NZ heritage, open pollinated, organically raised seed is the best of the best! We’re so lucky in New Zealand, to have Setha and Roddy at Setha’s Seeds, doing the hard yards to provide us with high quality veggie, herb and companion flower seed for our gardens.
Growing from seed is so satisfying, I never tire of it! But it can be tricky when you’re starting out. I hit Setha up for her tips. “Start small,” she said, “with crops that are easy to germinate.” Her top picks are:
Veggies: Beans, Courgettes, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Silverbeet, Mizuna, Peas, Broccoli De. Cicco, Kale
Flowers: Calendula, Sweet Peas, Cosmos, Marigolds, Sunflowers.
Setha’s 4 seed raising essentials
- Get the timing right! You can be brilliant at sowing seeds, pricking them out and transplanting them, but if you do it at the wrong time, the plants won’t flourish and you won’t get a good harvest. Our monthly newsletter tells you what you should be sowing and when – sign up here, or check in with a local gardener who will know the right timings for your hood.
- Get the temperature right! Different seeds require different soil temperatures to germinate. If the soil is too cool, or too warm it can cause the seed to rot or mould before sprouting. Our seed packets and our website tell you all you need to know.
- Get the watering right! Most beginners over water their seedlings which causes them to grow slowly, dampen off (stems wilting from mould), or even die.
How: There is no hard and fast rule other than observe and do a finger test. Wiggle a finger into the soil. If it is crusty and cracking, sure sign to water. If it is moist or wet especially in cool weather, best to wait. You do not want your plants too wet going into nighttime.
When: Morning watering is best in cooler seasons, to give seedlings time to dry off before the cooler nighttime temperatures occur. If plants are wet heading into the evening, they will stay wet all night and this can cause them to die. If I see a semi dry seedtray in the afternoon, I wait till the following morning to water for this reason. - Use a good growing medium. Finding a good seed raising mix is tricky. Many bought products have fungicides or water crystals added – ewww. And though there are organic products available, not all are a good brew. There’s a big hole in the market for a superior organic product. If you are making your own compost, and or have a worm farm, you are well on your way to having the materials on hand to make you own. Here’s Kaths recipe, and thoughts on how to choose a good bought mix.
Setha’s pro tip: As soon as seed is sown whether in a tray or in the ground, water with vermicast extract to stimulate the right biology. The biology will be with the seed for its life, including into its own seed. Vermicast extract is very different to worm wees, and is easy as to make. Put a big tablespoon of vermicastings into a watering can full of water, stir it around to get a good vortex going, then use it immediately.
Heritage varieties are older, established varieties that have stood the test of time. Grown and saved through the generations because they grow well, and easily, in home gardens, are pest and disease resistant, crop like legends, taste amazing and have higher nutrition levels too!
Open pollinated seeds have been pollinated by wind, birds and insects, and as such have a diverse gene pool making them strong and nutrient dense – just what we want in our food crops!
All heritage varieties are open pollinated, but not all open pollinated varieties are heritage! Both heritage and OP varieties can be saved at home, and if done properly will produce true to type, i.e. will grow into the same variety you started with, unlike F1 hybrids, which will not.
Setha has been growing food and seeds commercially for over 20 years. She co-founded Setha’s Seeds in 2013 with a mission to see NZ Heritage seeds flourish in Aotearoa and help gardeners and producers rediscover their magic, taste and health benefits.
