How to grow from seed

During the spring a gardeners mind turns to their planting for the coming year. A quick look around the garden centres will soon show how expensive this can be.  However it need not be that way, It is so simple to grow from seed if you follow the rules. OK, you have to be patient, but it is very cheap and rewarding.  You don't need a greenhouse, or a propagator, though these things are good if you have a lot of seeds that you want to germinate. Though the simplest way is with a seed tray, compost and a plastic bag. The words in bold are the little things that make growing from seeds more successful. Though the most important thing is use seed that is not too old.

1. Fill a seed tray to the top with compost.
2. Firm down The compost and make it level.
3. Spray lightly with Tepid water.
4. Wait let the water penetrate through the compost
5. Sprinkle the seed Thinly on the moist compost
6. Cover the seeds lightly with more compost.
7. Place in a clear plastic bag and tie
8. Place on a sunny window sill.
9. As soon as you see green shoots remove the plastic bag.

Then water lightly daily, but never in full sun as you will burn the seedlings.

Using the simple rules above I grew a vast amount of flowers and vegetables from seed last year.  I must admit even I was surprised at the germination rate I got from just seed trays and plastic bags.  To reduce costs even further some of my seed trays were plastic trays that meat is sold in at the supermarket, and my plastic bags were the bags from bread. I had a stunning display of cottage garden flowers, notably poppies, cosmos, sweet peas and cornflowers.  I also grew some beautiful orange coloured lupins which were quite unusual. 

In the vegetable patch the leeks germination rate was amazing .  The runner beans, peas and Mounge toute cropped earlier when started off in doors using the above method. Hopefully this year I will be able to grow two sowings of each, one started earlier indoors and the other later directly into the soil outside.

In the herb wheel i grew lots of Basil from seed which proved very popular among the cooks I know.  Also the sage and chives seeds germination rate was greatly improved.