Easy peasy: starting with simple seeds

Do you ever grow vegies from seeds? Why not- too risky? In fact, some plants grow faster, better and stronger from seeds than seedlings. It's also cheaper, especially if you share a packet of seeds with a friend. The trick is to choose 'simple seeds'. And by simple I mean BIG. Folks, let me introduce the Duplo™ of seeds- large and easy to handle:

Beans: Climbing beans are good value because you get lots of food from a small area. Ask at your local nursery about a suitable variety for your area. I'm in Melbourne, and I like Blue Lake, because they're tender, tasty and easy to grow. Pick the beans while they're quite small and they'll keep fruiting for weeks.

Beans grow better from seed because there's no transplant shock. They're big seeds, and you just push them into your prepared soil to a depth about twice the diameter of the seed itself. Water them in, then don't water them again until you see the shoots poking through the soil- if they get too much water before this point, they may rot. They need something to climb, and will twist around a string stapled to the fence, a stake or a wire trellis. Leave a few pods on the plant to dry out, then save them to plant next year!

If you can grow beans, you can also grow peas. They prefer colder weather and are not as productive as beans. They need a trellis to cling to.

Zucchini (courgettes): These are fun to grow, and you only need a couple of plants to feed a family of four or five. They grow best from seed. Prepare soil and put in two seeds for every plant you want. Water the seeds in. If both seeds sprout, pull out the weaker seedling. Keep up the water and use a liquid plant food for vegies, such as Seasol or Charlie Carp.

Zucchini have male flowers,shown on the left of the picture, and female flowers, on the right. The female flower has a mini proto-zucchini beneath the flower. This proto-zucchini will grow when the female flower is fertilised with pollen from the male flower. You can leave it to the bees, or give it a helping hand by collecting pollen on a cotton bud and dabbing it onto the female flower.

Zucchini grow fast. Pick them they're small and the flowers will keep coming. Neglect them for a few days and you'll be able to hollow them out and sail them down the river.

If you can grow zucchini, you can grow pumpkins, squash and cucumbers. Good luck and buon appetito!

If you blog about your vegie patch, come along and join the Veg About! I've also posted this on the new blog We Knit, Sew, Bake and Grow, an Australian blog with ideas on getting the most out of your home budget.