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Seedling Transfer...

rmdsmeermdsmee Posts: 2
in Fruit & veg
Hi. Quick question. Relatively new to gardening. I'm planning on seeding out a variety of veg in the coming weeks/months. Much of the planting advice revolves around planting seeds until they sprout, then transfer to a larger container to continue growing. So, why not just plant the seeds in a really large container in the first place, so as not to move them when they are seedlings?

Posts

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410
    When seeds are little they do not use much water, and so it can be easier for them to sit and rot in saturated compost.  Its also why they tell you not to “overpot” when you are moving plants up to a larger container - the roots can’t regulate the water in the surrounding compost until they have had a chance to grow into it a bit.

    Also, seeds need very few nutrients to germinate or when they are little seedlings.  When they mature into small plants they need more food, so you often pot them up into a multi purpose compost that has some feed incorporated into it.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    A lot of people sow their veg seeds direct,  the only things my dad started off in pots was runner beans and tomatoes, but it depends on what you intend to grow,  different methods for different seeds.  Parsnips and carrots for instance don’t do well starting in pots. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410
    edited February 2023
    I grow almost everything from seed in pots or module trays.  We have lots of mice outside and its the only way I can get seedlings going without the emerging shoots being nibbled 🐭.

    Exceptions (as Lyn says) are root veg that don’t like being disturbed.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    @rmdsmee - as the others have said, it's mainly about the amount of compost/soil available, it's moisture content, and if you're sowing early, it doesn't dry out as readily as it would in warmer conditions, which affects those tiny seeds.  :)
    Things that need protection [tender or half hardy] until they can go outdoors, or into a greenhouse, would always need starting in a pot or tray inside, because it's not possible or practical to sow direct. It would often be too late for a crop if you had to wait to sow tomatoes direct, for example, although that can also depend on location/climate. Many salad crops can be sown direct inside and transferred or thinned out later, but can also be sown direct in better conditions, so it's largely dependent on what you sow, and their growing requirements. Root veg are as @Lyn describes, so getting to know the various growing habits is important. 

    It's a very good question though - and one that often gets asked. There's a big difference between something actively sown by us, and a plant self seeding, which is why this question crops up. I'm sure I didn't know the reasons when I started seed sowing.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Another reason is size of seed. Bigger seeds like legumes are fine, but it is very hard to sow tiny seeds thinly enough to allow space for development and even if you could manage it, it would be much harder to spot and water the minute seedlings properly.
  • rmdsmeermdsmee Posts: 2
    Great, thanks all. So, does anyone know how to delete posts so as to stop getting notifications..?
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    You don't need to remove the posts (can't be done anyway) but if you go into your Account (click on your name top right) and then click on the cog wheel, you can change your notification preferences.  If you get confuddled come back and let us know and we'll try to explain it better  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    You can get your posts deleted ( contact the Mods ) but it would be a case pf "all or nothing" so better to follow @Dovefromabove 's suggestion  :)
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