Best way to start seeds - which system is the best do you think?

Too many variables for a single answer!
Depends on what veg/fruit you want to grow.

standard veg and salad. Say carrots, aubergines, toms endless standard veg nothing too fancy. However, if certain veg prefer different growing mediums how do I find out what suits?

I start tomatoes indoors in a heated propagator in sieved multipurpose compost in plastic modules - 1or 2 seeds in each. I don't grow aubergines but, I'd treat them the same way.
Carrots (root veg) are normally sown direct as you'd damage the roots when transplanting.
Salad leaves and brassicas are sown in seed trays or strips, in mpc, but not in the heated prop.

I tend to sow twice as many seeds as I want to grow.

I don't like fibre pots as they dry out too easily for me.

Others here will have different opinions

When did you plant and sow? Many of us are guilty of sowing and planting too early. It is worth searching when your last frost dateis. (It is amazing how many people go on about late frosts etc. but they are actually often well with in the date) With an unheated poly you will probably be able to do bits 4-6 weeks before this date but make sure everything is hardened off before planting out (and don't forget that frost date - nothing more heart breaking than loving tended plants blackened and wilted with in a week by frost). However I recommend you get a min/max thermometer if you have not got one, as things like tom seeds need a min. 10°C . Late sown toms will catch up with earlier sown ones it is us gardeners with itching fingers that have the problem.


I sow into what ever comes to hand. Then prick and pot on. Most seedlings benefit from the compost on the potting up stage anyway. I also make paper pots when I sow some seed individually.

I start my seed off in (B+Q verve) multi purpose compost. Seed does not need compost with a high level of nutrient, however once it is growing it will benefit from a change in compost/ potting on. Most multi purpose has nutrient that is only intended to last 6 weeks. If I use it for potting up I add blood, fish and bone or slow release.

I can never follow all the things that are not meant to like root disturbance so hopefully some other kind grape might answer that.


Depends on space and what you are likely to eat. I try sow a little over 2-3 months and of different varieties of the same veg. i.e a pinch of lettuce a,b,c three weeks later the same again, three weeks later etc. etc. Several reasons for this the varieties themselves will behave differently, the conditions might not be right for 'a' so it fails in one of the sowings, slugs find b extra tasty, I don't want a glut but enough I can be selective and get the best - basically I am reducing the risk of getting nothing.



Carrots - direct and frequent sowings. Try a couple of varieties as some are intended to mature earlier rondo, chatenay etc. then you can have nantes etc behind that.
Aubs. - start now indoors. Heated prop. on top of fridge or in an airing cupboard. As soon as it pops get it in light. Careful on watering (damp not wet). Don't attempt to take it outdoors till May time and even then your poly at best (min/max thermometer will help be sure about this move)
Toms - you can start indoors from mid feb onwards but depends if you have space and if you are fussed. You can leave them later and they will catch up.
Brassica/ leafy greens do not like to be started of in heat.

Carrots & parsnips will get damaged if sown in a pot. Though if you can be bothered, sowing singly in long kitchen roll tubes/home made pots works well. As soon as you see that they've germinated, start the indoor out door treatment for a couple of days and before the tap root appears at the bottom get them in the ground, complete with pot.

Beetroot germinates fine outside but can be sown in trays though I love growing everything in single modules. I buy in compost for my seeds. I hate wasted plants and don't like throwing them away so even though you get hundreds of cabbage seed I will still sow singly in very small modules and pot on when they have germinated. Lettuce I sow two seeds per pot. I don't like tangled roots Depends how fresh the seed is but for cabbage I'll sow perhaps half again to what I need, toms just one more of each variety, if the seed is fresh...it really depend on what I'm growing. You can always shove an extra beetroot in somewhere or lettuce but with a dozen extra cabbage you will struggle to use them.
I love potting on seedlings, always have beans waiting in the wings, or a couple of lettuce to fill the space. The only veg that gets sown straight in the ground is parsnips, carrots and beetroot here.
I use large single module trays with about about 80 cells per tray, once the seed germinates I pop it out with a pencil from underneath and pot the whole "cell" into small plastic pots.then gradually pot on until the plant is big enough to withstand a slug attack.

"Then thirdly, 100 seeds in a packet - how many do you aim for?"

I suppose, like most people, I sow a third and if its lettuce i get 37 seedlings (or if its parsnip I might be lucky and get 10. Of course like most people I spill a third and then manage to loose the remaining in the packet for at least two years!

I think this is a very subjective situation and probably depends on how you feel when you get up in the morning. I sometimes get up and think "oh no, more b****y digging" and another day it could be "lets buy more broad beans!".

Any way today is too b****y cold for anything but window shopping indoors. What ever you are doing, enjoy your garden.

Bill

I use different sized plastic modules , for different things eg beans have bigger size as they make lots of roots very quickly. I don't like the coir/fibre pots as I found they went mouldy and the roots don't grow through the pots as easily as you think they can. As long as you don't buy the really cheapest modules, they will last a good few years.
Climbing beans get sown in cut down plastic milk bottles, slice holes in the bottom for drainage. Number of seeds depends on size of bottle lol. I use 2 pint size and sow 2 seeds, which I tip out and plant together at the bottom of the cane. Dwarf beans for follow on cropping are sown 4 to the larger sized bottle(from my daughter ) and also planted as a clump anywhere space appears.

My sweetcorn and 'snips I sow in deep paper pots, formed around a polish can plant complete with paper and the roots grow through easily. 'Snips need planting out as soon as they have 2 or 3 leaves, as the root will already be reaching the bottom of the pot, and you don't want them to fork.

I do use multipurpose compost for sowing because it is sterile, and find seeds less likely to rot or seedlings collapse from damping off disease.
It seems less important to use bought compost for larger seeds and for potting on, I often use soil or home-made compost then.
How many to sow? Depends on how many you want to eat

I can only agree with other post's,i only use verb but sieve it for small seeds,toms,lettuce and brassica get sown into a small pot,1 variety per pot and label,i only pot on the best plants,bean seeds get sown in a seed tray,yes the roots will tangle,but same as onion sets,will just shake out,plus i have not know the loss off a odd few roots to affect the plants,another plus is,the compost left is again sieved for reuse with some new for potting on,and any what some would call rubish left after sieving,goes different ways,bottom of larher pots,ground or compost heap,i to hate to waste such things,do not worry about sowing exact amounts,as it never pans out,plus some seed needs replacing for next year,parsnip particlaly,parsnip,carrotts and spudz,always into the open ground,carrots seeds sprinkle a few seeds every 4 in or so,if you think to many thin out,and snips every foot,what i do with snips only because the weeds often beat the seedlings up,is,put a bit of drain pipe around,you could also cover with net/fleece to keep any wild life from nibling the greens,and the pipe keeps it off the ground,this also shows where they are,all you do is pull the weakest out,and leave just 1 strong one to grow on,just one more thing,happy growing

Nothing to complicate nature manages - compost water warmth then some light.

I use heat in winter for plants that need it normally just any old seed compost sometimes seed pellets.

In reality any old pot and compst seeds and some moisture.

Yep! New multi purpose compost every year here, as Lottie says, I use sieved Verve too, normally 3 bags for a tenner, which is more than ample for my seed sowings! And like Thelma says, it is sterile so your seedling get a better chance from the offset!

I start off my Toms n Chilli's in a "Super Seven" propogater, only because the two I have sit perfectly side by side on my south facing kitchen window sill, and once up, go directly under lights.



Newly invested last year, otherwise before that just used the window sill, but well worth the outlay, and got far better results!

Then once big enough, very much like Scarlet, prick everything out into it's own individual 3" pot to let it grow on.



Back under light, or window sill before hand



Then the inside, outside bit for a few days when it's nearing planting out time to their final positions.



The only thing I direct sow are carrots n parsnips!