Direct sowing and broadcast sowing

Ilikeplants · April 2022

Is this the best thing to do at this stage? I don’t think I have the time and patience to sow into seed trays and look after them and then prick them out individually into plugs and grow on. I’ve done some but the spring will be gone by the time I get more done. What’s everyone else doing? Mixture of the two? My seedlings haven’t been very successful because I forgot to grow them on somewhere warm and we had the cold snap. So I have to start some more like dahlias and toms.

bertrand-mabel · April 2022

It depends what you want to grow and where you are.

In the SW here I have had to sow seeds indoors for veg and flowers as we continue to have so many nights of frost.

I don't then prick them out and grow them on.

I wait until the weather is getting better and put the seedlings in the polytunnel for a few days. Then they are transplanted out into the veg patch.

Today we transplanted sprouts, pea beans and sunflower seedlings...in the hope that the weather forecast maybe correct.

Hopefully swiss chard will be tomorrow transplant session.

Fire · April 2022

My problem with broadcast sowing is that the molluscs get almost all, so I've kind of given up in my own gardens until I can get a better handle on them. It works on the street beds ok. But in my experience you have to keep them consistently damp; if they dry out, they die. It's tempting to think that "wild seeds" will be fine just thrown about, but I have not seen this to be the case. As with the rest of gardening, you have to garden it. Other people, no doubt, with have other perspectives.

Ilikeplants · April 2022

Sounds like I’ll have to put in the work for now. True I’ve broadcast seeds before and nothing came from it. I was hoping not to sow indoors due to the mess I make and I don’t have a green house. And I have grown veg seedlings on and slugs have demolished the lot. Very disheartening. I’ll have to plod on and hope for the best. Will try to resow in trays or small pots tomorrow.

Fairygirl · April 2022

Broadcasting seed depends on the plant, and your conditions. You're not doing that with dahlias and toms are you? It's not warm enough for that anyway, and it certainly wouldn't really work for those. They need sown indoors, and moved on according to temps - especially overnight temps for toms.

Slugs are certainly a problem for some veg, but it does depend on your soil and climate too.
I'm afraid if you want a good end result, you just need to put the effort in. You can sow a few seeds in small pots just now, and by the time they're able to go outside, the conditions should be better for them. If you don't have room, just do a few.
If you're a bit messy, do them outdoors and then bring them in. I often do that, even at this time of year, as the shed is too cold in the early part of the year, and it's a bit of a pain putting plastic down in the kitchen!

Ilikeplants · April 2022

Thanks @Fairygirl. I grew the dahlia and Toms from seed indoors but when I transplanted them in little pots I left some outside and some in a cold frame outside and they all died.

I have lots of lettuce seeds which I was thinking of broadcast sowing. Mixed with mustard and landcress.

Fairygirl · April 2022

Temps need to be in double figures overnight consistently for toms. They'd need a heated greenhouse at this time of year if they were in one. It's just too early. If they're going outside eventually, it would be end of May/early June for them. Dahlias would really be the same. All of mine are in the house. The toms will be grown undercover anyway, but dahlias will be acclimatised slowly, and they'll be around a foot to 18 inches by the time they go outside.

I do lettuce in small pots and keep it inside at this time of year, for cut and come again crops. Some get potted on in a bigger clump, and some get divided into small clumps to grow on, and give me a succession. Some might go outdoors later, depending on how they're doing. I'll sow some outside later in the year, in pots, depending on weather, but most will be sown indoors up until next month. They would be particularly vulnerable to slugs etc. if sown direct. All of mine are grown on in pots, until later in the year, when I might plant some out among other planting.

I don't grow the other two, but I'd probably do something similar with those if I did.

newbie77 · April 2022

OP, you dont have to sow indoors everything. It depends on what you are sowing. I sow tomatoes indoors, perennials outside in march/april, annuals outside in late april. It depends on seeds variety, your location and weather. I dont have greenhouse etc. I use 9 cm plant pots. Have accumulated so many over years, so i usually dont have to pot them on except tomatoes. I usually put couple of seeds in each pot and prick out extra seedlings. I keep my pots on a table outside to save them from slugs/snails, sometimes they do crawl up but it is a bit safer than on ground.

edit: forgot to say, in general when you see back of seed packet where they tell when to sow, if you sow at the later time frame, you can sow outside. Keep at a sheltered place away from slugs/snails. Also a part shade space works better so they dont dry out and dont water much. Have patience, check them once everyday and soon you will get a hang of it. If it all seems too much hassle, it is easier to get plants from nursery, garden center etc.

Ilikeplants · April 2022

Thank you both for your detailed responses. I think I’m being impatient because my seedlings died and I just want warmer temps now. The cold weather seems to last a long time here. Good idea about sowing lettuces in small pots and they should dry out less and also can transplant the whole thing into borders even if it’s small clumps when they get bigger and can fight off the slugs. I’ll give the dahlias another go because I was successful with starting them off this way. I’m attempting to use up the majority of my old seeds this year, time for a clear out.

Fairygirl · April 2022

If you live where I do, you add a month to those sowing times on packets

Ilikeplants · April 2022

I never think to do that @Fairygirl. I’m in the midlands, cold still. But it’s work and kids that get in the way as much as the weather. I could potter about in the garden all day if I could get away with it.

Direct sowing and broadcast sowing

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