The method of sowing depends on which vegetables you want to grow. Some vegetables, carrots and parsnips for example, are sown outdoors, directly in their final positions. Still others, leeks for example, are grown outdoors and later planted to their final positions. Others are sown under cover or indoors for planting out in spring or for Moving a plant from one pot into a slightly larger one, once its roots have filled the current pot. Most container plants need potting on every few years. If you leave a plant in the same pot for too long, its roots will become overcrowded (pot bound), hindering growth.
Direct sowing
It is easiest to sow vegetable seeds in spring, summer and autumn into prepared beds where they will eventually be cropped. This is known as direct sowing.
Station sowing
This is a good way to sow seed economically, since less Pulling out some of the seedlings, usually along a row, so the remaining seedlings are spaced further apart. It reduces overcrowded, which can hinder their growth.
- Sow two or three seeds every few centimetres or where one final plant is intended. The easiest way to do this is by marking out a grid pattern and sowing the seed at the ‘stations’ where the rows cross
- Once the seeds have come up, choose the healthiest and ‘thin out’ the others
Sowing in containers
- Seed trays are suitable for starting off vegetables that will be moved on (known as ‘pricking out’) to their own containers or outside
- Seeds can also be sown in 7.5cm (3in) pots, recycled fruit or vegetable punnets or any other container with drainage holes in the bottom
- Modules or cell trays are a very efficient way of raising seedlings, allowing you to transplant, causing minimal damage to delicate roots
- For larger seeds such as broad beans, use deeper, individual containers such as cardboard tubes
- For ‘cut and come again’ crops where the plants will remain, use containers 10-15cm (4-6in) deep
Sowing tender crops in greenhouses and tunnels
- Courgettes, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, sweetcorn and cucumber are examples of vegetables sown in spring or early summer in a greenhouse or polytunnel for transplanting outside
- Remember to harden off vegetable plants before setting in their positions if they are to go outside
- Crops such as aubergines prefer to be under cover all season, as do glasshouse tomatoes, melons and cucumbers. These can be grown in borders, growbags or containers
- For growing techniques for specific vegetables, please see our Grow Your Own web pages
Sowing crops under cover to extend the season
The The period of time when an individual plant is in active growth. This will depend on the local climate and light levels, and can vary between different plants, although it is broadly from spring to autumn.
- Start early and finish late with sowings of chard, coriander, lettuce, parsley and radish
- These can be sown directly into glasshouse borders or into containers without extra heat. Broad beans such as ‘The Sutton’ and ‘Aquadulce Claudia’ can be sown from November to January for cropping in late May-June
Choosing compost
Peat-free seed composts will give more reliable Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.
To grow well, plants need a wide range of nutrients in various amounts, depending on the individual plant and its stage of growth. The three key plant nutrients usually derived from soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, while carbon, oxygen and hydrogen are absorbed from the air. Other vital soil nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulphur. Most garden soils contain enough nutrients to promote healthy plant growth.
Germination is the process by which a seed develops into a new plant. It starts with the seed coat absorbing water, expanding and splitting, which allows oxygen and water into the seed so its food reserves can be broken down and used by the embryo for growth. The first root (called the radicle) pushes into the soil to anchor the new plant in place and start absorbing water and nutrients. The first shoot (called the plumule) then grows upwards, out of the soil, towards the light.
Try to use fresh Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.