TRY GROWING YOUR OWN VEGETABLES FROM SEED
It doesn’t really get much more sustainable than growing your own vegetables and starting from seed is the perfect way to be involved in the whole process. Each pack of seeds is a fantastic project for the whole family to enjoy, for the same price as a cup of coffee.
Here are 5 tips for success to really make the most of growing from seed:
Don’t over water - a lot of people end up killing their seedlings with kindness by over watering. Use a spray bottle or a mister to ensure the soil is moist but not waterlogged.
Use a heat mat to start summer vegetables - vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants and chillis require soil temperatures of 18-30 degrees C to speed up germination rates. A heat mat helps raise the soil temperature for peak germination.
If starting on a heat mat, remove seeds once they germinate - as soon as a sprout pops its little head up above the soil, it’s time to take it off the heat mat. Leaving it on for too longs leads to the seedling becoming leggy and weak.
Slowly introduce sunlight to new seedlings - once a seedling has germinated, it needs to have light gradually introduced for it to grow. Too much too soon can overheat and kill the seedling before it’s had time to adapt. Start off with an hour of sun a day and gradually increase over a week or two.
Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle! - gardening can be an expensive hobby but if you are smart about it, it really doesn’t have to be. Take away containers make excellent seed starting trays and bio degradable cups are a great alternative for pots.
Hopefully this will inspire you to give growing your own a try! :)