PLUG PLANTS

Ready-grown plug plants offer a convenient way to grow veg. KG editor Steve Ott looks at what’s available and offers top tips for getting the best from your young plants

Plugs are ready-grown young plants that have been sown direct into cell trays and nurtured through their early stages by the nursery. This not only means that the nursery does the difficult bit for you, but if you simply don’t have the space or time to sow your own, or have had poor germination or simply forgot, you can still fill your garden and greenhouse with great veggies.

There is more choice than ever now from the seed companies and young plant specialists, and a few even offer organically raised plants, peat-free options and heritage types. In the case of tomatoes you can buy grafted plants as plugs or young potted plants and these have the advantage of being supplied on strong, disease-resistant roots. You can even opt for grafted plants with several different varieties, or even different crops, grafted on.