Sometimes seedy is good!

I was out at Lowe's yesterday and those dang vegetable transplants were calling to me. Never mind that they were heat stressed and pot bound; just the sight of them had me itching to grab them and shove them in my cart. Luckily my husband was with me and he was able to escort me safely away.

You can spend a lot of money on transplants and, depending on their quality, not end up with much. Often times you don't get the varieties that grow well in your area. The best way to avoid cost and headaches is to grow your vegetables from seed whenever possible.

Vegetable seeds are cheap and the variety selection is huge. One packet of seeds can last me two or three growing seasons if I keep them stored in a cool place. I brought all my seeds with me from Oregon and they are happily sprouting in my fall garden. I've got peas, beans, beets, spinach, summer squash, cucumbers, and carrots planted. With a little luck we'll be eating fresh salad in three or four weeks.

The challenge I've had here in Texas is the wind and the heat. Seeds need moisture to germinate and my seed beds were bone dry when I was ready to plant. I solved the problem by giving my raised beds a good soaking, then making little trenches for my seeds. I placed the seed in the bottom of the trench and watered again. I covered the seeds and then gave them one last shower for good measure. This insured that I had good soil to seed contact and that I didn't have dry pockets around my planting area. I covered the raised beds with my lightweight floating row cover and it blocks most of the wind and defuses the intense sun, plus it keeps the bugs from munching on my new plants.

I'm happy to report that everything looks great. Everything has sprouted and produced their first couple sets of leaves. Since I collect rainwater, we are able to water the seedlings at least daily. They look so much better than those poor things at Lowe's and cost me much less too. I wish I could grow ready to wear clothes and shoes from seed. Hmm, will flax seed grow in Austin?