Gardening – Seed sowing made simple

With the horrendous cost of fruit and vegetables these days, it is more important than ever to grow your own and, even better, to grow from seed. Given the right conditions, any seed can be sown directly into the garden, but some are more suited to direct sowing than others. In fact, left to their own devices, many plants such as lettuce, bok choi and parsley will happily flower, go to seed and produce hundreds of little seedlings in your garden.

In general, larger seed such as beans, peas, sweetcorn and beetroot are more suited to direct sowing, as they can be buried deeper and have more food reserves to support the emerging seedling. However, some smaller seeds such as carrots are nearly always direct sown as they are difficult to transplant successfully. Fast crops such as lettuce, radish and courgettes are also good candidates for direct sowing.

Before sowing, rake over and level the soil, taking out any large clumps and debris and break up the soil into fine crumbly pieces. Don’t try to sow into sodden soil – if you squeeze a handful of soil and water runs out, it is too wet. You’re best to wait until some good weather has dried it out a little. Mark the rows using string stretched between two stakes for a straight line and either cut a shallow trench for crops like radish that are sown closely together or make holes using your finger or a stick.

Sowing seed in punnets, trays or pots has the advantage of being able to grow them under protection such as on your windowsill, which can jump start your plants by several weeks. A useful technique is to cover the seed trays with a layer of glass or Clingfilm and a single layer of newspaper to stop the soil getting too hot. It’s important to use good quality seed raising mix (not potting mix). Don’t skimp on the quality and try several types before settling on the one that gives you the best results.

Sowing in the right soil temperature is very important to achieve a good germination rate. Cool soil crops include onions, broad beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, leeks, lettuce, peas, radish, silverbeet and spinach. These crops can all be sown now.

As a rough rule of thumb, cover seed to two to three times the diameter of the seed. Some of the finest seed, such as lettuce, need no cover at all and, indeed, need light to germinate. In any case, lightly firm the surface of the soil after sowing with a piece of wood or similar. This makes sure that the seed has good contact with the moist soil at all times.

Keeping the soil moist is essential; water with a fine spray to settle the soil without dislodging the seeds. If growing in punnets or trays, briefly submerge the trays in a bucket of water. Don’t overwater, as saturated soil prevents vital oxygen getting to the seeds, making them prone to damping off diseases.
Damping off diseases cause seeds or young seedlings to rot. Clean your seed trays, benches, tools and punnets before each sowing, use fresh, good quality seed raising mix with a fungicide or beneficial Trichoderma added, and make sure the seed is sown in the best conditions possible to give the seeds the best chance of avoiding this disease.

Once you start sowing from seed you will become hooked. It is just so lovely seeing the little seedlings you’ve grown poke their heads above the soil!