10 Tips for Direct Sowing

Direct sowing is one way to get a head start in the garden. For some seeds, the cold, wet weather of spring can hasten germination, and many early crops might otherwise become bitter in summer heat. Direct sowing alongside a crop that's already growing (aka "succession sowing") also results in more harvests!

Check out our best varieties for direct sowing below. Although it isn't rocket science, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Ten tips for Direct Sowing

1. Wait Until the Soil is Ready

Begin in late winter or early spring, but only when the soil is ready. Cool-weather crops like Spinach, Peas, Arugula, and hardy greens thrive when sown early, giving them time to grow before summer heat.

However, it's important to wait to sow until the soil has recovered from the winter freeze-up and has returned to a friable, arable state. The top few inches of soil should be dry and crumbly, not sticky, when ready for planting. Clay soils may take 1–2 weeks longer than sandy soils, but adding organic matter over time will improve texture and make early-season planting easier.

2. Weed before Sowing

Direct-sown crops produce tiny seedlings that require careful attention, especially when it comes to weeds. Unlike greenhouse seedlings started in weed-free potting soil, direct-sown crops are vulnerable to being crowded out by weeds in their early days.

To give them the best chance to thrive, thoroughly weed the area before sowing, focusing on stubborn perennial weeds like stolon-rooted grasses. These aggressive growers are difficult to remove later without disturbing delicate seedlings.If you're working with a new or neglected garden bed, consider methods like sheet mulching or repeated tilling and raking to eliminate weeds before planting.

3. Amend the Soil

It's much easier to create a fertile bed for your plants before planting seeds than after they have emerged. An unplanted bed can quickly be thoroughly hoed and raked multiple times to incorporate a big pile of compost; trying to do such a thorough job once the seedlings are up is nearly impossible.

So don't jump the gun: add compost, lime, soybean or alfalfa meal, rock phosphate, kelp, or any complete organic fertilizer before planting. Many plants benefit from later side-dressings as well, but they won't make up for the first-round big boost to initial fertility accomplished by thoroughly incorporating amendments.

4. Create Furrows at the Proper Depth

Most seeds germinate and take root best when sowed at a depth of approximately 2-3 times their width. (For mid-summer direct sowings, you can increase this a bit if it's dry and hot, as the moisture remains lower in the soil.) Figure out the proper spacing for the variety you are planting, then use a stick, a tool handle, or a piece of lumber to press clean furrows into a well-prepared (and therefore loose and friable) garden bed.

Space these furrows apart from each other at the spacing recommended for the variety you are sowing. Press the implement into the soil until it reaches the proper depth: for small seeds like Arugula and Lettuce, this will be an extremely shallow furrow (1/4" or so), while for Beans or Peas the furrow will be a good 3/4" to 1" deep.

5. Plan for thinnings

Before actually sowing seed, consider if the crop you are sowing can be harvested young for table use. If so, consider sowing more thickly than the plants ultimately need to be spaced in order to harvest tender young thinnings early.

This works well for any crop harvested for their leaves, such as Spinach, Lettuce, Arugula, Parsley, Cilantro, and Asian Greens. Just remember to thin the plants promptly at the 3-4" tall stage so that the plants you are growing for full maturity are not stressed by overcrowding as they grow.

6. Sow the Seeds

Once you've done all of the above, sowing the seed is easy! Depending on the seed size, either sprinkle or drop the seed at regular spacing into the bottom of your furrow. Don't be too stingy with the seed--but don't be too loose, either. Ideally you'd like an evenly spaced succession of seeds in the furrow at a spacing that is closer than recommended (if thinning) or just about what is recommended (if not thinning). It's best to oversow certain crops--most notably spinach--to make up for the naturally low germination rates.

7. Keep it Firm

One mistake often made by new gardeners is to try to keep the soil around the seeds extremely loose. While in general a loose soil is a sign of healthy tilth, most seeds germinate best when they have somewhat firm soil surrounding them. The reason is that firm soil does a better job of pulling moisture from below and transmitting it to the seed, while loose soil dries out quickly under the sun's rays.

So, once you've sown your seeds in the furrow, brush soil on top of them and press the soil--either with your open palms or with the flat side of a furrow-making stick--so that it is snug. This isn't a strength test: save your muscles for turning compost. Just a gentle "tucking in" is all it takes to keep the seeds in a good, well-wrapped state for healthiest germination.

8. Water in 

Always water in your seeds after planting, and continue watering regularly until you see seedling emergence. Make your waterings thorough in order to saturate the soil. Then--unless you have extraordinarily sandy soil--don't water again for 48 hours. Seeds need a combination of moisture and warmth to germinate, and especially during the first half of spring the heat can be in short supply. Watering too frequently keeps the soil even cooler, so restrain yourself. It can be difficult whe

9. Weed and thin promtly during the first month

While weeds can inhibit the growth and productivity of all plants, tiny seedlings can be stopped completely in their tracks by weed competition. If you know you're a lazy weeder, make a resolution with yourself to invest all your weeding energy up front. Let the ripening Peppers and Tomatoes and Squash be weed-choked, but for goodness' sake keep your young Spinach, Peas, and Beets clear of lambsquarter, spiky amaranth, and horse nettle. A sharp hoe or our Kana Scraper can get the job done quickly, while a thick layer of mulch spread open to allow seedling emergence can keep weeds smothered. However you do it, get it done: a weed-strewn patch will seriously slow down direct-sown seedlings.

10. Consider a seeder on a large scale

If you're making the transition from having a small garden to growing all the vegetables you need, you may want to consider a seeder to make direct sowing operations fast and easy. Your bed needs to be loose and very friable for the seeder to operate smoothly, but once you've created these conditions it will seriously speed up your sowing time.