How many seeds should I sow?

[dgunner]

Some of the packets of herbs and salad leaves I have have what looks like 1000s of seeds!

Should I plant them all in one big pot or is it really one seed per little pot?

My marjoram for example I planted lots of seeds in a big pot and now I have these thin shoots everywhere that seem impossible to seperate into their own pots! Will it grow ok like this?

Thanks

[zazen999]

Hi

I'm on my 4th year of sowing some of the lettuce seeds that I bought in 2006. If you sow a little and often, then they last years. This is why people get a glut as they sow the whole packet. Then they are told to thin them out, wasting loads of seeds. It usually say son the packet how many seeds should be in there.

[Maximillian]

Sow a small amount every couple of weeks for cut and come again salad.

[tamsin]

I sow about the same number of seeds as I want plants. About an inch apart makes separating easier. It's more fiddly but I don't have to kill off any and no wasted seeds.

[helanuels]

I sow about the same number of seeds as I want plants. About an inch apart makes separating easier. It's more fiddly but I don't have to kill off any and no wasted seeds.

I did this, I'm glad I did because nearly all of the seed germinated and I have very limited space. Because the seeds I used could be grown indoors all year round, I thought I'd rather do a few and add to it if not many worked because they wouldn't take long to catch up. But it's my first time so i don't know if that was wise or not.

[Two_Sheds]

Should I plant them all in one big pot or is it really one seed per little pot?

the packet will tell you the planting distance. Lettuce should be about 6" apart. What I do is sow a small pinch (2 or 3) of seed per pot, then thin out to the strongest seedling and leave it to grow on.

If you grow closer together, they'll be smaller lettuces.

If you sow the whole pack, they'll be cress.

[palomino]

My daughter put a whole packet of lettuce seeds "Allsorts" into two rows of a smallest-size cell tray, about 3 weeks ago, and cress is exactly what it looks like. She had seen me planting some baby red lettuces out into the raised salad bed and has now moved this 'cress' into two parallel rows, each cell-full of seedlings planted out at about 4" spacing. I think thinning these out individually is an impossible task and will throw alternate clumps to the hens when they're gazing wishfully through the fence!

[Iamhanuman]

i'm of the 'sow carefully taking ages' variety - i can't bare waste and hate thinning out
have done some and tried to save all the thinnings
takes forever

i'd rather have a few unsuccessful sowings than waste half of my seed!

[Hazel at the Hill]

How many lettuce can you eat at once?

Every 2 weeks I sow 6-8 (carefully!) in a 3" pot - virtually all of them germinate - and I can transplant them quite easily into a 4' row at the Hill once they have 4 or 6 leaves. They are normally more slug-proof when they get to this size too.

There are 1250 seeds in the packet - so that will keep me going for quite a while yet!