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Parents, do you start your gardening plants/flowers from seeds or do you buy plants?

If you start them from seeds how long does it take for you to have a "strong" (flowering) plant for your garden? Yes, I know the seed packet will tell you and it depends on the type of plant but, it has been my experience, that the seeds did not "flower" until much later than the packet stated. This could just be me or something I'm doing wrong. I'm getting all my gardening stuff around so that I can start all my own plants this year. Do you have any advice and/or tips? BQ: Do your children like to help you in the garden? My LO loves it, the 16 y/o not so much. :)

Public Comments

1. Both! Tomatoes and green pepper and cucumbers we usually buy plants. Pumpkins I usually keep seeds each year and start them in the house, corn, green beans, squash I usually start from seed in the garden. And my marigolds, I save seeds every year and reseed in the spring!! And my children love to help plant and help pick the produce!!
2. My husband does all the gardening (flowers and veggies) He starts most everything from seeds in these little "pod" things--they are circular and dirt filled and he begins them in the house and in a few weeks they are big enough to take out on the porch * and its usually warmer/sunnier by this time * when they get even bigger---he transplants them to the garden. Last summer our son had just turned 2 and you couldn't keep him out of his Daddy's garden--but you had to watch he didn't take his little shovel and dig up the already planted ones instead of making new holes lol... Cant wait for this summer. My son will be 3 and my other son is due to be born in June. We will have fresh veggies and i will be on maternity leave to enjoy it all with my boys :) oh and no snow in the summer really does sound appealing!
3. I usually buy flowers, most of the stuff in our garden comes from seeds. Seeds that go straight in the ground Corn Potatoes Peas Green Beans Seeds that need starting Pumpkins Plants Cucumber Peppers Tomatoes Squash Watermelon I started pumpkins from a seed packet last year in little styrofoam cups with holes in the bottom. I followed the package and it worked exactly like it was supposed to. Are you fertilizing your seeds? But some 10/10/10 fertilizer and follow the instructions. My girls love to play in the garden....the older (3) likes to plant the seeds, the younger (2) just plays in the dirt. They also like to help harvest it. We are in the process of building a garage and if it is ready in time I might try starting some more seeds this year, next year I plan on having the husband build me a lean to green house on the side of the garage so I can start them all.
4. always seeds... sometimes we start them inside... add water to some paper towel, add seeds and let them spourt in a cup near a window... the kids love watching the seeds come to life... we planted mammoth sunflowers last year... within 6 weeks they were blocking my kitchen window...
5. I have the same experience when I start from seed. I attribute it to being that I don't have a greenhouse and the growing times listed are more than likely under ideal circumstances. What I do is plant the seeds in the peet starters and then find a sunny window. LOL.... IDK they do come around but sllllloooooowwwwly. Frankly anymore I've found it easier to spend the couple dollars on a 3 inch pot from a nursery! The only exception is if it's something I want spread everywhere but am not concerned about design. For example, in my back bed I like that look of those little ground roses (can't remember the name) so i'll take a packet of seeds and till it into the soil and let nature take over. I usually get good results like that.
6. I start with plants
7. My husband does a small vegetable garden, mostly tomatoes and peppers. Last spring, he started from seeds and grew them in the house. When it was warm enough, he planted them outside. In previous years, he bought the plants at a greenhouse. I have a lot of perennials- lilies, daffodils, tulips, crocuses, and irises. Those you plant by the bulb and they come up every year afterwards. We have a whole bed of lilies and irises. For another flowerbed, each year I buy marigolds and petunias. They grow well in that location and they are very cheap to buy by the flat. They don't come back up in the spring, you have to buy more. The only flower I plant by seed are morning glories every year. BQ: Our 3 yr old helps daddy water the garden every night and she loves to eat grape tomatoes off the vine and my mint too.
8. Some schools have a gardening period like i did They teach kids a lot of science ............watching seeds grow and sprout........try planinting chilly and tomato ......they grow fast needs lil care...............kids can do it too