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Vegetable Seeds Buying Guide

There's nothing better than biting into a slice of garden tomato or stacking a plate with some fresh celery and dip.  And what better way to ensure you always have crisp veggies on hand than by growing your own?   If you pick the right seeds, you can have vegetables  that grow quickly, and come back ever year.  But before stocking up roughage, do some research and ask important questions.

Things to Consider

  • What types of veggies would grow best given the space and type of soil you have?
  • What types of veggies are best suited for your home's common climate?
  • Do you want to grow veggies inside? If so, do you have enough room and light? 
  • Have you chosen vegetables that make transplanting them from outdoors to indoors easy?
  • Which will work best for you: seed packets  or seed kits? 

Types of Seeds

In general, vegetables are either cool or warm-season crops.

Cool-season vegetables  (like peas and lettuce):

  • Planted when the soil is still cool so there are a good number of growing days before summer rolls around.
  • Plant approximately two weeks before the final frost at the start of spring.
  • Soluble fertilizers  can add extra nutrients that cold soil may be lacking.

Warm-season vegetables  (like onions, melons and carrots):

  • Love the warmth of the sun and should be planted about two weeks after the final spring frost.
  • Warm-season vegetables grow best in soil that retains heat during the day and at night.
  • If warm-season veggies are planted too early, they make take longer to begin producing.
  • Early spring crops can tolerate a few light freezes.

General Planting Tips

  • Consult the vegetable seed packet about thinning young plants.
  • Some vegetable seeds, like corn, squash and beans, are better off sown directly into your garden rather than grown indoor than transplanted.
  • Consult the planting directions on the back the seed packets to determine how far apart your rows should be and if your plants should be placed in beds or atop small hills. And if seed packet instructions are missing, plant a seed at roughly twice its diameter.
  • Mist young seedlings frequently to encourage germination and subsequent growth without disturbing the soil.

Related Guides

Herb Seeds

Gardening Tips

Vegetable Peelers

Greenhouses

Annuals

External Links