[Sheena]

We've had our allotment for one year now, so we are still very much novices.

I have a ton of different seeds for all sorts of veggies and flowers, but I'm wondering if I should attempt to grow them all from seed, or if some veggies are better bought as small plants?

I have some little onion plants that I have raised from seed about 6 weeks ago, I also have some onion sets to go in. What are your experiences with growing onions from seed, should I have waited and simply planted them out directly? It's obviously cheaper than sets but I'm wondering if it's worth the bother.

What about Brassicas and leeks, should I try these from seed? Any other veggie plants that you don't do from seed?

Any advice appreciated!

[GrannieAnnie]

Personally, I do everything from seed, except I do grow most of my onions and shallots from sets, except my salad onions.  Having another go at big onions from seeds this year as usually they don't do well for me.

[Annie]

Leeks are so easy from seed and there`s a long thread on it further down the page.Brassicas are also easy,if you start them off in modules they don`t take long to grow into little plants.The limiting factor to how much from seed is space as many plants do better if planted into modules and planted out when the risk of frost is over so a greenhouse or coldframe are handy.
I`m trying onions from seed for the first time and won`t be planting these out until may/june and will need to prepare the bed more carefully than I do for onion sets and I am still growing sets as insurance!

[slowcompost]

I'm told that onions from plants are better,usually bigger and keep longer than those from sets.  However i grow mine from sets just because they are easier and i've allways had reasonable success with them.  Still got a bag full from last year. I guess if you were growing to show then you would definetly grow from seed.  Otherwise why bother.

[slowcompost]

Back again
Most of the rest i grow from seed, mainly because of the cost of plants.
Especially when you take into account the loss rate to rabbits,birds etc.
Seed sowing lends itself to repeat sowing every 2 or 3 weeks. The best way I find to get success.

[DD.]

I`m trying onions from seed for the first time and won`t be planting these out until may/june and will need to prepare the bed more carefully than I do for onion sets and I am still growing sets as insurance!

I grew from seed 2 years ago. Pathetic things. All rotted in the garage in a couple of months.

Last year I went back to sets - best I'd ever grown, still have 6 big bunches hanging in the garage, as firm as the day they were harvested. I won't ever go back to seed - but that's not to say you won't have good results with them.
_________________
I'm only 52, but been growing tomatoes for 40 years!

[Sheena]

Thanks folks.

I find I get overwhelmed with propagators and little pots in every window of the house. But then it usually comes back to cost, it is much cheaper than buying them as plants.

I might just fling in my pathetic looking onion plants and see what happens, they are not doing well in the house anyway. :roll:

[muntjac]

if it a brassica sow n transplant . onions use bought in sets or sow seed in autumn n then plant sets in spring from them ..roots i just sow in the place i want em to grow in . toms n cucs sow n transplant

[Annie]

My onions are in a cold frame and so far so good,they are spanish and ailsa craig neither are long keepers but we get throughlots of this type of  onion and you can`t get them as sets.
Maybe grow most from seed and use money saved to buy a cheap cold frame,or make one!

[DD.]

Maybe grow most from seed and use money saved to buy a cheap cold frame,or make one!

At £1.97 a kilo for sets from my local nursery, you're hardly going to save a lot of money - just making yourself more work!    

[Annie]

I meant that last bit for Sheena in general,a girl only has so many window cils.
I am trying onions from seed just to try it,for fun, because I can, not to save money.I`m not daft,which is why I have sets on standby!

[ziggywigs]

I'm trying onions from seed this year but have the sets as back up too.....although i've still got lots of yummy onions strung up in the shed and a tray of shallots.

[DD.]

Back to the original question, (I think we've knocked the bottom out of the onion bit:)!

Leeks - this is what I do - I've posted it several time before, but it's easily missed unless you diligently read every post on this forum!! ....

This is what I posted there as to how I bring my leeks on:

Now this might seem a bit painstaking, but I find it well worth the effort......

"As I said I use cat litter trays, as they are nice & deep, be sure to make holes in the bottom though - a hot skewer will do the job. I use compost from grow bags, as it seems one of the cheaper ways to buy it.

Now here's the painstaking bit, I plant the seed individually 1" apart 1/2 deep. That way they don't crowd each other out. I get nearly 100% germination in the green house. One of these trays will produce 96 plants. Compost has to be kept moist. When a reasonable size they can be moved outside to grow on. I then transplant when they are the thickness of a pencil.

It's something I read somewhere, I didn't make it up my self, but when they go in they are real sturdy plants.

Once they've gone in like this, apart from watering, there's nothing to do until they're ready to go out!"

Brassicas - I use seed tray inserts, such as the ones shown here (illustration purposes only):

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Plant-Cell-20-Cell-Seed-Tray-Insert-case-pack-of-10_W0QQitemZ180095088582QQihZ008QQcategoryZ20515QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

One seed to a cell, 20 seeds to a half seed tray, obviously 40 to a full one. Place in UNHEATED greenhouse - don't want them to get drawn. Keep moist. I get near to 100% germination. When the plant is large enough - say 2" high - re-pot into 3" pots, grow on & plant out.

The plant goes into the soil with a nice big root ball, establishes easily & if you do suffer from club root, the fact that it already has a decent root system gives it a fighting chance.

[Smudgeboy]

DD, can I ask a coupla follow-on questions to this pls?

Re both the leeks and brassicas - WHEN do you sow them in the seed trays?

Also, to keep them moist, do you water from above, or stand the trays in water and allow capillary action to do its bit?

[DD.]

DD, can I ask a coupla follow-on questions to this pls?

Re both the leeks and brassicas - WHEN do you sow them in the seed trays?

Also, to keep them moist, do you water from above, or stand the trays in water and allow capillary action to do its bit?

Leeks went in early March - still not too late.

Brassicas - any time now until mid April, depends on the variety. Other's will no doubt differ, but I have a plan that works very well indeed for me.

Watering is done with a fine rose on a watering can.