Growing your own food from seed can be really empowering, but many people find it challenging, so we guide you every step of the way so you can get it right!
Successful seed germination is about providing the right environment for particular seeds to flourish. And once you get the hang of it, a whole world of new varieties will open up to you.
There are so many reasons why growing your own plants and food from seed germination is better than commercially available seedlings.
For the small cost of a packet of seeds, you can grow a huge amount of food. The number of varieties which become available to you increases enormously and, if you go one step further and save the seed from plants which have acclimatised to your individual conditions, you’ll produce plants which are healthier and more robust than anything you can buy off the shelf.Â
Seed Germination: Getting started
Common mistakes
- One of the most common mistakes people make when starting off is planting it too deep. A good rule of thumb is to cover your seeds with the same amount of soil as they are in size. The smaller the seed, the less coverage it will need. Planting too deeply forces it to use all of its stored energy before the plumule reaches the surface.Â
- Another common mistake is not watering it well or often enough. Allowing seeds to dry out will mean there’s not enough moisture to initialise the seed germination process or to keep it growing.Â
- The temperature of the soil also plays a major role in telling the seed it’s time to wake up. Most vegetable seeds will require a soil temperature of over 15oC to germinate, so placing your trays and seedlings somewhere warm and sunny like a greenhouse or seed-raising box is ideal (in Issue #21 we show you how to build your own seed raising box). Most vegetable seed (but not all) will germinate between seven and 10 days if the conditions are right. Others, like radishes, can be up within three days. In any case, patience – and water – is key.Â
Want to know more about growing food from seed?
In the new issue of Pip Magazine, we delve into seed germination in much more detail, including:
- which trays and containers you should use to get started;
- how to ensure your seedlings have enough nutrition;
- which seeds prefer to be directly planted rather than raised in seedling containers, and;
- the best time to start planting.
- We also bring you a great little DIY seed-raising mix recipe.
You can access this article online here as part of our digital subscription offering, or subscribe to the print version of Pip Magazine here, When you subscribe to Pip this month you’ll go into the draw to WIN a seven-piece Set For Life Starter Pack from Solidteknics valued at $1,449!
Transform your kitchen tools from disposable to multi-generational Australian ‘non-tox’ quality. From the stovetop to the oven and into the fire, you are covered from breakfast to dinner – and even dessert! Set for Life is designed to suit any size household.
