Why don't more people grow from seed? That's what i would like to know!!!!!!

Flwer97

Hi guys,

I am design student from Loughborough university, currently doing a project to encourage people to grow their own plants/food from seed.

It would be super helpful to hear you opinions and experiences of caring for plants, germinating seeds & growing your own food! 

It should only take a few minutes, really looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Thanks,
Hannah

https://forms.gle/tf9qVS7L8erFqceLA

Dovefromabove

Hi @hannahmburrage 😊 

I suspect you’ll find that in here you’re preaching to the converted ... take a look here ... this is just this year’s thread 

https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1024241/seed-swap-and-plant-sharing-2019/p1

pansyface

Well, of course, there’s seed and there’s seed.

Not all seeds turn into plants identical to their parent plant.

That’s how plants evolve.

OK if you like a change but too bad if you were hoping that this year’s delicious tomatoes were going to set seed and give you an identical crop next year.

Most of the things grown from seed in my garden are hairy bitter cress, dandelion, rosebay willowherb etc etc.  A wonderful crop of identical plants year after year.😊

Posy

I was quite taken aback by your heading: I thought we were all grown from seed.... Take no notice, I'm a linguistic pedant. I tried to grow food from seed but reckoned without moles, mice, bugs, badgers, foxes, cats and pigeons, not to mention viruses, waterlogging and drought. When I reached the point where I felt sick with apprehension about going out into my garden, rather than pleasure, I gave the whole lot up and just grew ornamentals, which are more robust.

wild edges

Not sure how helpful that was sorry. We haven't used the propagators for a couple of years due to lack of time after having kids. I still direct-sow things that will grow that way but raising plants and potting on is too time consuming at the moment.

K67

I used to when I had a larger garden. Nowadays I don't need more than 3 of the same plant. Lack of space for the seed trays in spring and also lack of germination has put me off.
Prefer to let someone else raise the plants.

Buttercupdays

I love growing things from seed, I just love growing things. But it isn't always easy, even after years of experience, to get things right - right soil, right amount of water, heat and light, especially with our changeable weather. Some seeds are easy, others need special treatments and I'm not always successful.

I grow all sorts from seed, both edibles and decorative. In early spring I set up my propagator in my bedroom, so I can look at what has popped up overnight, and commandeer all the south facing upstairs windowsills for seed trays, except one for my dahlias. There are peas and beans of various kinds (it's fun to experiment), cabbage family, courgettes, as well as sweet peas and other flowers for the garden or greenhouse.

They all have to be potted up individually which takes time and space, and be kept safe until it is warm enough to plant them outside. Even now, at the start of winter, there are loads of plants in my greenhouse for protection from the winter weather, which can be vicious here. By April it will barely be possible to squeeze inside to water and care for them, and the cold frame will be full too, as well as all those windowsills.

I've got the space, no-one to please but myself and happy to admit to being mad as a hatter, but not everyone has the time or the space or the freedom to do what I do, even if they would like to, and as others have said, there are lots of other obstacles to getting to the end result of an edible crop.

It does give me enormous pleasure when things work out well though

micearguers

I love growing things from seeds, however, this applies mostly to ornamental plants. The benefit there is that I like to have plants that can actually be grown from seed, as opposed to expensive weak cultivars bought in nurseries that require vegatative propagation and keel over after one or two years. Growing from seed is also satisfying, greener (I assume), and financially advantageous. I grow the occasional bit of vegetable, but generally the investment/gain trade-off for growing my own food is not worth it. I already have a full-time job, and the churn of land would impact on my aim to make a wildlife haven (I accept these two are not mutually exclusive, but there is a trade-off).

Loxley

I don't bother much for several reasons. I've only a small garden, and little space for seed trays, cold frames and pots all over the place. I have raised a few things but my success rate has been pretty low. I have three Thalictrums that I raised from seed a few years ago; but that's only three plants to show for an entire seed packet, and a whole year or more looking after the damn things before they flowered! (It was satisfying when they did though). Also I often want to grow cultivars that don't come true from seed, which are generally an improvement on the parent species. 

Purplerain

I grow almost everything from seed. I don't grow brassicas as I don't have the room, but i grow peas, runner beans, radish, lettuce tomatoes and parsley in season. All my perennials and annuals are grown from seed. I would never pay £8.99 for a potted Cosmos for example, and I doubt many people who post here would pay that either.  

It's good that you have understood how much money you can save along with the enjoyment of growing your own. 

Purplerain

Bargain!