Grow A Home Vegetable Garden: Hybrid vs. Non-Hybrid Seeds, Which?

Springtime is in the air and it is time to start turning thoughts to the great outdoors and gardening. Growing a home garden is both rewarding and satisfying. And, with the economy in such sorry shape, growing your own food is now becoming an economic necessity! According to a recent AP article by Gillian Flaccus entitled, Dollars From Dirt: Economy Spurs Home Gardening Boom, “The National Gardening Association estimates that a well maintained garden yields a $500 dollar average return per year. A study by Burpee Seed claims that $50 dollars spent on gardening supplies can multiply into $1,250 worth of produce annually.”

It is now not a matter of whether to grow your own vegetables, but what is the best choice in seeds with which to grow your garden. Should you use hybrid or non-hybrid seeds?

First, we need to have a basic working definition for hybrid and non-hybrid seeds, and second, we need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of using either seed for growing.

Hybrid seeds are a Read the rest of this entry »

Growing Vegetable Plants From Seed

If you’re one of the many Americans who will be cultivating a vegetable garden this year, one of the first decisions you’ll have to make is whether to grow your plants from seed or purchase transplants from a nursery. In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons to both methods, and we’ll provide a basic how to guide for starting your own plants from seed.

There are two primary deciding factors in whether to start plants from seed. The first is time. Starting seeds certainly requires a larger investment in time and effort than purchasing transplants. However, the knowledge that you have grown the plants yourself from their very inception is also quite rewarding. The other primary consideration is cost. Seeds are far more economical to purchase than young plants. A packet of 50 or more seeds might cost you a few dollars. Transplants, on the other hand, will cost you that same amount per plant. In short, if you have the time and the inclination, growing your own plants from seed is a very rewarding and economical way to start a vegetable garden.

Most gardening experts will agree that the best method of starting seeds is in a greenhouse. Greenhouses provide optimal conditions for germination and growing: long warm days and ample sunlight during times of year when it is still to cold to even consider planting outside. Many hobby greenhouses also feature Read the rest of this entry »

What You Need To Know When Buying Vegetable Seeds

What You Need To Know When Buying Vegetable Seeds

Author: Dave Truman

Spring is on its way and many people are looking forward to planning and planting their vegetable garden. There are so many options, it can be hard to know what to choose and from whom to purchase your seeds. Because there are so many online vegetable seed companies to pick from, the choices can be overwhelming. This article will help to point you in the right direction.

Buying vegetable seeds online can be a very good choice. Many companies do not Read the rest of this entry »