The Pros and Cons of Planting Seeds Versus Planting Seedlings

During the winter, it’s fun to trawl through seed catalogs dreaming of harvests to come and a summer full of cucumber and tomato sandwiches. If you want to get a head start, seeds can be started indoors in January or February resulting in little plants that are ready to be planted out after the last frost.

However, if you simply don’t have the room or inclination to do this, buying plant starts for a nursery in the spring is a perfectly good option.

Seeds or seedlings? Both are great choices but for different reasons. Check out this list of pros and cons to help you decide which route to take this growing season.

Seed Starting Pros

Source: GrowVeg/YouTube

Be Inspired in the Winter Months

The new year is when gardeners start to get seed catalogs through their doors and come to the realization that it’s time to start indoor sowing. Sowing seeds gives the anxious gardener something to do and think about when March and April seem so far away.

Lots More Variety

Choosing seeds over seedlings will give you many more choices. Your local nursery might stock three or four standard, tried-and-tested varieties of tomatoes and peppers. However, if you are looking for that coveted hot pepper for your hot sauce this year or an heirloom variety of tomato, a seed catalog is your best bet.

Sense of Accomplishment

When the garden is in full bloom, buzzing with bees and heaving with produce, there is a good dose of satisfaction in knowing that you were there when this garden before was in a small packet of seed. There is a lot to be said for that proof and pride of being green-thumbed.

More Economical

Depending on the seed company, you can buy a whole packet of seeds for $3-4. This will keep you in plants for probably two-three seasons. One plant from a nursery can easily set you back $7-10, again, depending on the company. Having extra seeds on hand is also great insurance for the poor seedlings that bite the dust during the growing process. It happens!

Some Seedlings Don’t Transplant Well

There are some varieties of plants that hate to be taken out of seed-starting pots and transplanted. For this reason, having seeds to direct sow into the garden is essential. Many root vegetables fall into this category.

Seed Starting Cons

Not Everyone Has the Room

Starting seeds indoors ahead of the spring means that you need to have access to a large sunny windowsill for your seeds to germinate and grow, or pricey growing mats and lights. This just isn’t feasible for all.

More Time and Effort

Starting seeds yourself is a lot more time intensive. You will have been the caretaker for these little plants for 6-8 weeks before you even plant them out in the garden.

More Loss

Growing plants from seeds is an involved process where all kinds of things can go wrong. For every five seeds you plant, you might only end up with one or two viable plants. This can be disheartening at first, but it’s all part of the process.

Planting Seedlings Pros

Source: The Gardening Channel With James Prigioni/YouTube

Instant Gratification

Turning a neatly prepared garden bed into one that is full of healthy little plants from the nursery in a matter of hours is rather satisfying. You feel as though you and your garden have been given a leg up.

No Worry Over Space

Buying plants that are already ready for transplant means that there is no worry over where to keep them whilst they are getting ready for planting out, as is the case when starting seeds.

Fast Growth

Since they are already well established, plants bought from a nursery might start producing fruits and vegetables for you more quickly than the ones you have grown from seeds.

Planting Seedlings Cons

Costs more

Buying plants from a nursery is more costly. Technically, you could have tens of plants from a seed packet for the same price as one plant from a nursery

Less variety

Nurseries aren’t able to stock every single variety of tomato and pepper out there. As a result, you might be stuck with just jalapeños and only pickling cucumbers.

Summary- Seed or Seedling?

Some plants simply don’t do well as transplants. Some plants won’t have a long enough growing season unless you start them indoors. Some plants are much stronger when direct sown. Some plants simply don’t require a head start, so why waste the energy?

In reality, the variety of plants will tell you whether to buy seed or not. As well, an individual’s resources, space, and time will dictate the path forward. Either way, you can look forward to a garden full of bounty this summer.

Related Content:

• How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors
• A Guide to Growing Edible Seeds
• How To Start Growing Garden Seeds Using a Water Jug Greenhouse [Video]
• How to Tell The Difference Between Sown Seedlings and Weeds
• DIY Plant Markers For Your Garden, Plant Pots, and Seedlings

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