Gardeners learn early that starting plants from seed is less expensive than buying a comparable number of plants from a nursery, and seeds usually offer a greater variety than a nursery or garden store can provide. On the other hand, starting from seed can be unreliable which is discouraging. However, the following strategies can minimize the frustration.
First, use a soil specially designated for starting seeds. Seed starting mix may seem like an expensive indulgence, but it will improve germination and seedling survival by fifty percent, and you need only a relatively small amount to start a large number of seeds.
Second, dispense with expensive cell packs for starting seeds. Plant directly in propagation trays. These are black plastic, 10 inches by 20 inches, with a solid bottom—although a mesh-bottomed tray can be lined with a plastic trash bag. The nursery tray comes with a clear plastic cover which retains moisture and keeps the soil warmer. The cover should be removed as soon as the seedlings appear. Otherwise the plants may rot. Avoiding the use of cell packs uses less plastic, allows plants to grow larger before transplanting and gives the gardener more freedom and leeway to transplant when convenient.
Finally, even seeds can seem spendy to a newbie gardener with a low success rate. Swallowtail Garden Seeds (http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/index.html) offers a wide variety of bulk seeds at great prices that allow a new gardener to experiment without the frustration of wasting expensive seeds. A gardener can pick one or two easy-grow plants, like their coleus wizard mix or a calendula or cosmos mix and practice until they have mastered one or two favorites.
Local seed resources in Seattle include Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle's Seed Swap n Sale (http://www.gleanit.org/seedswap.html) for small packets of seed suitable for urban gardens. They also maintain a table for exchange of free seeds either left over from previous years or collected by local gardeners from their local gardens.
These three strategies should improve success and satisfaction for new gardeners, providing the reward of seeing that special bloom or plucking that fruit that's all the sweeter for having grown it from seed to sprout to flourishing plant.
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