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Help Buying Vegetable Seeds For The First Time

by Mike Lieberman on January 25, 2010 · 31 comments

Ordering vegetable seeds.

The kind people at Botanical Interests have contacted me and offered to help me out with some seed packets to get my 2010 garden started.

I’ve never started from seed before and I like experimentation (with growing vegetables that is). My plan is to continue the fire escape gardening, backyard vegetable gardening and potentially expand that to the garden beds.

I’m leaning towards their organic heirloom seed collection. What would you recommend me getting or would like to see me experiment with?


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  • http://artfulgreens.blogspot.com/ JP

    I just did a big round of winter sowing, and your containers would work perfectly. So, you might consider (since it doesn't matter if you fail) sowing some lettuce, spinach, chard, and small tomato plants now, just to see what you get. You would need to use some plastic lids, however. I love green zebra tomatoes; very tasty!

  • Mike Lieberman

    Nice JP. If I were to sow into the containers, would I be able to keep them indoors? I don't get much sunlight at all in my room.

  • http://www.pure2raw.com/ Pure2Raw twins

    I vote for heirloom! Lori and I got some big containers/pails that we have saved to hopefully try growing something. You have inspired us always!

  • Mike Lieberman

    Thanks. I def wanna rock some of the heirlooms.

  • http://twitter.com/Aquafloriana Michelle N Tremblay

    Mesclun and spinach (direct sow outdoors) is always easy and great for containers (in rotation for a constant supply). Any herbs, peppers, cucumbers, and bunching onions also do great in containers. I start small seeds indoors (e.g., herbs mostly) but everything else is sown directly outdoors in pots. I will be trying baby carrots and cherry tomatoes in containers this year. Just buy seeds of foods you love to eat plus a couple for experimenting. It's quite rewarding to growth things from seed. Keep up the great gardening.

  • Mike Lieberman

    Thanks. When sowing directly in the containers, do I leave the containers indoors or outdoors?

  • http://twitter.com/Aquafloriana Michelle N Tremblay

    I sow and leave them outdoors (on the deck, north side of the house) until they get big enough and strong. Then I move them slowly to full-sun, part-sun, etc. Plants also do better when containers are kept together (microclimate & easy watering, pest control).

  • Mike Lieberman

    Thanks. There is no way I could sow outdoors now. Still way too cold…I thinks. Like 30s during the day and night.

  • http://www.eathealthybehappy.blogspot.com/ Elena

    You should grow some tomatoes and cucumbers–my all time summer favorites, along with green onions and dill!

  • Mike Lieberman

    Good call Elena. I'll likely do those at my Grandmother's.

  • colleenvanderlinden

    Hi Mike!
    Chard is really pretty and easy to grow, and Botanical Interests' Asian greens mesclun mix is really, really good (I'm actually growing it outdoors in a low tunnel now, and it's doing pretty well.) Spinach and beets are both really good for containers, too! (Can you tell I like my greens? :-) )

  • http://lifeonthebalcony.com Fern @ Life on the Balcony

    Mike–Botanical Interests has a lot of edibles that are smaller and better suited for container growing, like 'Spacemaster' cucumbers and 'Gardeners Delight' cherry tomatoes. Be sure to include some flowers too! They help attract beneficial insects (and look pretty!).

  • http://lifeonthebalcony.com Fern @ Life on the Balcony

    I like beets because you can eat the whole plant. Talk about efficient use of your garden space! And they look really nice interplanted among carrots.

  • Mike Lieberman

    I'm with you on the greens. I pretty much have them every meal, so I plan on definitely planting more of them.

  • Mike Lieberman

    Starchy veggies are good in theory to me, but I never really eat them that often. I really need to eat them more frequently.

  • Mike Lieberman

    Don't have too much space on my fire escape and definitely want to keep the plants lower. I might get some of those for my Grandmother's backyard. Thanks for all the advice.

  • Mike Lieberman

    Thanks. I def wanna rock some of the heirlooms.

  • http://twitter.com/Aquafloriana Michelle N Tremblay

    Mesclun and spinach (direct sow outdoors) is always easy and great for containers (in rotation for a constant supply). Any herbs, peppers, cucumbers, and bunching onions also do great in containers. I start small seeds indoors (e.g., herbs mostly) but everything else is sown directly outdoors in pots. I will be trying baby carrots and cherry tomatoes in containers this year. Just buy seeds of foods you love to eat plus a couple for experimenting. It's quite rewarding to growth things from seed. Keep up the great gardening.

  • Mike Lieberman

    Thanks. When sowing directly in the containers, do I leave the containers indoors or outdoors?

  • http://twitter.com/Aquafloriana Michelle N Tremblay

    I sow and leave them outdoors (on the deck, north side of the house) until they get big enough and strong. Then I move them slowly to full-sun, part-sun, etc. Plants also do better when containers are kept together (microclimate & easy watering, pest control).

  • Mike Lieberman

    Thanks. There is no way I could sow outdoors now. Still way too cold…I thinks. Like 30s during the day and night.

  • http://www.eathealthybehappy.blogspot.com/ Elena

    You should grow some tomatoes and cucumbers–my all time summer favorites, along with green onions and dill!

  • Mike Lieberman

    Good call Elena. I'll likely do those at my Grandmother's.

  • colleenvanderlinden

    Hi Mike!
    Chard is really pretty and easy to grow, and Botanical Interests' Asian greens mesclun mix is really, really good (I'm actually growing it outdoors in a low tunnel now, and it's doing pretty well.) Spinach and beets are both really good for containers, too! (Can you tell I like my greens? :-) )

  • http://lifeonthebalcony.com Fern @ Life on the Balcony

    Mike–Botanical Interests has a lot of edibles that are smaller and better suited for container growing, like 'Spacemaster' cucumbers and 'Gardeners Delight' cherry tomatoes. Be sure to include some flowers too! They help attract beneficial insects (and look pretty!).

  • http://lifeonthebalcony.com Fern @ Life on the Balcony

    I like beets because you can eat the whole plant. Talk about efficient use of your garden space! And they look really nice interplanted among carrots.

  • Mike Lieberman

    I'm with you on the greens. I pretty much have them every meal, so I plan on definitely planting more of them.

  • Mike Lieberman

    Starchy veggies are good in theory to me, but I never really eat them that often. I really need to eat them more frequently.

  • Mike Lieberman

    Don't have too much space on my fire escape and definitely want to keep the plants lower. I might get some of those for my Grandmother's backyard. Thanks for all the advice.

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  • http://twitter.com/psitutor Char Paul

    Ceylon spinach is hardy and likes to climb~ really good tucker.

    How about those carrots Mike? Give those a try from seed.

    I recently received Dragon Carrot~ is purple. I’ve been juicing beetroot and the orange carrot~ the purples have high antiox content,  they are a cool colour~and the name! so Jackie Chan.

    I put my the last of my seeds out yesterday (veggies, herbs and tropical fruit) and kitty’s paw tracks are through them this morning. The wilderness garden is now go~ across my lawn and the neighbours yard.