Everyone seems to be talking about seeds right now, from what they’re sewing to how they’re sowing it.
For me it is too early to start my growing season just yet.
I find my best success begins mid-February, anything before then is a fight for success.
So, until then, I will wait. But right now, I will plan and prepare for the exciting season ahead.
In terms of seed shopping, I will not be doing a lot this year as I purchased so many last year that still remain unopened. I had big plans last year to start seedings inside but then Timothy the goat put a spanner in the works.
Now you know the common classics, some more unusual annuals I plan to propagate are Peony Aster "Jadwiga"; Cleome Spinosa; Cockscomb Flamingo; Zinnia Dahlia “Peppermint Stick”.
These are all plants I have not grown before so it will be a learning curve on what techniques are best.
I will also be growing a variety of perennials. Although annuals are exciting and colourful as they transition from seed to bloom in a matter of weeks, perennial seeds growing is what saves me a lot of money. Many people shy away from growing perennials as it may take a full year before you begin to see flowers, but the fact that you can grow hundreds of euros worth of plants for less than a tenner makes it worth the wait.
Some new seeds I will be trying out this year are; Billy Buttons - Craspedia Globosa, Prairie Mallow, Scarlet monarda and Woodland Sage. These are plant I either don’t have or have very little of in the gardens and so growing them from seed is an easy and cost-effective way to add them to the gardens.
Now you know what I’m planting, lets talk about where I have gotten the seeds and where you can get yours.
For the common classics I will usually pick them up in a supermarket.
Lidl often do a good range of seeds and you can get your cosmos, poppies, calendula etc for around €1.79.
When it comes to getting more unusual seeds it can be tricky. Large garden centres will often sell uncommon varieties of the classics. So that will your fancy poppies or your varied colour calendula etc.
Getting your hands on the unusual seeds it is often best to go online. For example, I use seedaholic.com and MrMiddleton.com. These have a larger variety of seeds than you will find in store and can save you having to trek from garden centre to garden centre in search of a specific seed.
So that’s my plan for the season ahead. I will be updating you as time passes and I begin planting but for now I will wait for longer days of sunlight and for the goats to move out. Starting seeds shouldn’t be daunting and so over the next couple of weeks I will be simplifying it all by publishing blog posts on what you might need and how to do it the easy way so make sure to follow along.
Feel free to get in touch and let me know if you have any questions on starting your own seeds or what seeds might be best for you.
