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10 Things To Remember While Buying Seeds

By Pooja Kaushal

The pleasure of buying seeds, planting them and seeing them blossom gives immense pleasure. And when you get a rich harvest of vegetables from these tiny seeds there is no end to happiness. It is like a blessing from nature. Every piece of that vegetable becomes a proof of your hard work and care that you put into the cultivation of those precious plants.

The desire to have a kitchen garden rests in all of us and we wish to buy the best garden seeds to see this happen. The sight of vegetables hanging from stems is pure divine and yet many of us fail to achieve that success. What could it be that goes wrong?

Sometimes the weather plays havoc and sometimes the pests play their pranks. In case of weather we can do nothing but we can fight the pests. Besides these two there is one more important factor, in fact a very basic factor; the quality of seeds we sow.

When we buy seeds we need to be careful about the quality that we are purchasing. This is the very basic requirement for a good plant growth. Here we have for you some tips for buying seeds. Next time you go seed shopping be aware and careful of what you purchase.

10 Things To Remember While Buying Seeds

1. Buy From Regional Vendor: If you are buying seeds online check the vendor. Try to go for one from your region as this vendor will have seeds suited for the region you reside in. The climatic conditions vary from place to place and not all plants thrive in all conditions. Your local vendor will have seeds of plants that can be grown in your region and this will ensure that you get a good harvest.

2. Check Number Of Seeds In Pack: Sizes of packages will differ and hence the number of seeds contained in each. Check the number of seeds each pack has and the price against it. The idea is to get your value for money. Also, you need to go by your requirement.

3. Check Date Of Packaging: The fresher the seeds the better the harvest. To ensure that you are buying seeds that are freshly packed check the date of packaging. It should be of the current year, or less than a year old.

4. Buy According To Local Climate: Do a bit of research and find out which plants survive in your region. Every plant has certain climatic requirements. Based on this limitation you need to select your plants and hence the seeds.

5. Talk To Vendor: Always try to buy from an experienced vendor. He will be able to guide you with your garden planning and help resolve certain issues for you as well. This does not mean that new players are not good. Old ones are definitely good as they have stood the test of time but new ones can be good too. All you need to do is talk to them and get to know how much they know and how helpful they prove to be.

6. Don’t Overbuy: It is easy to get enthusiastic and buy a good amount and variety of seeds. Control your excitement and buy only what you need, or better still the amount you think you can manage. If you are starting out it would be good to start with one or two varieties. Once you get the hang of gardening and get a bit more confident you can expand your canvas.

7. Read Instruction On Pack: Always read instructions printed on the pack. Those instructions are there for your benefit and need to be given due attention. Following instructions only helps you get better results.

8. Plan Your Garden: When buying seeds make a plan for your garden. It would be good if you could do it for the entire year. By doing so you will have all your seeds for the year and will be able to plant each on well in time.

9. Look For Untreated Seeds: We all know about genetically modified seeds and treated seeds. They may give a quick harvest but the fact that nature has been tampered with does bring about drawback, both in taste and nutrition. As far as possible go for untreated and unmodified seeds.

10. Avoid Discounted Rates: Vendors do not discount rates without reason. Often discounts are offered to get rid of old stock. This means inferior quality seeds. Less money may mean poor quality and you sure do not want to save a little to get a bad harvest.

Tips of buying seeds are many but you need to be aware of what you are buying. You also need to be sure of what you are paying money for because you will be spending a great deal of time and effort on these seeds to get good returns.

Story first published: Saturday, February 7, 2015, 17:09 [IST]
Read more about: gardening tips gardening plants