Want to grow more plants without the expense of buying new ones? Starting plants from seeds and cuttings is a simple and frugal way to expand your garden without busting your budget.
The how-tos listed here are suitable for beginners. So dig in.
Related: More growing tips for beginner gardeners.
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Grow Your Own Plants from Seeds and Cuttings
If the words ‘plant propagation’ have you reaching for the snooze alarm or running for the hills, I’m with you! The worst thing experienced gardeners can do is make it all seem too boring-or too complicated-for beginners.
And there’s no excuse for this. It is not complicated.
Propagation simply means growing new plants from existing ones. It’s how all new plants are made in nature and a cultivated garden. And the wonderful thing is, there’s plenty of plants we can multiply within our own gardens with minimal effort and no money spent.
Here’s a bunch of tips to get your started.
Free Printable Garden Calendar:
List of plants you can grow from cuttings in spring, summer, and fall.
Growing New Plants from Cuttings
- Sweet potato vine (this is the easiest one to try)
- Clematis vine
- Honeysuckle vine
- Pineapple
- Succulents
- How to grow shrubs and vines from hardwood cuttings
Sowing Seeds
When you’re just starting out, you will probably purchase seeds. As your garden grows, you may want to start saving seeds for future planting.
- Understanding the basic types of seeds (so you can choose what’s best for your garden)
- How to understand the information on seed packets
- When to start seeds (and when it’s too late)
- Best soil temperatures for starting seeds
- Recommended seed starting supplies
- Favourite seed companies for organic gardeners
- How to start (plant) seeds (and grow plants)
- How to make seed tapes for fussy and tiny seeds
- Household hacks for speeding up indoor seed germination
Growing Fruits & Veggies
- Tomatoes
How to grow tomatoes from seed to table - Peas
How to grow peas
- Raspberries
How to transplant and grow raspberry canes - Strawberries
How to grow strawberries
Growing Flowers
- Delphiniums
How to grow delphiniums
How to get tricky seeds like delphiniums to germinate (sprout)
How to get delphiniums to blooms twice in one season
How to sow delphinium seeds in the fall
- Foxgloves
How to grow foxgloves - Geraniums
How to store geraniums for the winter and create new plants from cuttings
- Hydrangeas
What type of hydrangea is this? A handy care guide
Grow a Cup of Tea
Don’t Forget Division
Another simple way to get new plants from existing ones is to divide them up.
It varies by type of plant, but the basic premise is the same for most. Once a plant is well-established with a large root base, you can dig up the plant, cut right through with a shovel, and plant one half elsewhere. It sounds rather harsh to say it that way, but often it’s a relief for the plant, and each section will grow faster and better with this intervention.
Excellent Book
Product links may go to affiliate accounts including Amazon.com but I always recommend you try and find books at your local library or used book store.
Grow Your Own Garden: How to propagate all your own plants by Carol Klein
Too often gardeners are intimidated by propagation, assume it’s not for them and go for ready-grown plants from the garden centre. This title shows how simple and satisfying it is to grow your own plants. It demonstrates how to divide herbaceous perennials, nurture seedlings or grow new stock from root cuttings, stems or leaves.
Happy growing,
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛
Empress of Dirt TV
If you love houseplants, here are some of my favourite resources for information and ideas.