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Direct-Sowing Crops

Direct sowing is when you plant seeds directly into the garden soil versus starting them in containers and then transplanting them into the ground.

Some people like to direct-sow as many crops as possible, while some gardeners prefer to use starts completely, and others use a mix of the two.

The Benefits of Direct Sowing

Choosing to direct-sow seeds over buying plant starts has many advantages.

Seeds are cheaper to buy than plants, and you have more varieties to choose from. The great selection is helpful if you’re looking for lesser-known or heirloom vegetable varieties.
Growing your own plants from seed guarantees you know how they were raised and gives you control over all of the inputs used to raise plants to harvest.
Buying seed packets is more environmentally friendly than purchasing plants. They use less energy in their transportation to the store and have less packaging.

When Should You Plant Your Vegetable Seeds?

Depending on their cold tolerance, there are two different timing schedules for direct sowing vegetable seeds:

Seeds that you can plant early in the season

Plants known as cool-season crops can be sown in the garden much earlier in the season. These plants prefer cooler air and soil temperatures and might survive a light frost. Therefore, you can plant them before the spring frost-free date. Cool-season crops include leafy greens, peas, carrots, beets, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips, and turnips.

Seeds that need to be planted after the last spring frost

Warm-season crops are less tolerant of cold and can’t withstand frost, so they can’t be planted until there is no threat of frost. These vegetables include peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, and sweet corn.

Prepping the Garden Bed Before Planting

Before sowing seeds, you must prepare the garden soil. Start by digging down about ten inches to a foot, working it to break up any large clumps of dirt. Remove any large rocks, trash, or other debris. Add three to four inches of finished compost to the top of the soil and work everything well again to incorporate the organic matter.

Proper Seed Spacing

Each vegetable seed packet has a recommended spacing on the back. This spacing is different between vegetable species. While it’s tempting to plant them closer together, it’s essential to follow this guideline.

When plants are adequately spaced, they also create a canopy over the soil that shades out weeds and helps keep the soil moist.

Do the Seeds Need to Be Covered?

It’s also important to read the seed packet regarding planting depth. Some seeds can be scattered on top of the soil and left to germinate. They need sunlight to germinate, so they can’t be covered. Other seeds don’t need sunlight and should be buried under the soil, so they don’t get dislodged or eaten.

Transplanting into the Garden

Moving your starts to the garden is a little more involved than digging a hole and putting them in the ground. You need to know the best time to move them, how to harden them off before planting them outside, and some other vital tips.

When Is the Best Time to Transplant?

The best time to move starts to the garden is highly dependent on how tolerant they are to cold temperatures.

To understand when you can transplant, you need to know if your veggies are classified as cool-season or warm-season vegetables.

Cool-season crops love the lower temperatures of spring and fall and do not like high temps. They are typically also more cold-tolerant and may be able to handle light frost so that they can go in the ground earlier in the spring, sometimes before the chance of frost is over.
Warm-season vegetables like the high heat of summer and typically aren’t cold-tolerant. You can’t transplant them until after the chance of spring frost is gone.

Hardening Plants Before Moving Them Outdoors

When you start your seeds indoors, the plants have become accustomed to indoor conditions. To minimize transplant shock caused by moving them outdoors, you need to begin acclimating them to the different sunlight and temperature about a week before moving the plant to the garden. This process is known as hardening off.

Set the plants outside for a few hours in a sunny spot protected from the wind, bringing them in at night. Every day put them outside a bit longer until it’s time to transplant.

Tips and Techniques for Transplanting

Dig a hole at least twice as wide and one and a half times as deep as the container the seedlings are in before transplanting.
Remove plants from their container carefully to avoid damaging their roots.
Water the garden soil before transplanting so it is damp but not overly wet.
Plant tomato transplants deeply. You can bury them past their first set of leaves to encourage roots to form along the entire part of the buried stem.
Plant other vegetables at the same depth they were in their containers.
Make sure you space plants at their recommended distance apart. Plants compete with neighboring vegetable plants when planted too closely, and no one receives the resources needed for optimal growth.
Work in overcast or drizzly weather if possible. If this isn’t in the forecast, plant early in the morning before the sun gets too hot.

Protecting Your Transplants from Weather and Pests

The first few weeks your starts are in the garden, you need to keep a close eye on the weather. If there is an unexpected chance of frost, cover them to protect them from cold damage. Also, watch closely for pest problems since the new plants are more susceptible to infestation.

An excellent way to protect against both is to use row cover tunnels for the first weeks until your starts get established.

NLD/Fertilizing D- Leaves problem

Groeit uw _COMMON_NAME_ langzaam en heeft doffe, doffe bladeren? Tijd om hem te bemesten! Een wateroplosbare meststof met een hoog stikstofgehalte of een uitgebalanceerd NPK is een goede keuze. Stikstof kan de bladeren van de plant helpen sterker te groeien en een levendige groene kleur te krijgen.

In water oplosbare meststoffen bevatten over het algemeen kant-en-klare-/water oplosbare korrels/geconcentreerde vloeibare meststof, etc. Kant-en-klaar kan direct worden gebruikt, terwijl water oplosbare korrels/geconcentreerde vloeibare meststof moeten worden verdund voor gebruik. Een gebruikte methode kan zijn om de meststof rechtstreeks op de bladeren van planten te sproeien – vooral die met grote bladeren – waar hij door de bladeren zal worden geabsorbeerd. Als alternatief kunt u ook de meststof toevoegen aan het water wanneer u het in de grond giet, zo zullen de planten het via de wortels opnemen.

Meststoffen met langzame afgifte zijn over het algemeen Smart-Release korrels of spikes, en samenstellingen. Meststoffen met langzame afgifte geven de meststoffen langzaam vrij, zodat de planten voortdurend voedingsstoffen krijgen. Wanneer nieuwe planten worden geplant, kunnen langzaam vrijkomende meststoffen als basismeststof aan de grond worden toegevoegd. Wanneer de plant stabiel groeit, begraaft u de langzaam vrijkomende meststof regelmatig in de grond rond de plant of strooit u de langzaam vrijkomende meststof gewoon op het grondoppervlak, en de meststof zal langzaam vrijkomen met water geven of regenval.

NLD/Fertilizing C- Blooming problem

Bloeit uw _COMMON_NAME_ niet, of zijn er weinig bloeiers en kleine bloemetjes? Tijd om te bemesten! Een wateroplosbare meststof met veel fosfor zou een goede keuze zijn. Fosfor kan planten helpen meer en grotere bloemen te produceren en langer te bloeien.

NLD/Fertilizing B- Growing problem

Zoals alle planten heeft ook _COMMON_NAME_ voedingsstoffen nodig om gezond en mooi te groeien. Verrassend genoeg denken echter niet veel mensen dat ze kunstmest nodig hebben! De vraag naar kunstmest is echter niet groot. U moet oppassen dat u niet een te sterke meststof gebruikt, anders kan uw _COMMON_NAME_ verbranden. Een langzaam vrijkomende meststof met een hoog kaliumgehalte of een evenwichtige NPK-balans is een goede keuze. Kalium kan planten sterker maken en een mooiere kleur tonen.

NLD/Fertilizing A-Tree/Shrub

In de natuur krijgen struiken en bomen voedingsstoffen binnen via de recycling van organisch materiaal, zoals afgevallen bladeren. In stedelijke landschappen kan uw _COMMON_NAME_ een tekort aan voedingsstoffen hebben, omdat er geen recycling van afgevallen bladeren plaatsvindt om de bodem van organisch materiaal te voorzien. Door uw plant te bemesten krijgt hij op tijd voedingsstoffen en kan hij hitte in de zomer en kou in de winter beter verdragen en is hij beter bestand tegen ziekten en plagen.

PTB/Fertilizing D- Leaves problem

A sua _COMMON_NAME_ está crescendo lentamente e tem folhas maçantes e sem brilho? Está na hora de fertilizá-la! Um fertilizante solúvel em água, rico em azoto ou um NPK equilibrado, é uma boa escolha. O nitrogênio pode ajudar as folhas das plantas a crescerem mais fortes e a terem uma cor verde viva

Os fertilizantes solúveis incluem geralmente grânulos/líquido fertilizante concentrado pronto para uso, etc. O fertilizante líquido pronto para uso pode ser utilizado diretamente, enquanto os grânulos/líquido fertilizante concentrado solúvel em água precisa ser diluído antes de ser utilizado. O método utilizado pode ser a pulverização direta sobre as folhas das plantas – especialmente aquelas com folhas grandes – de modo que o fertilizante será absorvido através das mesmas. Alternativamente, pode-se adicionar fertilizante à água ao regar o solo, e as plantas irão absorvê-lo através das raízes.

Os fertilizantes de libertação lenta geralmente incluem grânulos ou espigões de Smart-Release, e adubo. Os fertilizantes de libertação lenta libertam os fertilizantes lentamente, fornecendo nutrientes às plantas continuamente. Quando novas plantas são plantadas, os fertilizantes de libertação lenta podem ser adicionados ao solo como um fertilizante basal. Quando a planta cresce de forma estável, enterre o fertilizante de libertação lenta no solo ao redor da planta regularmente ou simplesmente borrife o fertilizante de libertação lenta na superfície do solo, e o fertilizante será libertado lentamente com a regagem ou chuva.

PTB/Fertilizing C- Blooming problem

A sua _COMMON_NAME_ não está florecendo, ou possui poucas flores pequenas? Está na hora de fertilizá-la! Um fertilizante solúvel em água e rico em fósforo seria uma boa escolha. O fósforo pode ajudar as plantas a produzir mais, proporcionar flores maiores e a florecer por um período de tempo mais longo.

PTB/Fertilizing B- Growing problem

Como todas as plantas, _COMMON_NAME_ precisam de nutrientes para que cresçam saudáveis e bonitas. No entanto, surpreendentemente, poucas pessoas sabem que elas precisam de fertilizante! Mas cuidado, a necessidade de fertilizante não é alta. É preciso ter cuidado para não utilizar um fertilizante muito forte, caso contrário a sua _COMMON_NAME_ pode sofrer queimaduras. Um fertilizante de efeito lento que seja rico em potássio ou com um NPK equilibrado é uma boa escolha. O potássio pode tornar as plantas mais fortes e proporcionar uma cor mais bonita.

PTB/Fertilizing A-Tree/Shrub

Na natureza, os arbustos e as árvores recebem nutrientes através da reciclagem de materiais orgânicos, tais como folhas caídas. Nas paisagens urbanas, a sua _COMMON_NAME_ pode tornar-se deficiente em nutrientes, uma vez que não há reciclagem de folhas caídas para fornecer matéria orgânica ao solo. A fertilização da sua planta dar-lhe-á nutrientes em tempo adequado e aumentará a sua tolerância ao calor no Verão e ao frio no Inverno, bem como resistência a pragas e doenças.