Growing Seeds

The following is a brief overview of methods for growing seeds. It should help you to plan for space and timing. Remember, there’s no better way to grow a wide range of flowers and vegetables than to sow your own choice of seeds.

Starting Undercover For Planting Out

Nowadays gardeners sow seeds indoors during the winter. This involves using pots, modules or trays inside heated propagators in the cold greenhouse or, situated in a sufficiently warm room indoors. Note: check room is not too warm.

These young plants go into the ground earlier in spring, even before sowings outdoors. Plants do have to be hardened off before going outside.

Biodegradable Pots For Planting Out

This method of growing seeds deserves special attention. The biodegradable pots go straight into the soil without disturbing roots. The only change is in the location: i.e. temperature etc... This is the way to grow beans, sweet peas etc… Also try it with carrots, tomatoes… compare biodegradable pots here

Timing When Growing Seeds Directly Outdoors

Outdoors, seasonal conditions affect sowing and planting times. Yet within these limits, the difference between early and late sown plants is usually less. Plants sown later often catch up. Day length, light intensity and minimum night temperature will limit growth and may indeed weary plants from outdoor sowings done too early.

Specialised Seed Bed Outdoors

Outside it is useful to make a specially prepared seed bed in sheltered open ground. This technique consolidates the work of soil preparation, setting cloches and weed management. It is useful to grow plants for 'no-dig' raised beds.

Warm the bed up under polythene or cloches for 2 weeks before sowing. Thin plants and transplanted to final beds later. Information on seed drills, wide drills, broadcasting etc… is here.

Successional Sowing Outdoors

Quick maturing crops,
e.g. radish, spring onion, lettuce etc... or
short lived annual flowers;
can be sown in-situ at intervals over the season. You then get a steady supply of mature plants and blooms over a long harvest season. It is usually best to wait for the previous sowing to germinate before making a subsequent sowing.

Growing seeds in succession eliminates gluts, and helps to ensure that crops are picked at their best.

Sowing Directly Into Soil Beds Outdoors

Sowing in-situ is common practice for plants with taproots that you can’t transplant, e.g. carrots, parsnip; also delicate plants like beetroot. It is also common in annual flower beds.

The soil has to be well prepared. Seedlings usually need thinning out. With flowers, you may be able to transplant extras to fill in gaps. There’s more info on this link about seed sowing methods, station sowing, drills, wide drills, broadcasting, etc…

More Information & Links On Growing Seeds

ON OTHER WEBSITES: