I did this year for the first time. Last year (my first year growning) I bought everything.

this year I winter sowed : appx 50 tomatoes that went in the ground, summer sq's, carrots, melons, herbs, hot peppers, sweet peppers, eggplants, strawberries, basils, lettuces, celeries, english peas & snap peas, and all of my flowers: lavender, bee balm, calendula, columbine, cosmos, echinecha, marigolds, chamomile, nasturiums, etc.

I did buy: garlic last year for planting, horseradish, broccoli, asparagus, brussell sprouts, blueberries, blackberries and some hot pepper plants as I didn't feel confident about the ones i sowed. I also bought some petunias and decorative white licorice. Oh I also bought more strawberries too (I didn't realize they didn't produce the first year).

Its neat, I'm having a good time.

Eggplant is the only thing thats really sluggish (still only 3" though its been in the ground a month). If I don't see improvement in about 3 weeks I might buy plants.

My basil, parsley and eggplants were all bought plants. Some of my lettuces were too. Although I had started these all from seed, I had pest problems & quirky weather problems. Tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, kohlrabi, onions, dill, summer squash, winter squash, cucumbers, bush beans, pole beans, melons, chard, peas, turnips, marigolds & nasturtiums are all started from seed.

This is my first year growing everything from seed also. The only purchased plant was a bay laurel.

This is my first year with a kitchen garden. I bought strawberries but started everything else from seed initially, including tomatoes, sweet corn, lettuces, carrots, basil, rosemary, and onions. I tried sowing cucumber and a red pepper (indoors), but I had no luck getting germination from them, so I bought 2 cuke plants and a yellow bell to replace the seed attempts. More recently, I spotted a tray of 4 broccoli plants at a local nursery and grabbed them up.

We've had some cold weather and a few plants haven't done well, in spite of my attempts to put down frost blankets when night-time lows were predicted to drop down in the nasty zone (I admittedly missed a few of these). I most recently ended up replacing a beefsteak tomato seedling with a Big Boy plant I bought. And my Sweet 100 cherry tomato is looking sickly, so I may have to replace it as well. But the Super Bush tomatoes, corn, onions (Walla Walla and green), lettuces, carrots, etc. that I started from seed are all doing pretty well, knock on wood! :-)

I start as much from seed as I can. But with our shourt growing season some things just have to be started in a green house - peppers, eggplant, winter squash, and melons. And even then its a race with the weather to see if anything matures. (I still haven't actually ripened a melon successfully). I start tomatoes on my kitchen window sill. I dream of having a greenhouse some day and then I won't need to buy any starts. I'm annoyed I can't find butternut squash starts this year.
Stacey

I start basil, radish, arugula, squash and peas and beans from seed. All else are seedlings. We have a hardware store that offers really good deals on six-packs of really nice looking vegetables so my thinking is why waste the time on seeds. They are over $2 a package now. We also have a farmer's market twice a week and those folks offer seedlings too. Wish I could have a greenhouse, but I'm afraid the winds in Kansas would destroy it in no time. My garden itself is just north of my tool shed, and that blocks the winds.

i grow all mine from seed as well. i did have to get a couple watermelon plants this year due to a fireant mound decimating the ones i had already planted. i had about 15 other WM plants ready to go in the ground and a freak wind storm flipped the table under the back porch and smushed them and abotu a dozen mater plants i had on it!

I rarely purchase plants. When I do so it's usually to try a different variety that was not in my seed stock or because my seed planting did not go according to plan.

My reasons for planting seed are:

1) Some plant varieties are difficult or impossible to find locally
2) Availability - I can plant seeds over a longer date range and have plants available for a staggered planting approach.
3) Extra plants are readily available for substitutions if a plant needs to be replaced.
4) Economics - lower cost, particularly when planting large amounts (like the 120 broccoli plants I set each year)
5) Can share extra plants with gardening friends

This year I'm growing almost everything from seed (only bought the jalapenos and the basil), last year the same, but I bought all the peppers that year.

Its mostly a problem getting started on stuff and also trying to find the plants that I want. Its easy to get peppers and tomatos, but it seems almost impossible to get brocolli and mellon.

I actually managed to start inside this year so I got banana, bell and cyanne peppers going, but had no jalapeno seeds. The jalapenos were a touch bigger than my peppers, but every except the bells are catching up. Honestly, I'm kinda wishing I had started the mellon a little earlier, and maybe the brocolli too.

But this is only my second yeat gardening, so I've still got a lot to learn. I'll get the timing down on this stuff eventually. :)

I grow many things from seed, including tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, chinese cabbage, and tomatillos.

I have been growing from seed for a few years. I wintersow my seeds. Sometimes I do not have enough seedlings and I do buy some plants. This year I bought cherry tomato plants because I didn't have any growing yet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Plant Pictures

I have mixed results with growing from seeds. They start nice but don't grow as healthy as the 6-packs I buy from store. This year I tried tomato seeds from vine-ripe I saved last year and I had close to 50 very health and vigorous plants. The only issue was that it wasn't started in 6-packs so when I planted them, there was no root-ball so the plants wilted a few days before gaining their shape. I will know in about 45 days how they produce. I also grow mustard, spinach, garden cress, beet etc from seeds but some of the plants like basil and okra are hard to grow. I think slugs like them young so they never grow large enough to survive.

First year and other than tomatoes I planted everything from seed. Mostly I had no idea you could buy starts. Hehe. Oh I bought blueberry bushes. Does that count?

I had BIG plans this year :D

I started:
Lemon Cukes
Bush Slicer Cukes
Ground Cherries
Assorted coles
Melons
Spinach
Chard

None of those made it, due to my toddler and/or cat.

What did survive was peppers, emerite/ramdor beans and basil.

I started everything else outside (squash, a new set of melon seeds, pole beans, etc.).

I did buy tomatoes, ground cherries, and some hot peppers at the nursery. Also, a few impulse buys of marketmore cukes and goldbar squash (love that compact little plant!).

I guess I need a cold frame and/or little greenhouse to keep seedlings safe from the weather, children and cats!

I start almost everything from seed, partly because it's cheaper, partly because of the greater variety I can get when I buy seed packets, and partly because I just love watching the little seeds sprout!

My blueberry and raspberry plants I bought, and I did buy one Roma at Lowes this year, but pretty much everything else I started from seed. Some I start indoors early, and some I direct sow (lettuce, carrots, spinach, zucchini, and melons).

Everything in my garden is seed started. I cheat, lol, I have greenhouses.

This was my first year to start my tomatoes and peppers from seed; I usually buy these from the local Feed and Seed but it went out of business in the fall so there went my good supplier. I got ticked off at the big box stores offering the tomato and pepper plants in FEBRUARY here (time to set out is May 15th for our frost date) AND asking $2 per plant OR MORE. I got a little windowsill starter and peat pellets and started mine that day. My big problem in starting my plants is that the cats mess with the plants when I keep them in the kitchen; and I forget about my plants when I keep them in the front bedroom away from the cats. I stayed tuned in to it though and got enough plants for my garden and for my boss's garden. I direct sow all of my other plants.

This is my first year at having a garden i tried to go the seed way but the only thing that survived was my radish's and a couple of my sweet corn So i went to my local nursery and bought jalepenos,beefsteak tomatoe,cherry tomatoe,bell peppers,brocolli,brussel sprouts,cauliflour,suger baby watermelon,cantelope,pickling cucumbers,regular cucumbers,celery,onions and yellow peppers and planted them all in my garden and everything is doing great at this point!! oh yea i started some more sweet corn from seed again and it came up!!! HAPPY GARDENING TO ALL

Karl

aulani- I live in Kansas too! In fact I live on top of a hill with no wind block. I build two small hoopbuildings for plants and seedlings. It has been a terrible weather year. They have survived 3 hailstorms (one lasting about 30 minutes), 2 tornadoes, probably 15-20 days of 25-30+ mph winds. Wind gusts up to 55-60 mph and 5 inches of rain in 1.5 hours. They are still standing, with the help of 2-3 rolls of tape!

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As far as starting from seed, I start everything. At one time, I had over 300 plants growing in the basement! I start all the cucs, zucs, okra, corn, beans, melons except seedless types outside.

If you start from seed you get to grow what you want to grow, not what someone else. This is the best way to experiment.

Good Luck!

I like to start from seed I do all my peppers,tomatoes melons tomatillo, eggplant and some flowers and i also buy some. But if i had more room i would grow them all from seed!!!!!!!

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Dale

I start seeds for just about everything that goes into my yard including the veggies. A few of the 40 peppers I am growing are store bought and one tomato out of 13. I lost one of my own grown to some virus spread by way of thrips so I broke down and went store bought.

Sometimes I get tempted to purchase seedlings for that instant gratification but there is just something about knowing I grew a plant from start to finish that can't be beat.

It's only taken me about 16 years to get pretty good at growing from seed. I'm a slow learner! I don't have any elaborate setup for growing them either. Milk jugs, duct tape, good potting soil, my southwest facing deck and Mamma Nature.

Michelle

This is my first year with a garden. I started everything from seed, but I started my tomatoes too early and ended up with most of the tomatoes being too spindly. So I bought 2 tomato plants. But I have limas, snap beans, carrots, several kinds of peppers, the surviving tomatoes, cukes, zukes and 2 kinds of watermelon all from seed. Not to mention lettuce and a couple herbs that I've already used.

I'm very happy with my 1st year garden progress. Now I just hope I get some decent harvest going with these.

I start ALL my veggies from seed now, and have progressed to this point over the years. This way I can get the heirloom variety tomatoes that I love, and the different hot pepper plants I want to experience. I even did more flowers this year from seed, although I did still buy some annuals locally. Next season I plan on starting even more flowers because I want to see that I can do it myself. I am small-scale, with just a coldframe to get me by, but it works out well and is very satisfying. I tweak as I go along and experience teaches me so much. I would never buy a vegetable plant now - it just seems silly to me.

This is my first year with a garden and I started some tomatoes from seed. Roma tomatoes and beef steak had so many I gave a lot of them away. I bought cucumber plants and bell pepper plants. Next year I may try all with seeds.

Most all my vegies and most of my flowers are from seed. Potatoes come from 'seed potato' starts of course, peas, beans, 3 kinds of squash, 6 different lettuces and assorted greens, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, cukes, radishes, parsnips,(which took for-ever to sprout!) celery, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and all my herbs. I did buy one grape tomato plant, and sweet potato slips were ordered because I wanted to try a new cultivar. I started some onions from seed, but they didn't do very well, so I bought slips, and they're growing great, don't think I'll bother with the seed onions again. A bundle of 50 slips is only $1.50 at my local little seed place, so it seems almost as economical as trying to seed them. Wish I could find as good a deal on leek transplants. I do my leeks from seed, 'cause transplants cost so much, and it takes much patience! My kids are growing some peanuts this year too, had to sow those seeds twice, first ones were put in too early by excited children.
I have a good amount of space, and I grow not only to eat fresh, but to freeze and can. Growing from seed is definately cheaper for the amount of produce I like to produce.....:)

I plant everything but strawberries from seed. However, I do start most things indoors. I find that I get them in the right place that way and I don't have to worry so much about competing with weeds.

Setup:
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Brandy Boy when planted:
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Now (back row):
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I love to start from seed and watch the various kinds of plants grow. It amazes me that such large plants can grow from such tiny seeds. Sometimes I imagine that I'm holding the entire summer garden in the palm of my hand!

Yesterday I meet a 6'2" tall, 250+ pound man at a community garden who began tenderly talking about the wonder of seeds and how he missed being able to grow transplants from seed. His eyes looked like they were filling with tears as he talked about his enjoyment of watching seeds transform into seedlings under his care in the past. He would definitely grow from seed if his life allowed it now.

Our area has many awesome nurseries with great selections. I'll buy transplants there when mine fail. But I'll probably always start at least a few myself and enjoy the wonder of it all.

I start every thing from seed. In fact I have a hard time keeping myself from buying more and more seeds. I want to grow everything.

This year I started in my greenhouse inside:
3 types of bell pepper mixes plus a hot pepper mix, eggplant mix, 2 types of tomatoes, 2 types of zuchinni, yellow squash, brussel sprouts, head lettuce, broccoli, kale, 3 types of pumpkins, 2 types of acorn squash, 2 types of butternut squash, pickling and regular cucumbers, and some flowers and herbs.

I also start outside:
5 types of peas, beets, 2 types of carrots, lettuce mix, pole beans, bush beens, spinach, corn, onions and potatoes.

First two pictures are of some of my plants that I started in my basement. My basement can be cold in the winter so we made a greenhouse inside. It works quite well and when all the lights are on it can raise the temperature at least 15 degrees.
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Here is a picture of some of my plants in my greenhouse outside.
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The only things I didn't start from seed were the blueberries, brambles, hot peppers (mine didn't germinate/didn't have seeds), parsley, a few herbs I wanted to eat right away, garlic, and a couple of tomatoes that I didn't have seeds for, or that my om got on a whim (I'll be saving them for next year though).

I'm new to seed starting this year. We don't really have much of a place to put everything (it'd have to be in the garage) but somehow I managed to grow some healthy (not lanky) plants despite the poor lighting we had (I only had one light bulb!). I did start charentais melons, pumpkins, zucchini, leeks, muskmelons, watermelons, tons of tomatoes, basil, marojam, chives, a few flowers, beets, and bell peppers. And I will be planting much more from seed in just a bit including lettuce, spinach, onions, kale, peas, carrots, broccoli (even the cool fractal kind!), and whatever else I feel like eating. My parents think once summer dies down I'll stop, but they don't know I can still plant things for fall :)

We started just about all of our annual vegetables from seed this year except we purchased 12 tomato plants. We grow mostly squash for market (only 5 acres this year). The winter squash get direct seeded while the summer squash are started in a greenhouse and transplanted in order to get an earlier and longer cropping season. We also have a couple acres of cucumbers and melons which are direct seeded.

Not sure if anyone's interested, but we have found that if we have a season-long continuous supply of food for the bees, there is no problem with pollination. Thus our fields are surrounded with Ground Ivy (Glechoma), Oregano, and perennial sunflowers.

I never met a seed packet that I didn't take home, usually in duplicate :)

I was visiting my parents a few weeks ago and in one of their big bulk type grocery stores, I found some really great seeds (they were some Italian themed seeds) some beets that have white stripes in them, and another beet that is some italian variety and of course a few other unique ones that I had not seen before.

I found growing from seeds with my new Greenhouse this year to be quite successful and about everything I planted germinated. I had so many plants I had to start giving them away, and of course I sold a bunch too.

I did not direct sow any seeds (well I did just recently start some beets).

Is there a website that give a timeline as to when to sow seeds in a greenhouse for certain vegetables?

I'm in the middle of building a greenhouse using old windows. There purpose for my GH is to start my own veggies for the garden, propagating (esp succulents) and housing plants during winter.

I have open eaves and I'm wondering how I'm going to manage that when the temp drops. Any ideas?

My 3 year old granddaughter and I started everything from seed except 2 blueberry bushes and a grape vine I bought at Lowes with a gift card I received free in the mail. We had a lot of successes and a very few dissapointments. For some reason our zucchini set all male flowers and the cauliflower did not head. Otherwise we ate very well this summer. Kim