PROS AND CONS OF SEED STARTING VS. VEGGIE TRANSPLANTS

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Tons of people have jumped right into seed starting this year vs. buying transplants. But that’s not the only way to start your garden, and it’s not necessarily the best way either. It’s just one way to get the garden you want this year! You can also start your garden with veggie transplants purchased from our garden center. There are plenty of benefits to either way of starting your garden, and each method has its challenges, too.

One way isn’t inherently better than the other; they’re just different. However, since both methods have pros and cons, one way might better suit your budget or timeline. Here’s a rundown of the pros and cons of starting your own garden seeds or picking up veggie transplants when it’s time to start planting outside.

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PROS OF STARTING VEGGIES FROM SEED INDOORS

It’s affordable. You can get 50-100 seeds for a $4-5 package instead of $2-3 per plant.
It’s fun to plant seeds, watch them grow, and nurture them.
Educational opportunities abound! Tap into the natural curiosity of kids and get those science brains working.
It’s very low-cost over the long term.
Growing most plants from seed is pretty simple.
You have complete control over which pesticides and fertilizers you use.
You can start gardening indoors, where it’s nice and warm, much earlier in the year than everyone else.
It’s something to be proud of! Wouldn’t it be pretty cool to be able to say you grew every plant in your garden from a tiny little seed?

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CONS OF STARTING VEGGIES FROM SEED INDOORS

Startup costs for all the equipment needed can be high for your first year.
You need quite a bit of space to start a garden worth of vegetable seeds.
Some seedlings are pretty high-maintenance and quite delicate.
Pests can hit seedlings hard. Aphids and other pests might appear out of nowhere, quickly spread to other plant trays, and wipe out your entire crop.
You’re pretty tied-down while starting plants. They need daily care and maintenance, so taking a two-week vacation will be the end of your seedlings.
You can’t really predict germination rates, so you might plant 50 seeds and only end up with one surviving seedling.
You can’t predict the weather, so if we have a late spring and you can’t plant out as early, you’ll have a lot of large seedlings to keep inside until it’s actually warm enough to plant.
It’s important to get seeds planted at the right time, or they’ll either be too little when you’re ready to plant, or they’ll end up overgrown, spindly, and difficult to manage.
Hardening off many trays of seedlings is a lot of work.
You have to be vigilant and proactive about managing potential diseases, fungal problems, and pests.
Some patented proprietary plants are not available as seeds; they can only be bought as transplants from a garden center.

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PROS OF BUYING VEGGIE TRANSPLANTS

You’re limited to what garden centers around you have decided to grow for the year, so it may be challenging to find rare or trendy plants.

You don’t need to store them in your home for months. You can just buy them when you’re ready to start gardening.
You don’t have to worry about fussy seedling care. Our garden center has done all that for you!
You can trust that the varieties your garden center sells are appropriate for your region.
You can buy exactly as many as you need, so you won’t accidentally end up with a bunch of extra zucchini plants.
Pests may be less of a risk. By the time veggie transplants are ready to go in the garden, they’re more resilient against pests because they’re fairly large and strong. But, you should still keep an eye out for unwanted visitors.
If you missed the ideal planting time for starting plants from seed, you still have time to get transplants from the nursery in the ground.
You don’t need to dedicate a bunch of space in your home to seedlings.
Garden center transplants are grown in a very controlled optimal environment, so you don’t have to worry about weak, spindly, or diseased plants.
You might have a head-start on growth for plants like melons that require a long growing season because they were started early.
You don’t have to dedicate so much time to seedling care and maintenance, which makes all the difference if you keep a busy schedule.

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CONS OF BUYING VEGGIE TRANSPLANTS

The cost is much higher because it represents the time and resources invested in cultivating each plant. For $4-5, you’ll only be taking home a few plants vs. 50 seeds.
Selection may be limited. You’re limited to what garden centers around you have decided to grow for the year, so it may be challenging to find rare or trendy plants.
You don’t necessarily know what sorts of pesticides or fertilizers the grower may have used (but you can always ask!), so you may not be able to guarantee organically grown produce if that matters to you.
Some veggies, like beans, peas, cucumbers, and carrots, don’t transplant particularly well. Luckily these are easy enough to plant directly into your garden from seed.

However, you decide to start your Indianapolis garden, whether from seeds or transplants, you’ll still be able to grow a fabulous garden. There’s plenty to learn about gardening from both methods. It’s worth trying both, even on a small scale, to see which you prefer. If you’re curious about growing from seed, try choosing an easy plant to start from seed this year. Or, if you’re game to get growing from transplants, stop by our garden center in Indianapolis and pick up the ones you like best!