Where to start buying seeds?
Please tell me what to look for when buying seeds? Are there any special markings or divisions I should know about?
Before we buy seeds, we should think about what we want to grow on the plot. How much space are we going to allocate for vegetables and how much for flowers. We will only plant annuals, or maybe perennials?It is also important if we can prepare seedlings at homeIt would be related to the earlier date of purchase and sowing of seeds (II-IV). Only after collecting this information can we go shopping. Choose seeds:
- offered by well-known companies. This guarantees their high quality - germination strength, purity, species and varietal identity;
- with long expiry date. It is placed on the back of the bag along with the batch number and name of the variety.
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We respect the seeding dates in particular in the case of radish and lettuce (Photo: Fotolia.com) |
What does the F1 symbol mean?
The symbol F1 is often displayed on the seed packages. What does it mean?
The F1 symbol is more common for vegetables than flowers. When placed on the packaging of seeds, it means that we are buying a hybrid variety that was created from the crossing of two parent lines.Hybrid cultivars are more fertile and give the crops uniform in terms of shape, color and harvesting date. They are also often more resistant to diseases and pests. Their cultivation costs more, so the price of such seeds is higher.
Fixed variants (without the letter F1), however, are equally valuable. They are less sensitive to weather conditions, so they can be successfully grown in plots.
Should seeds be treated?
In the February issue of "Recipe for the Garden", one of the readers advised to dress the seeds. Is this procedure necessary? Isn't it enough to buy good quality plants? Or maybe I should choose seeds treated by the producer?
Most available seeds are not treated chemically. The reason is that many mortars and other plant protection products have been recalled.In addition, the dressing process is time-consuming, requires a special room, equipment and the use of quite expensive preparations.This generates higher (and unnecessary) production costs.
The truth is, most seeds do not require chemical protection. However, there are a few species that should be treated before sowing. This treatment will reduce the occurrence of diseases and pests that live in the ground. So let's strengthen the seeds:
- onion (or spring onion) against onion cream, neck rot and fusarium onion rot;
- varieties of beans and cucumbers against sprouting cream;
- all others against pathogenic soil microorganisms that may cause weaker emergence and gangrene of seedlings.
There are several seed treatments available for sale, so you can try to strengthen the seeds at home.When seasoning them, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions on the package.Also remember to sow all the seeds and not leave them for the next year.
Buy or collect yourself?
I have heard that when you collect seeds of flowers and vegetables yourself, they yield weaker crops. For years I have been acquiring seeds, incl. with cucumbers, tomatoes and pumpkins. I have not noticed that they grew worse - I just have more and sometimes less abundant harvests. I am asking for an honest answer: if I give up on my own seed production and buy them in a store, will it guarantee a good harvest for the next season?
This is a question that is often asked at various meetings with gardeners and gardeners. By collecting flower seeds and picking seeds from vegetables, we do not always obtain valuable seeds. We often do this too early, when the seeds are not yet fully ripe. Moreover, we dry them in unsuitable conditions. This causes them to lose their values
and are more prone to various diseases.Under no circumstances should we obtain seeds from hybrid varieties (marked on the packaging with the F1 symbol) . This type of seed in the second generation does not convey 100% of parental characteristics.
The yields of vegetables are much worse in terms of quality and quantity, and in ornamental plants - the variety of flower habit and height.
I strongly encourage you to buy new seeds every year. This will give us the certainty of their high quality, and thus - a guarantee of good yields and beautiful ornamental plants.
Do you follow the sowing dates?
The packages contain the dates of sowing of individual plants. When it is warm spring, I would like to sow vegetables and flowers much earlier than recommended by the producer. Will my harvest be less good then? I noticed that, for example, a radish has different sowing dates. Should I stick to them strictly?
The manufacturer marks the date and place of sowing the seeds, the period of planting seedlings, flowering and harvesting on each package.
Bags of seeds are bought by gardeners from various regions of the country, where the seasons, especially spring, occur with a difference of several days. It is understandable that the dates on the packages are indicative. The producer indicates that the plant should be sown, for example, throughout March or around May 15.
The flowering and harvesting dates are also marked in a similar way.
The sowing date is also associated with the features of a given variety. When it comes to radishes, some of its varieties, at high temperatures, knock out seed shoots.That is why they should be sown in early spring (harvesting at the end of spring / beginning of summer) or at the end of summer (harvesting in autumn).There are also varieties of radish insensitive to high temperatures, which can be sown all year round. The same applies to, inter alia, butter and shortbread lettuce.
Placing seeds too early in wet and cold soil makes them more susceptible to contamination with soil pathogens and may not germinate.In turn, sowing too late may prevent the plant from growing up before the frosts and the yield will be lower. It is therefore worth following the deadlines given on the packaging.
