Are you planting something unusual, something that is not available as plants in most garden centers? Or, are you planting red and white impatiens, an altogether ordinary plant that takes an agonizingly slow and torturous course from seed to maturity?

It’s March or April and you have cabin fever. What better way to cheer yourself up than to start six or seven flats of flowers and tomatoes from seeds? But why seeds? Are you planting something unusual, something that is not available as plants in most garden centers? Or, are you planting red and white impatiens, an altogether ordinary plant that takes an agonizingly slow and torturous course from seed to maturity? So why seeds indeed? Below we offer a few of the pros and cons of starting seeds versus purchasing plants.

Planting from seed is often more economical than buying plants, but only if you plan to use more than a half dozen of the type of plant you intend to sow. Take herbs for instance. Many gardeners are delighted to have 6 or 7 basil plants, but few need more than 1 rosemary, sage, or oregano plant. The same goes for many perennials. You may be delighted to have six delphinium, but you probably need only one purple coneflower, which reseeds heavily each year. The moral here is: know the characteristics of the plant you want to grow.

Heirloom plants (Brandywine tomatoes for example) though very popular of late, are still hard to find as plants in garden centers but here again, seeds are readily available.

There are a number of plants that simply do better when sown from seed. The great majority of these can be sown directly into the ground. This group includes members of the squash and melon families, root crops such as beets and carrots, lettuce, and green beans. Morning glories may be started indoors but because they do not easily tolerate being transplanted, they should be sown in peat pots which can be planted directly into the ground.

There is room for both kinds of plants—those started from seed and those purchased from greenhouses—in most people’s gardens. If you want to try growing from seed, do so by all means, for nothing is more enjoyable. But grow only what you need and grow only what you are good at growing. For those things that don’t transplant well, seed directly into the ground in May. Finally, don’t hesitate to ask for advice. That’s one reason we’re here!