Should you sow or plant?

There are pros and cons with both methods, says Peter

- Peter

IS it better to either sow and raise your own seedlings of salads and vegetables, or buy seedlings ready to plant? This was the question posed recently. The simple answer is: it is cheaper to raise from seed, but will take longer to harvest a crop.

Of course, there is much more to it than that, and on a garden centre mid- February viewing of vegetable seedlings I could see challenges. First of all, nice sturdy seedlings of broad bean and garden peas were a good buy; hardened off to outdoor conditions, they would be off to a flying start and be cropping by late May.