This week on the PlantNebraska Podcast, Hanna and Sarah welcome Master Gardener and PlantNebraska board member Meaghan Spitz to talk about starting plants from seed. Whether you're growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, or native perennials, Meaghan shares practical advice for getting started without spending a fortune. Learn which plants are easiest from seed, which ones require patience, where to find unusual varieties, and why seed starting is more about experimentation than perfection.
Some of Meaghan's favorite places to order seed:
- Experimentalfarmnetwork.org & Trueloveseeds.com for unique and culturally important vegetable varieties
- Hudsonvalleyseed.com for garden gifts and art packs (seed packets with artwork inspired by the seed)
- Mattspeppers.com for specialty pepper varieties
- Prairiemoon.com for Natives
- Strictlymedicinalseeds.com for a wide variety of herbs
- Tradewindsfruit.com for a bit of everything; houseplants, veggies, tropical plants for those who have green houses, etc.
- Wildboarfarms.com for unusual tomato varieties
Plants Mentioned
- Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
- Beets (Beta vulgaris)
- Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum Group)
- Bunny (plantain weed) — Common plantain (Plantago major)
- Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
- Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
- Eggplant (Solanum melongena)
- Garlic (Allium sativum)
- Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
- Gomphrena (globe amaranth) (Gomphrena globosa)
- Green leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
- Habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense)
- Hot peppers (Capsicum spp.)
- Jalapeño pepper (Capsicum annuum)
- Lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
- Milkweed vine (Cynanchum laeve)
- Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)
- Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
- Onion (Allium cepa)
- Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
- Patio Baby eggplant (Solanum melongena 'Patio Baby')
- Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
- Peppers (Capsicum spp.)
- Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)
- Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
- Rhubarb (Rheum × hybridum)
- Soapberry (Sapindus spp.)
- Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea)
- Squash (Cucurbita spp.)
- Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa)
- Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
- Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)
- Tulsi (holy basil) (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
- Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
- Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
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