Easiest way to sow flowers & vegetables

Sowing seeds outdoors in the place where they will grow is extremely convenient. It saves space on the windowsill for the plants that need to be propagated. Direct sowing also saves you from having to worry about replanting and hardening off.

Direct sowing – how to do it?

The seeds are sown outdoors in the open air, on a pallet collar or in another growing container. Clear away any weeds and level the soil surface. Sowing depth is indicated on the seed bag – but a rule of thumb is to sow the seed three times as deep as it is large. Keep the seed moist. Once the seedlings have emerged, you may want to protect them from pests with a fibre cloth or slug barrier.

We usually alternate between sowing in rows and sowing widthways.

Row sowing: make furrows in the soil using a rake or planting spade. After watering the rows, put the seeds in, cover the furrows with soil and water once more. When sowing in rows, it is easy to weed and to put grass clippings between the rows for cover crops.

Broadcasting: In broadcasting, the seeds are scattered at regular intervals and covered with soil. Broadcasting is practical and gives a slightly wilder feel to the garden, which contrasts nicely with neat row sowing. We like to sow herbs and leafy greens in pallet collars.

Direct sowing in spring

How lovely it is to scratch your fingers when the light returns! From April-May, it’s usually time to plant the first spring seeds in the ground.

Lettuce, sugar snap peas, radish, spring onions, dill, black salsify, turnips and parsnips are some of the seeds that can be sown really early, as soon as the soil has settled and the soil temperature is about five degrees centigrade. When the soil temperature reaches about ten degrees, it’s time for chard, kale, carrot and beetroot. The broad bean is a Viking that germinates at four degrees, but other beans need a soil temperature of at least twelve degrees. Cucumber plants also grow best in warm soil. Check the seed packet or use a sowing calendar – they are available online and in many gardening books.

Many summer flowers can also be sown directly outdoors. Some of our favourites are sunflower, zinnia, clematis, marigold, summer mallow, atlas flower and rose hip. Many flowers that can be sown directly will self-sow year after year in the border – for example, honey phacelia, poppies, cucumber and evening primrose.

In greenhouses, fibreglass tunnels, raised beds and pallet collars, the soil warms up faster. It is therefore advisable to sow one or two weeks earlier. If there is a risk of frost nights, it is a good idea to cover the seed with fibre cloth.

Sow in batches for a long harvest time

Plants with a short development time, such as sugar snap peas, spring onions and radishes, should be sown in several rounds. This will ensure a harvest all season long. Just remember that lettuce seeds have difficulty germinating when the soil is warmer than 16 degrees. We therefore usually water lettuce seedlings in the early summer with cold water to ensure that they germinate well.

Direct sowing in autumn & winter

As spring is an intense period for all growing enthusiasts, it is practical to spread the chores out over the year. Surprisingly, many flowers and vegetables can be direct sown in autumn and winter. Check out the growing instructions or try winter sowing classics like lettuce, spinach, carrot.

Depending on where you live in Sweden, autumn and winter sowing can be done from September-October onwards. Make sure that the seed does not dry out, especially towards the spring when the sunshine returns. The seed will recognise when it is time to germinate and get a quick start to the season with early flowering and harvesting.

For autumn and winter sowing, we usually sow a little more densely than usual. This increases the chances that enough seeds will germinate. If there are too many plants, just move some to another location.

Author: Johanna Damm

Fact-checked by Erik Hoekstra

Last updated 2022-10-14