SEEDS ARE CHEAP: Save money, get more plants with seeds
Linda Lees – March 23, 2024
PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY SUZANNE LABRECQUE
Recently a friend of mine said he wanted to put in a tiny garden where there was a sunny spot in his back yard.
“I just want a tomato plant, some peppers, maybe some herbs,” he said. “You know where you put in a few plants and throw some seeds on the ground. Something that is happy to get a shot of water whenever the pool sloshes over.”
I rolled my eyes but I knew he meant he didn’t really have much time for gardening. What he wanted was a garden that was simple, something where he could relax puttering around for a few minutes after his workday was over.
Seeds Are a Cost Saver
My friend was right to mention seeds because so many retail plants these days cost $4.50 or more, whereas a packet of seeds is more or less about $2.20.
For example, a Ferry-Morse packet of mixed colored petunia seeds costs $2.19, whereas a multi-pack of petunias costs over $6.00.
Seed packets are friendly to container gardeners because on the lower left-hand corner buyers can read if the plant will be a container variety, its dimensions and what size pot to use. Seeds give you more plants, even if you don’t use all of the contents at first. The leftovers you can store or you can share with a neighbor.
Suggestions for Small Spaces
So I started talking about a few easy-care edibles and flowers that he could plant in his plot and in containers. We talked about the vegetable plants now locally available. Then we got to the topic of seeds and I shared the seeds I have often successfully planted in containers.
Here’s my short list of favorites:
- Basil, any dwarf variety perfect for containers. It has intense flavor.
- Chives, garlic from Burpee Co. Great for salad dressing and mashed potatoes with butter.
- Dill, look for the three-foot “Mammoth” that is perfect for making dill pickles.
- Fennel, “Florence” variety. It needs a large container and rich compost. Not only good in soups and salads, it is a host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly.
- Okra, Clemson Spineless. Good fried, steamed or boiled. It will grow in a large container.
- Oregano, a perennial that has a gentle flavor when fresh picked. Like mint it can take over a flowerbed.
- Parsley, flat and curly leafed, grows well in containers. High in vitamin C.
- Zinnia, colorful and easy to grow and attracts pollinators to the garden.
- Zucchini, Astia variety for containers. This one is a French bush variety. You may have to go online and hunt for it. Mine came in a Renee’s Garden seed packet. These plants are beautiful in a pot due to their fancy silvery green leaves.
Don’t Forget to Read the Instructions
Before buying your seeds read the information provided on the packet.
Packets contain text not only about plant characteristics but also care and maintenance, days to germinate and when to plant.
More thorough tips on planting seeds are available through Texas A&M University Extension Service. Its website has a wonderful collection of online videos and articles as well as the Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide.
Learning from Seed Catalogs
Much information also may be gleaned from seed catalogs, such as the Select Seeds, John Scheepers and Kitchen Garden Seeds publications, as well as from some online outlets like Texas Tested Seeds and David’s Garden Seeds.
Texas Seeds lets their customers know how many seeds they can expect to get in each packet as well as interesting information about the plant. In fact, I am going to order a packet of the green mini-Thai round eggplant. The outcome is anyone’s guess.
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. This article appeared in the Victoria Advocate on March 23-24, 2024
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