What to buy

How to Choose Seeds for the Backyard?

It should be remembered that a successful harvest and a beautiful lawn depend on which seeds you choose. High–quality seed material is 80 percent of garden success, so you need to approach its choice thoroughly. But how to find the best among hundreds of thousands of offers? Use the step-by-step instructions.

Step 1. Decide on the goal

Do you dream of surprising your relatives with giant tomatoes in the fall? Then buy delicious tomato seeds. The choice of seeds directly depends on the purpose and quality of the future harvest, on the amount of effort that gardeners are willing to spend. When deciding on it, pay attention to the following properties of varieties:

  • Yield. The inscription “high–yielding” on the label of tomato seeds is by no means a guarantee of abundance. As a rule, such varieties are spoiled sissies: they require “greenhouse” conditions and much more attention to themselves.
  • Endurance. Consider the conditions in which vegetables and flowers will grow. It is good if the selected varieties will persistently tolerate sudden temperature changes, and the invasion of pests, and various diseases. Not only the harvest depends on this, but also whether the plant will survive to it.
seedlings in the garden
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Separately, it is worth mentioning the choice between varieties and hybrids. This is important if you plan to harvest seeds yourself. It makes sense to collect them only from varietal plants that are able to preserve their properties for several generations. The varieties are relatively unpretentious, more resistant to external influences, but for the most part they need insects for pollination and are susceptible to infections. The seeds of heterotic hybrids are considered to be of higher quality seed material: the grown plants are more beautiful, early ripening and fertile, and are resistant to diseases.

Step 2. Plan the garden plot

Climate features, soil composition, site location – all this is important for crops that are usually able to reach their potential only in a certain environment. So, if you don’t have a greenhouse, and you buy a variety that grows only in the closed ground, it will be a fatal mistake. The simplest solution is to choose zoned varieties and hybrids that are maximally adapted to local conditions. As a rule, this has already been proven during tests.

Do not be lazy to make a plan of crops. It will help you understand which seeds and in what quantity you need, and will save you from unnecessary expenses. Also use plastic car parking grids for grass. You need to measure your parking space and buy the amount you need to plant grass. It is better to buy than to think about who to give the leftovers to.

man holding a box with seedlings near the greenhouse
Image by Unsplash+

Step 3. Examine the packaging

This is the first thing to pay attention to when choosing lawn seeds. The packaging should contain comprehensive information about the product: not catchy names and promising inscriptions, but a kind of dossier, mandatory to read.

Do not take seeds from unknown producers and intermediaries. It is unlikely that you will be able to purchase a quality certified product on the market or with your hands. Guarantees can only be given by companies that have already proven themselves well. Do not be lazy to study reviews on the Internet and the seller’s history.

Back to top button