Direct seeding (or direct sowing) is the planting of seed directly in the garden bed once growing conditions are favorable for growth outdoors. This planting method works well for crops that are quick to maturity, like radishes or marigolds, and for those that are not easy to transplant, like carrots, beets, and sunflowers.
Advantages & Disadvantages
Direct seeding has both benefits and drawbacks. It is a much more economical way to start plants in the garden than buying transplants and it takes less time than growing seedlings indoors for 2 to 3 months before transplanting them outdoors. Some species are difficult to transplant. Transplants grown indoors will languish for several weeks after transplanting before starting to grow and, in some cases, die. Direct seeding allows the plant to grow undisturbed. In some situations, the time to maturity is the same or faster when direct seeded because transplants don't start growing right after transplanting. Fast-growing species can grow and be ready to produce or flower within 6 or 7 weeks of sowing the seed.
However, there are a few disadvantages to directing seeding. The obvious problem is that most annuals and vegetables will not flower or produce as soon in the garden compared to those started indoors and set out as transplants. Also, after the seedlings come up, they will need to be thinned out to a uniform plant spacing.
Direct Seeding Vegetables
Prepare the Planting Bed
Before direct sowing in the garden, prepare a good seedbed that is weed-free. The soil should be fine, without large clumps or clods, to allow for good seed-to-soil contact. Make sure the soil has sufficiently warmed to promote germination. Cool-season crops, like lettuce, beets, peas, and spinach, tend to tolerate cooler soil temperatures than warm-season crops. Seeds sown in soils that are too cold may rot or be eaten before they can germinate.
Seeds of warm-season vegetables, like green beans, melons, squash, and sweet corn, are sown after the danger of frost has passed. These plants won't tolerate freezing temperatures. Cool-season vegetables can be planted two to three weeks earlier as they will tolerate light freezes.
Sowing the Seed
Sow the seeds in shallow furrows or hills (clumps), then cover them lightly with fine soil. The sowing depth will be outlined on the seed packet. Some species may not be covered at all, and some may be covered with a quarter inch or more of soil.
Care After Sowing
Keep the seedbed moist. After germination, thin the young seedlings to the appropriate plant spacing. The excess seedlings can either be discarded or transplanted to fill empty spaces in the row.
Vegetables Frequently Direct-Seeded in the Garden
- Beans, Green/Wax/String
- Beans, Lima
- Bean, Dry (black-eyed peas, kidney, chickpea, etc.)
- Beets
- Canteloupe
- Carrots
- Collards
- Corn, Sweet
- Corn, Pop
- Cucumber
- Edamame
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Lettuce
- Melon, Honeydew
- Muskmelon
- Parsnips
- Peas
- Pumpkin
- Radish
- Rutabaga
- Salsify
- Spinach
- Squash, Summer (zucchini, pattypan, crookneck, etc.)
- Squash, Winter (butternut, acorn, spaghetti, etc.)
- Swiss Chard
- Turnips
- Watermelon
Learn more about growing these vegetables in this article: Vegetable Growing Guides.
Direct Seeding Annuals
Prepare the Soil
The seedbed should be worked well and raked so that the soil is fine, without large clumps or clods. Direct-seed most annual flowers after the threat of frost is past in the spring and when the soil warms ups. Cool-season annuals, like viola and nasturtium, can be sown 3 to 4 weeks before the last frost.
Scarification (if Needed)
Some species germinate faster if the seeds are given a special treatment prior to planting. This treatment, called "scarification," breaks the hard seed coat and allows the seeds to imbibe water more quickly, resulting in earlier germination. Morning glories, for example, will germinate faster and more uniformly if the seed coat is nicked slightly. This can be done using a nail clipper to snip off a small piece of the seed coat on one end. Scarify sweet pea seeds by filing the seed coat on one side. After scarifying the seeds, soak them in warm water for 24 hours before sowing.
Sowing the Seed
Sow the seeds in shallow furrows, then cover them lightly with fine soil. The appropriate depth will be stated on the seed packet. Remember, some species need light to germinate, so these seeds will be covered with about a 1/8-inch of soil to ensure good seed-to-soil contact, but not block out any light.
Care After Sowing
Keep the seedbed moist. After germination, thin the young seedlings to the appropriate plant spacing. The excess seedlings can either be discarded or transplanted to fill empty spaces in the row.
Annuals That Can be Direct-Seeded into the Garden
- Baby's breath, Annual (Gypsophilia elegans)
- Bachelor's button (Centaurea cyanus)
- Borage (Borage officinalis)
- Cardinal climber (Ipomoea × multifida)
- Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus and C. suphureus)
- Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
- Dill (Anethum graveolens)
- Hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus)
- Larkspur (Consolida)
- Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)
- Marigold (Tagetes)
- Milkweed (Asclepias)
- Morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea)
- Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
- Poppy (Papaver)
- Pot Marigold (Calendula)
- Rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora)
- Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
- Spider flower (Cleome hasslerana)
- Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
- Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
- Sweet pea (Lathryrus odoratus)
- Zinnia, Creeping (Sanvitalia procumbens)
- Zinnia (Zinnia elegans and Z. angustifolia)
More Information
- Planting and Harvesting Your Vegetable Garden
- Planting and Harvest Times for Garden Vegetables (PDF)
- How to Grow Perennials from Seed
- Propagating Woodland Wildflowers
- How to Harvest and Store Seeds
- Germination of Tree Seed
- Guide to Starting Seed Indoors
Photo credits: 1: Marina/AdobeStock; 2: DLeonis/AdobeStock; 3: katepax/AdobeStock; 4: KristineRada/AdobeStock; 5: Cindy Haynes; 6: Aaron Steil; 7: Cindy Haynes