Starting From Seed

Growing plants, whether herbs and vegetables to eat or annuals and perennial flowers grown for pleasure, can be so much more gratifying when you start them yourself from seed.

Shopping for seedlings at your local big box store or home improvement center may be convenient and instantly satisfying but it can also bring you more work and frustration in the long run. Their greenhouse centers seedlings are delivered on a truck and often from places far away. The seedlings are often fed with a lot of nutrients to rush the blooms; they want the plants to sell fast once they reach the stores. While that may make them look amazing and too irresistible to pass up, soon after planting them they may die while getting used to the changed conditions in your garden. Along with the flowers you just bought from the garden center, the chances are good that you also brought home some freeloading pests; spider mites, white fly and aphids.

I have listed below a few of the many online seed companies you can purchase quality, harder to find varieties of flowers and vegetables. I have also included a zone chart in case you are not sure of your specific locations growing zone.

https://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/

This is a small business offering some choice varieties of annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables. They offer bulk pricings and orders over $40 are free of additional shipping charges. Personally I love the varieties of zinnia's they have available for purchase

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/flowers/

Johnny Seeds is a Maine business that is 100% owned by hard working employees that love what they do. It is so important to support the local growers and breeders as much as possible! I also love the idea that the seeds I purchase were raised in the same general zone as mine. The company also supports multiple charitable organizations and community support efforts.