SEEDS AND/OR PLANTS - Vegetable, Fruit and Herb Growing in Small Spaces - page 32

into a plastic bag or Tupperware type container. Put into somewhere dark and warm, such as
an airing cupboard or a closed cupboard in an occupied room.
Check the seeds to see which have sprouted; if they fail, you haven't wasted time and effort
planting them. The table on page 58 gives the average germination time for each seed, so you
know how long to wait before declaring a failure. Often they germinate well before the aver-
age time, so check frequently.
There are some seed suppliers specializing in small quantities but, as a rule, I don't think
they are worth it. As I said above, the actual number of plants to seeds can be as low as 20
per cent and the seeds will store.
Because the quality of seeds can vary, I would always advise buying directly from reput-
able, established seed suppliers. Bargain offers from unknown companies on the internet can
often turn out to be very false economy - even when they actually deliver.
It's easy enough to buy from garden centres and supermarkets but the choice is limited
compared to the seed merchants' catalogues and the condition the seeds have been kept in
will make a huge difference to germination rates. A season on the shelves in a garden centre
using greenhouses as buildings will have heated and cooled the seeds a few times plus mois-
ture may have penetrated the pack if they're not in sealed foil. That treatment can seriously
lower the germination rate.
Besides, it's a lovely way to spend a few winter evenings making lists of seeds from cata-
logues and then realizing you need a farm to grow all you fancy so trimming the list down.
When choosing your seeds from catalogues look out for expressions like 'suitable for close
spacing' or 'mini-vegetable'. These are usually the types that can be container grown. With
the growth in interest in container growing, some seed merchants are starting to have special-
ist sections in their catalogues as well.
One final point on choosing among the bewildering array of varieties available is to look
for the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Awards are given after a period of trial at an RHS garden
and judged by the Royal Horticultural Society's Standing and Joint Committees. Committees
draw upon the knowledge and experience of a wide range of members, including nursery-
men, specialist growers, and well-known horticulturists.
The RHS states that for a plant to be awarded the coveted Award of Garden Merit it should
comply with the following criteria:
Must be of outstanding excellence for ordinary garden decoration or use
Must be readily available
Must be of good constitution
Must not require highly specialist growing conditions or care
Must not be particularly susceptible to any pest or disease
Must not be subject to an unreasonable degree of reversion in its vegetative or floral char-
acteristics