It’s almost Spring: a magical time when everything wants to grow, so let’s make the most of it! Spoiling Australian gardeners for choice has one drawback: they might not know where to begin when choosing the flower and veggie seeds they want to sow. With this in mind, we’re going to give you a top 5 Veggies and Flowers to Plant this Spring we’d recommend planting. Are you ready? Let’s get gardening!
Top 5 Veg for Spring
1. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a must for every spring garden. They’re easy to grow, versatile, and are just the thing for summer salads. When choosing varieties, remember that “indeterminate” varieties will require more space than the more compact determinate varieties or the dwarf ones.
To narrow your choices down still further, there are cherry tomatoes, mid-sized ones, and giant beefsteak varieties to choose from. We’d suggest choosing at least one cherry tomato variety and one larger one.
Now there’s the question of colour. Red is what everyone expects, but growing unusual colours is a lot of fun. For those who didn’t know yet, tomato varieties range from deep indigo to almost black through yellow, green, and orange. Just to add to the fun, there are some gorgeous varieties that combine every colour of the tomato rainbow.
2. Capsicums
While both chillies and sweet peppers belong in the genus Capsicum, we’ll simplify by talking about sweet peppers as Capsicums while keeping their hotter cousins under the name “chilli.” While commercially popular varieties similar to the ones you see when shopping for groceries are a good choice, it’s lots of fun going for the more unusual shapes and colours.
Some sweet pepper varieties look almost like chillies, making them great for slicing into rounds, and when it comes to colour, there’s no need to stick with the commercial yellow, red, or green aesthetic. Purple, white, and limelight yellow, and chocolate add to your colour palette too. Which will you choose?
3. Carrots
Carrots are cheap at the shops, so why grow them? Well, apart from better flavour, you can also follow the rainbow with some very interesting varieties. From fiery red to solar yellow or lunar white and even purple, you’re likely to find a few surprises in store. Do check out the more ordinary-looking varieties too. Some will have been chosen for their texture while we selected others for their shape.
We’d suggest viewing our carrot seeds page where you can see an 0verview of the varieties offered. Spot the ones you’re interested in, and then read our description for each variety you liked the look of carefully to see which ones will be right for you.
4. Summer Squash
Summer isn’t just for salads. Considering the prices that summer squash varieties fetch in veggie stores, you might be surprised to find that they’re remarkably easy to grow and bear a good harvest of fruits. Patty pans are an easy and attractive choice, but consider expanding your choice to include “Vegetable Spaghetti.” It’s a remarkable variety that cooks up into a spaghetti-like texture. It’s quite highly-rated by most of our clients and we think you might enjoy it too.
5. Zucchini
You guessed it! Besides the common-or-garden varieties we all know and love, Seeds of Plenty has searched for and found some remarkable heirlooms to make life (and dinner) more interesting. From unusual, golden colours to interesting shapes like that of “Golden Crookneck” or the round “Ronde de Nice,” there’s a lot of fun to be had with the easygoing crop. I especially like the speed with which the fruits develop after flowering. You can almost see them growing!
Top 5 Flowers for Spring
Growing flowers is rewarding. I love watching my garden light up with colours and blooms, and it’s wonderfully relaxing chilling out in a sea of beautiful flowers. In the interests of easy maintenance and almost sure-fire success, we’ll stick with the easiest varieties here. Achieving a colourful garden really can be cheap and easy.
1. Zinnias
For intense colour and shapely blooms that nobody is going to believe you grew yourself, there’s no beating zinnias. We’ve opted for the showiest varieties: the ones with double, dahlia-like flowers in tall and dwarf varieties to suit just about any garden. All you need for zinnias is sunshine, water, and of course, the seeds to get started. Do try them as cut flowers. They last well in the vase or you can even dry them in silica gel to retain the colour.
2. Marigolds
You’ll love the sunny, cheerful, cottage-garden look and feel of marigolds. Most people will know Crackerjack: a tall growing, large-flowered variety in shades of yellow and orange, but we also remembered to stock some minis to give you more options and more garden spots where these lovely summer flowers will fit in.
Even if you aren’t into growing plants for any but the most practical reasons, marigolds should be on your radar. They’re among the best companion plants for veggie gardens, acting as a “catch-crop” for nematodes. They’ll also lure a few other pests away from your veg while attracting natural predators to keep the balance right. Plus, they add cheerful colour to your veggie patch, so they’re practically a “must.”
3. Salvia “Blood Sage”
Bright red salvias are an eye-catching winner with a very long flowering season, and provided you know one little trick, they’re super easy to grow. The only mistake people often make with this variety is to sow its seeds like they would those of any other plant, covering them completely with soil or potting mix. Salvias need light to germinate, so sow them on top of well-prepared soil and just press them in lightly so they’ll still get light but will stay where you put them.
4. Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are a great self-seeding flower crop, but over time, the orange dominant genes seem to take over. Refresh your genepool with some fresh seeds or start them for the first time and enjoy a steady succession of flowering plants. It’s hard to know where to begin when it comes to the benefits they offer, but aside from coming in tall and dwarf forms and offering a delightful range of colours and colour combinations, they’re also good companion plants with edible flowers rich in vitamin C.
5. Amaranth
We recently added to our range of Amaranth seeds available, so check it out. The most classic Amaranth is the poetically named “Love Lies Bleeding,” a summer staple in classic cottage gardens and as easy to grow as its name is evocative. Apart from its looks and ease of cultivation, drought and heat tolerance are among the top benefits of these ornamentals. Classic though they may be, they aren’t something you’ll find in every garden, so add a twist of the unusual to yours with this interesting group of garden ornamentals.
Of Course, There’s More!
We hope that this blog post gives you some spring inspiration, and insight into what we think are the top 5 Veggies and Flowers to Plant this Spring. We’ve targeted beginner gardeners and we’ve taken the smaller gardens so many of us have to play around in into account.
Some gardeners may be ready for more challenging varieties while others have plenty of space to plant up. Whatever your circumstances, Seeds of Plenty has something to suit you. Whether it’s a balcony garden or rolling country acres, browse our store to find the perfect plants to match your tastes and the space you have available. What your top 5 Veggies and Flowers to Plant this Spring?