Easy to Grow Seeds
Posted by PURE SEEDS
If you're new to gardening, or just lead a busy life and don't have much time to spend on it, you probably want plants that are easy to grow. Starting from seed is the most economical way to grow your own vegetables, herbs, or flowers. And it doesn't have to be difficult! With just a little effort and some knowledge, you can easily produce your own flourishing veg patch, herb garden, or flower border straight from seed.
Easy herbs to grow from seed
If you're limited in terms of time or space, herbs are the best choice for growing your own edible produce. Many of them only require a pot of compost on a sunny windowsill and some regular watering. With very little time or effort you can be enjoying fresh green basil in your pasta sauce, or chopped coriander in a salad. If you have a little space outside, you can grow several herbs together in one planter to create your own little herb garden! (Just avoid grouping mint with other herbs, as it spreads rapidly and will soon take over.)
All soft leaved herbs are simple to grow on a windowsill at any time of year. Basil, coriander, parsley, chives, dill, and oregano are a few of the most popular options. You can also grow them outdoors at the right time of year. Woodier perennial herbs require a few extra steps to grow, but once they are established they are very low-maintenance and easy to care for. This includes herbs like sage, tarragon, thyme, and rosemary. The seeds need to be started indoors where it's warmer, then transplanted outside later in the year (usually around May). You can start the seeds in a tray or pot of compost quite easily. You just need to move them to a bigger pot outdoors or plant them in the ground. These herbs will then survive the winter and keep producing year after year!
The easiest herb: cress!
The easiest possible herb to grow is cress. You don't need any special equipment or experience - just a recycled plastic tub and some kitchen paper. Cotton wool or compost will work too, whatever is easiest for you. Make sure your tub has holes in the bottom, then line the bottom with damp kitchen roll (or your chosen growing medium). Sprinkle your seeds on top, and watch them grow! As long as you keep it damp every day, you can be eating cress by the end of the week. To harvest just snip them stems with clean scissors, and enjoy!
Vegetables that are easy to grow
If you want to grow more substantial edibles, vegetables are the easiest option. Most fruit comes from trees or bushes, which require a fair amount of space and maintenance to grow well. But you can grow vegetables almost anywhere! Even if you just have a single plant pot you can enjoy homegrown produce.
Spring onions and radishes are so quick and easy to grow: draw a line in your soil (either in a pot or straight in the ground) sprinkle the seeds in, then cover over and water. Keep the soil moist and in just a few weeks you can be pulling them up and eating them. They don't require feeding or pruning, and are both relatively pest-free. Just watch for slugs when seedlings are small. Leeks are just as easy and low maintenance, but need longer to grow.
If you want to spend a little more time in the garden, tomatoes, peppers, chillies, and cucumbers are great crops to try. The seeds need to be started indoors where it's warm, early in the year. Then once all risk of frost has passed, you can transplant them outside and watch as your fruit forms! Tomatoes need regular watering to produce a good crop, and giving them some tomato food once a week will really help. Peppers and chillies need a nice warm spot, but if you can give them that they will grow happily and mostly take care of themselves. Provide cucumbers with a support to grow up (some sticks or a trellis is perfect) and you can just sit back and watch as huge, fresh cucumbers form! Cucumbers also protect themselves from pests by having rough textured leaves, so you don't need to worry about them.
Low maintenance flower garden
Wildflowers are the easiest flowers to grow. They provide you with lots of colour and are great for wildlife. Our "throw and grow" seed mixes can be scattered over any patch of clear soil. Water them regularly and a beautiful, colourful meadow will appear! There's no need to worry about feeding or pruning - just leave the wildflowers alone and they will take care of themselves. A little water during prolonged dry periods should be all they need to flourish.
Growing from seed can be very simple if you choose the right plants. All the varieties on our website have been selected to grow well and produce great harvests with as little maintenance as possible. Just place the plant in the right conditions and water as needed!