With a big box store of some kind on nearly every corner of every city carrying gardening plants, why should you mess with starting your veggie and melon plants from seeds? Great question! Here are 4 reasons!
1. It’s fun to be part of the whole process, from start to finish! There is something extremely satisfying about eating a pepper off a plant that you started weeks ago from a tiny little seed. You will see just how great creation is when you watch every step of the way what that seed has to accomplish to give you even one pepper!
2. Some plants, like carrots and radishes, require it. While you may find some root crops in big box stores, they will never yield you the same quality and quantity that a seed in the ground will because root crops do not like to be transplanted. When you disturb the roots of a tomato plant, they will recover pretty easily. When you disturb the roots of a root crop, that is the whole thing we want to grow and that is the problem.
3. Varieties that you can’t get anywhere else! Big box stores only have the capacity to carry a few varieties of each crop. That is so limiting! There are over 10,000 varieties of tomatoes alone! Think of what you are missing out on when you only choose from the 10 that your local home improvement center has space to carry!
4. Cost is the main thing! You can typically buy at least one pack of seeds for the same price as one plant at the big box store! That one pack of seeds can turn into dozens of plants yielding you far more produce for the same price!
So, is there ever a reason to buy a plant from a big box store or local nursery? Sure! If you run out of time to start your desired crop…run to the nursery and grab one! If you find a little extra space in your garden don’t leave it empty! Grab a plant or two and fill it up! See a variety that you didn’t start at the local store? Grab one and give it a go. If you love it, get seeds for the next year.
