Growing guides and sowing calendars

Growing advice lives in two places. All the core topics are here in the Help Center, across four categories. The full original guides are at seedschoice.com/pages/guides.

Sowing

• Germination: warmth, moisture, light and depth — what every seed needs and how deep to sow
• Starting seeds indoors — when to begin, what you need, step by step
• Direct sowing outdoors — which crops, when, how deep and how far apart
• When to sow what: the sowing calendar — the growing year plus the vegetable month table
• Sowing calendar: flowers, herbs and fruit — the other three month tables

The seed itself

• How to choose the right seeds — choosing by light, soil, goal and experience
• What is on the seed packet? — every term on the packet explained
• Storing seed and how long it stays viable — shelf life by type and how to test old seed
• Seed quality, testing and organic certification — how our lots are tested and certified

Growing by type

• Growing vegetables from seed
• Growing flowers from seed
• Growing herbs from seed
• Growing fruit from seed

Garden care

• Preparing and improving your soil — identifying and improving your soil type
• Composting — greens and browns, and how long it takes
• Watering your garden — deeply rather than often
• Feeding and fertilising — N-P-K, when and how much
• Mulching and weed control — locking in moisture and smothering weeds
• Common garden pests — slugs, aphids, caterpillars and birds
• Preventing plant diseases — mildew, rust, rot and blight
• Harvesting and storing your produce — picking on time, freezing, drying and curing

When something goes wrong

• My seeds are not coming up — the six most common causes, each with its fix
• Leggy, weak seedlings — why they stretch and how to rescue them
• Damping off and seedling mould — what to do now and how to prevent it
• Hardening off seedlings — the 7 to 10 day routine

The original guides

The full versions are on the website, and every sowing calendar comes with a free printable PDF:

• Seed growing 101: a beginner's guide
• Calendar overview · Vegetables · Flowers · Herbs · Fruit
• All growing guides

Ready to sow? What you can sow now

• Vegetables you can sow this month
• Flowers you can sow this month
• Herbs you can sow this month
• Vegetables to sow directly outdoors
• Fast-growing vegetables — quick results, ideal for beginners

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Updated on: 05/10/2026