Whether you should use seeds or seedlings depends on the crop you want to grow, your growing season length, and how much effort you want to put in. Some vegetables must grow from seeds planted right in your garden soil. Others do better when you start them inside weeks before you move them outside.
I grow my tomatoes both ways each year and see clear tradeoffs with each method. Starting seeds indoors costs me just pennies per plant and gives me access to hundreds of tomato types that no store sells. Buying transplants saves me two months of work and lets me skip the indoor growing setup.
Some crops have roots that hate being moved once they start growing. Carrots, beans, and peas need direct sowing vegetables right where they will live. Their taproots or root systems break apart when you try to move young plants. Even gentle handling sets them back weeks or kills them.
Tomatoes and peppers do the opposite. They grow slow in cool spring soil and need a head start inside. Peppers take 8-10 weeks to reach transplant size. Tomatoes need about 6-8 weeks of indoor growing before you can move them outside safely. Without this head start, you might not get any fruit before fall frost hits.
Beans and peas sprout in just 5-7 days when you plant them in warm soil. These fast growers need no head start at all. Plant them too early inside and they get leggy and weak before you can move them out. Direct sowing works every time with these crops.
Squash and cucumber seeds grow so fast that transplants offer little advantage. I plant mine straight into my beds in late spring. Within a week, seedlings pop up. Within a month, vines start running across the ground. Starting these inside only makes sense if you want a jump on a short growing season.
New gardeners often do best with a mix of both methods. Buy your tomato and pepper transplants while you learn. Direct sow your beans, peas, and squash for easy wins. Once you feel ready, try starting a few plants from seed indoors next year.
Seeds cost far less than transplants over time. A $3 seed packet gives you dozens of plants while one transplant costs $3-5 at most stores. The savings add up fast if you grow a big garden or want rare varieties you can't find anywhere else.
Read the full article: 10 Essential Vegetable Garden Planning Steps
