Small Space Gardening

Lesson 3: Plants

Choosing the plants to grow may be your most significant problem when switching to square foot gardening. Fortunately, we have many dwarf size plants that produce full-size vegetables available to us today. In addition, many disease and pest problems can be avoided by choosing varieties that are immune to common diseases, and interplanting with plants known to deter some pests in the garden.

Objectives:

• The student will make a well-thought out decision about purchasing plants versus growing from seed.

• Students will develop a planting plan for one 4 foot square garden space applying the spacing principles taught in this lesson.

• Each student will develop a summer long plan for their garden that will keep each square producing crops for the entire season.

Growing Your Own Versus Buying Plants

Are you a new gardener or an experienced gardener? The answer to this question often determines whether you want to try growing your own seeds or if you simply want to purchase starter plants at your local garden center. There are advantages and disadvantages to each option. This course isn’t about growing your plants from seed but I want you to consider the advantages and disadvantages of both buying plants and growing from seed. This way you can make an intelligent decision about which choice you want to make.

Buying Plants

Advantages..

• You can purchase the exact number of plants you want for each vegetable type, herb, or perennial. Note: Some plants come in 6-packs which cannot be divided.

• You can choose your plants based on color of leaves, absence of apparent problems, and condition of root structure. Note: I feel quite free to pull a plant out of its container to look at the roots. If it is already root-bound with little soil left in the container, I don’t purchase the plant. Always look for roots that are actively growing down rather than circling the container.

• The garden center assumes all risk of plant death prior to your purchase leaving you free to buy plants when you are ready to plant them.

Disadvantages.

• You are limited to the varieties the garden center sells.

• Purchasing plants can be more expensive than growing your own from seed.

• Plants for planting after your first crop finishes may not be available.

• The plants are acclimated to different water quality and different soil.

Starting From Seed

Advantages

• You are free to choose any variety available in the mail order catalogs or at your local store. Note: You often get better germination from mail order seeds than from store bought seeds because the former were stored in proper conditions until their sale.

• You can start growing seeds either in flats for an early crop, or by planting directly in the ground for later crops. The choice is entirely up to you.

• It’s easy to keep plants available for replanting your individual squares as you harvest your crop.

• Seeds cost less than plants.

Disadvantages

• Seed packets always have more seeds than you need if you follow square foot gardening practices. They will have to be carefully stored to avoid waste.

• You run the risk of losing your crop to some disease or pest and having to purchase the plants anyway.

• You pay for the cost of using heat mats for seeds needing more soil warm for proper germination and keeping them watered. If you use supplemental lighting, the electricity costs money too.

• Some seeds need special germination treatments such as cold stratification (maintained at cold temperatures for stated periods of time, then brought into room temperature conditions). It is often difficult for a home gardener to provide these special conditions outside of a greenhouse.

Personal Experience

Fifteen years of gardening have convinced me that buying a flat of plants at my local garden center is less expensive than buying seeds, seed starting mix, flats, and paying for utilities. I only start seeds for unusual plants that I know I won’t find at one of the local garden centers.

Hardiness Zones

You should contact your local extension service or agricultural agent to get a list of plants most suitable for planting in your area before purchasing either seeds or plants. The cultivars often depend on which United States Department of Agriculture hardiness zone you happen to live in. Visit here to learn what USDA zone you live in. Hardiness zones tell you the lowest temperatures reached in your area over the winter.

How does a plant’s hardiness zone affect you? The answer depends totally on the type of plant you want to grow. If you are growing vegetables which produce their crops in a single season, the zones really don’t affect you. Many herbs are easily grown as annuals too. If you are a perennial gardener, you need to know the hardiness zone for each plant you select. This information often saves you money because you don’t buy plants that are destined to die over your cold winters.

If you are primarily a flower gardener, you may need to check the American Horticulture Society’s heat zone map because some plants need a cold, dormant period to flower successfully the next year. This applies to many of our popular spring bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths too.

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