Raise seeds or seedlings to be healthy and strong

Growing plants from seed is rewarding and economical, but all seeds and seedlings need careful care if young plants are to thrive.  Whatever you're sowing, here are some tips that will make for healthy plants and a great harvest.

Seeds of annuals such as cornflowers, clarkias, and Californian poppies that don't transplant well are best scattered directly onto garden beds and raked in lightly. Use sand to mark out areas for each plant, flowing and overlapping for a natural look, and then sow in drifts across each section, not in regimented rows.

For vegetables, use this method:

• Rake well-prepared ground and use garden line to mark out rows for your crop, spaced according to the seed packet.
• Use a hoe to scrape out seed drills to the recommended depth. Plant the seeds for sowing in trays.
• Cover the seeds with soil, firm them in with your fingers, water lightly, and label. Add an additional covering of fleece or cloches if you wish. If using cloches, water regularly.

Frost-tender plants need hardening off before they're planted out. This means that you gradually introduce them to direct light, cold nights, and dry air. If your plants are being grown indoors, put them out during the day and bring them in again at night. If they're in a cold frame or greenhouse, open the ventilation for a few hours each day, and close it up at night. Gradually increase the ventilation until protection is no longer required. Watch out for late frosts.

Without thinning out and transplanting, young plants will grow weakly. These jobs are best done when the soil is damp (so water if necessary). Remember that seedlings of root vegetables - like carrots and beetroot - won't transplant satisfactorily.

• Use one hand to pull out an unwanted seedling while pressing the other down on the soil.
• Firm in all remaining plants and water well.
• Select the best seedlings with good, healthy leaves and strong roots for transplanting. Discard any weak or damaged plants.
• Use a small shovel or trowel to make holes for new plants and then insert them.
• Firm in with your fingers and water well.

Seeds are usually sold loose in packets, but some vegetables are now also supplied on tapes that you bury in the ground, with no thinning or transplanting required.

To save seed from garden plants, allow seed heads to ripen for as long as possible. Collect the seeds directly from the plants or cut off seed heads, dry them in a warm place, and then shake or pick off the seeds.

Caring for plants is a labor of love. These tips will increase the chance that your plants will flourish and thrive, even if you don't have the greenest of thumbs.