Three Reasons Why You Don’t Have to Sow Your Own Seeds
If you spend any time on GardenTok (or talk to gardeners), you know it’s all about the seeds these days. Gardeners always feel behind at this time of year, filled with anxiety about the crops they should be doing—getting them, planting them, watching them. Well, I have a secret: I haven’t planted any seeds myself, and every day I don’t do it is anxiety-reducing practice. If you also feel behind the eight, don’t worry about it. There are three good reasons why you might want to skip growing your own seeds for a year.
You already know the seed people.
Do these friends constantly post about their adorable seedlings? Get their support. Ask them to bring you a tray; you’ll be surprised how often people are happy to do this. Offer to return the favor in the fall or put together a seed tray for them so they just have to look after it. Over the last 10 years I have had friends who had greenhouses and they have offered to help me by growing seeds for me and I have done the same for others. If you’re already watering and caring for your seedlings, another tray or two isn’t extra work. And people who love to grow things are excited about a new excuse to do so.
It’s totally fine to buy starts if you can afford it.
You and I know that in a month you will be able to buy tomato seedlings absolutely everywhere, in all possible varieties. Buying them may hurt your pride and wallet, but that is something you and your therapist need to decide. The reality is that you won’t miss the gardening season just because you didn’t get started early enough, and your garden won’t suffer because you didn’t grow the seedlings yourself. If you have too much going on, it’s okay to show a little grace and ride out the time. None of us have to do it all.
You forget about additional services
A fundamental truth of gardening is that if people grow seedlings, they grow too many. At the beginning of May, everyone will start getting rid of the extra seedlings when they run out of room in the growing space before they can go into the ground. If you can hold out, there are freebies, or at least cheap stuff, waiting for you. If you’re not already involved in a gardening group online or in person, join one and just wait. Or take the initiative and ask! And not just gardeners. Once a year I receive a cryptic response from someone who clearly works in a big store and has a kind heart. They leave hundreds of overgrown tomato and pepper bushes (which were probably thrown in the trash) at the foot of my driveway, somehow confident that I will find a home for them.
And readers, I always do this.