends. As someone who is a firm believer in gardening being a help for many kinds of mental and physical issues growing my own is a godsend. I cannot wait for the propagator to be fired up in Spring, for the first tentative seedlings appearing and then spending time in my shed pricking out and potting on etc. But the best bits are watching these plants develop, produce their flowers or fruit and remembering how they started. But nothing gives me greater pleasure than turning up at a relative or friends house with a tray of plants that i have grown for them. I love that bit!
Gardening. The cause of, and solution to, all of my problems.
Posts
Nigella in the ground amazed me by growing well as it doesn't really take here normally, but I did sow them in seed trays. The Verbena Bonariensis which I grow from seed decided to self sow, so I have lots in pots that I will overwinter just in case they don't grow next year. The purple Nicotiani again from Sarah Raven have been a lovely surprise too.
Salad lettuce has been very productive, Tumbling Toms are prolific and tasty, Radishes and early potatoes Rocket good and Scarlet Emperor runner beans producing well now.
I have probably forgotten a few things, but overall it has been a great year for growing from seed and I certainly could never afford (or want to) fill my garden by purchasing plants from the garden centre.
Edit: I just remembered Foxglove Camelot Cream really has earned its reputation for flowering in the first year. It is flowering now from a March sowing and is really beautiful.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Did have a spell in the middle years when I could not grow so many due to work and being away from home for long periods, but now thats over and with polly going up I will be in seventh heaven and intend to grow as much as possible from seed veg and flowers.
I've also decided this year to dedicate a large patch to a flower cutting garden, so I'm getting that ready for next year. I love it! I've been looking at getting a polytunnel with the amount I need to grow but they seem so expensive. I dont know if its worth it?
Well done you and yes, do consider joining the RHS which has a seed distribution scheme for members as well as a monthly magazine and free access to their gardens, partner gardens and also experts for advice. Hardy Plant Society has to. For veg seeds, try Garden Organic which has a Heritage Seeds Library.
As for shop prices they have to cover land and building rents and rates, employee wages and insurance, costs of materials to grow and maintain and ship plants, profit margin........