Seeds - How to plant

[Nicola.P]

I am going to be starting my plot in the garden from next season and I am confused about seeds. Some places say they need to germinate, others say to plant straight in the ground but then to transport them to their permenant growing place.

I will be using raised beds, is it possible to just stick them in the ground and leave them there to grow without moving them (obviously by just stick them in I mean make sure the gaps between each seed are large enough and they are the right depth)

Thanks

[lynda66]

the best results i've had are from spreading a packet of seeds over a 1m square bed covering with compost, and occasionally pulling a weed up ... the best melon plants i got were from some seeds i spilled on the lawn and didn't remove........... i spent ages with my first seeds, putting them in biodegradeable pots, in summer, germinating them planting in a bigger pot, then planting out ...... and they didn't grow anywhere near as well ....... i'm converted to the stick it in and see what happens brigade.

[Nicola.P]

Good, I was hoping I could just stick it in and see what happens.
I don;t really have anywhere to put little pots of seedlings and those plastic greenhouse things always blow over in my garden.

[piskieinboots]

... don't sow fine seed too deep (surface sow only) - it will exhaust itself out before it gets to the surface and non-germination is very disappointing

[Two_Sheds]

You can sow seed.
You can plant plants.

I do both.
You can sow seed direct in the soil, but you'll have better success (fewer failures) if you sow into trays/pots/cells first. You can more easily control such things as water, feed, weeds and pests.
I sow nearly everything in trays now ... anything put direct in the ground just gets eaten by slugs.
It may seem more work, and more expense, but it's worth it.

[piskieinboots]

I agree with TS, I rarely sow in situ either

[lyndap]

has anyone grown seeds taken from a pinapple? found seeds in my fresh pinapple and would love to have ago at germinating them.

[piskieinboots]

I've grown the tops but never the seeds - give it a go, nowt to lose and let us know

[zazen999]

The only seeds I sow direct are carrots. Even parsnips are down into kitchen roll otherwise I'd get bored waiting and plant something else in the meantime.

[piskieinboots]

...Even parsnips are down into kitchen roll .....

I did the same this year a la Pigletwillie and oh my did I have big parsnips or wot!! Cheers PLW

[Alice]

Depends what you're growing Nicola, but mostly I prefer to sow in modules , grow on a bit then plant out. You get much more control over what's happening. It's not really more work as you can then plant out at the correct spacing and don't need to thin out.
Don't worry if you don't have a greenhouse. If you're not too early you can raise your baby plants in modules outside and put a bit of fleece over them if it's cold.
You're doing the right thing by planning ahead. Good luck.

[Nicola.P]

Well what I am planning on growing so far is Beetroot, Carrot, Parsnip for the roots. Brassicas = Cabbage, Swede and turnip and in other it is Lettuce, leek and french bean. I am mainly doing (either 2/3rds or half of each bed) carrots, cabbage ,leek and french bean and only a small section of beetroot, parsnip, swede and turnip, lettuce I will try intercropping with the leeks.
Are modules just the small seed trays? DO I just plant a small seed in each section and leave somewhere to grow?
Also what is the kitchen roll thing with parsnips? I have a book on growing veg but it's not very good at telling you the technical side on how to grow them.
Thanks

[Alice]

Nicola, yes modules are just the divided seed trays. Plant 1 seed in each section and plant out when grown as far as the cell can support.
Carrots are better planted straight in the ground but space the seeds out 1" apart. Or you can buy carrot seed on a tape which you just lay out. A bit more expensive than a packet of seeds though, but maybe worth it.
Swede and turnip you can plant straight in the ground, but sow thinly and thin out to give growing space.
Parsnips make very long tap roots very quickly and they need to be kept straight or you get wiggly parsnips. They need to be sown in something very deep or the roots get twisted. Toilet roll centres work well. Stand all the rolls in a tray. Fill with damp compost and plant 1 seed per roll. Don't get the rolls too wet or they go mouldy. It doesn't do any harm but doesn't look nice. At planting, plant the parsnip in the roll which just rots away - that way you get no root disturbance.
Some people just plant parsnip straight in the ground, but germination can be a bit eratic and you could be left with big gaps.
Hope this helps.

[Nicola.P]

Thanks for that it's a great help as I am starting from scratch with this.
Am going on an outing to the garden centre tomorrow to start stocking up on equipment.

[Nicola.P]

I just had another idea. I have an empty 6ft rabbit hutch in the garden. If I turned this so it was facing the light, covered all doors with polythene would this work as a sort of mini greenhouse/cold frame? I could open the doors in hot weather. It wouldn't be too different from a coldframe just that the plastic would be facing frontways instead of upwards. If this would work would I be able to plant the seeds in modules in there so I wouldn't need to harden them off?