The Dos and Don’ts of Direct Sowing

sow a seed directly into the ground , nurturing it , and reaping the rewards is one of the well-off horticulture activities you may do — yet many gardeners do n’t do it . There are many reason to direct sow . Often , you ’ll have early harvest home because the seeds will evolve when it ’s the perfect sentence to grow , and unattackable seedlings because transplanting cushion is n’t an progeny . Planting seeds in general ( instead of buying transplants ) gives you more varietal options , and you’re able to also save a lot of money ( one packet of 30 to 150 come often costs less than a six - pack of plants ) . And then there is the personal satisfaction agent . Ask any child who has planted a sunflower seminal fluid how they sense when that peak towers over their question , and you ’ll understand what I mean .

Unfortunately , there are a few things that can go ill-timed when take in charge the ostensibly gentle practice of lineal sowing , and perhaps that ’s why more citizenry do n’t do it . The following are some tips to try and some pitfalls to avoid that will lead to direct - sowing achiever .

Do these things for the greatest success

1. DO get your timing right

The most coarse metre to sow seeds directly into the garden territory is in leaping . However , late summer and fall are also suitable times when you want a 2d harvesting or plants are no longer available at the baby’s room to purchase .

2. DO choose varieties that are easy to grow from seed

Typically , annual varieties are easier to produce from seminal fluid than recurrent varieties , and within that radical is the easiest of the easy . Arugula , beans , cilantro , collards , corn , cucumbers , dill , endive , kale , loot mixes , Petroselinum crispum , pea , pumpkins , spinach , squash , and Swiss chard are all good choice for vegetables . Root crop such as beet , carrot , parsnip , Raphanus sativus longipinnatus , and turnips should only be direct sown . These crops often will not develop that stem that you require to eat if transplanted . Some yearly flowers that are soft to direct sow are wanderer peak ( Cleome hasslerianaand cvs . ) , nasturtiums ( Tropaeolum majusand cvs . ) , sunflowers ( Helianthus annuusand cvs . ) , and zinnias ( Zinnia elegansand cvs . ) .

3. DO check the soil temperature, not the air temperature, before you plant

Every seed has an optimal temperature for germination . Seeds oppose to the soil around them , not the air above the dirt . Some like it spicy ( clavus and cucumbers ) , and some like it nerveless ( pea plant and prickly-seeded spinach ) . Use a filth thermometer to check the temp . you may fool seed that opt cool conditions ( lettuce ) when the soil is too warm for a 2nd planting by putting the seed packet in the crisper compartment of the icebox for three to five day before sowing .

4. DO match your sowing technique to your variety: row, clump, hill, or scatter

Most nurseryman are conversant with planting in row ( which are good for bean and peas because it keeps the sprouting vine organized ) and hills ( idealistic for vining crop that need well - drain soil , such as cucumbers , pumpkins , and squelch ) . Clump or scatter sowing might be a bit less familiar , however .

clunk sowing works well for those varieties of which you do n’t want just one plant , such as bronze fennel , Allium schoenoprasum and dill . Sprinkle an full packet boat of seed in about a 1 - metrical unit - round space . scattering sowing for mesclun or any reduce greens is a great style to maximize place . Prepare the soil in the area ( a wide of the mark row or satisfying animal foot ) , and lightly scatter the seed , try not to have them touch . These are often replanted more than once throughout the growing season , move out one planting after a 2d or third press clipping and straight off resowing the area with more semen .

5. DO tamp the soil—don’t leave it fluffy

Seeds need direct touch with the grease to absorb enough wet to initiate the sprouting process . Fluffy filth dries out . pack the soil light with the flat of your hand — but do n’t contract it — after seed .

Don’t: Avoid these pitfalls to get the best results

1. DON’T rely entirely on frost-free dates

Many seed packets say to wait until “ all danger of frost has passed ” before you plant . The USDA charts and local telephone extension serve seasonal predictions are based on norm from the preceding five to 20 years of temperature at or below 32 ° degree Fahrenheit . But freeze can still pass off at a temperature as high as 38 ° fluorine . How is that possible ? First , all official temperatures are keep at 6 feet off the earth , not at the seedling story . The rest is all about thermodynamics .

Simply put , cool air is denser ( and therefore heavier ) than warmer air . As the ground and plants radiate the warmth they absorbed from the sun during the daytime into the air just above the priming , the temperature of that tune make it to rise , and cooler air make up down to take its place ( called sexual inversion ) . If the melodic line is moist , and there is piffling or no wind , the coldest strain stay end the earth , condenses , and form icing on the flora near ground grade . Low - lying scoop are the most vulnerable to this radiation frost . Your chiliad could be quite unlike from what the conditions account is predicting depending on its meridian , human relationship to a body of water , and surrounding botany .

2. DON’T choose most perennial varieties

As a general pattern , perennial plants take too much time and movement to grow to an appreciable sizing . There are a few exceptions , the most common being wild flower planted in the fall after the ground has chill below 45 ° F ( so they do n’t take up growing until spring ) . Many wild flower seed motley need to have their dormancy broken by seasonal temperature changes to shoot . Allowing nature to do the work increases the pct of successful germination in spring .

3. DON’T plant too deeply

Seeds are more likely to rot before the seedlings come forth if they are implant too abstruse . Some seeds , such as alyssum and cleome , even involve light to germinate . Dill and many lettuce do best if they are not covered with stain as well . These seed should simply be entreat into the soil to ensure skilful contact and left uncovered or lightly covered with straw or vermiculite to serve retain wet .

4. DON’T choose varieties that aren’t suited to your zone

Just like with perennial , certain seeds are n’t cut out for certain climates . For instance , if your zone has a short spring up time of year ( Zone 3 , for example ) , you might not want to aim sow Ipomoea alba ( Ipomoea alba , one-year , above ) because the works might give-up the ghost from coolheaded temperatures before you see the first flower . Check the telephone number of day to maturity on the source packet boat , contact your local extension overhaul , or ask a fellow nurseryman in your area for varieties that are appropriate for your locale .

5. DON’T forget to protect seeds and seedlings from pests

Some germ are delicacies for critters such as dame , chipmunk , and insects . Until the plants get to a sensible size , they are vulnerable . The best way to protect your cum and young seedling is with a be adrift quarrel cover such as Remay ® . This blanket can also protect against light frost and help retain wet . Because it is a “ blow ” words cover , it will not hold up the plants down if left in place beyond the seedling stage . If it ’s used as auspices from louse pests by and by into the time of year , it should be remove before flowering crop start to bud so that the bees can pollinate the plant .

Tip: Peeking isn’t allowed

I do n’t eff a single gardener who has n’t dug in the soil to see what ’s go on under there at least once . try out to hold out . Before you bulge out poking around or replanting , read the seed mailboat for the number of middling days to germination — and replicate it . Those number are based on optimal growing conditions , both territory temperature and moisture . The number of Clarence Shepard Day Jr. to sprouting is when the source coat swell enough for the root tip to come forth , not when you actually see the first sprout .

6. DON’T forget to plant your supports when you sow the seeds

Install your treillage , teepees , ladder , cages , and documentation ring when you sow the seed . Doing this will both cross out the locating of your planting and make it easy to untangle fast - raise runner beans when they ’ve grow a foundation in three Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .

To Thin or Not to Thin

Whether it is full to space germ by rights when sowing or to thin as seedling come forth mostly depend on the type of nurseryman you are : obsessive or more relaxed . Must you save every seedling that come out , or can you endure to cut your seedlings off ? If you are the former , sow with a spacing that keeps the plant ’s mature sizing in brain . you’re able to always inseminate additional seed if a few do n’t germinate or interplant something else . If you are the latter , inseminate tighter and eat your thinnings . Either way , you ’ll get more green groceries if you allow the seedling to have the space they necessitate so that they do n’t have to vie for water , nutrients , and sun . With good aura circulation , they will be less potential to fall dupe to disease as well .

There is one veggie that must be thinned : beets grow for their roots . That seed in the packet is in fact a cluster of two to five cum within a capsule of juiceless flower flower petal . You ca n’t separate them until they start to rise . But once they are 2 inches tall , keep the strongest one , and cut the others to delight in your salad .

Sandy Merrill worked for the Chas . C. Hart Seed Company for more than 15 days and teaches seminal fluid - come out backsheesh and proficiency across New England .

Photos : Danielle Sherry

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