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    How To Direct Seeding

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    Ariel Dejosco
    Direct seeding is a quick and inexpensive way to plant a garden. It involves preparing the soil, adding amendments, deciding which crops to plant and where, placing seeds in trenches or hills at the correct depth and spacing, and watering until germination. Direct seeding works well for crops that mature quickly, like radishes, carrots, and greens, while transplants are better for longer season crops like tomatoes and peppers.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    How To Direct Seeding

    Uploaded by

    Ariel Dejosco
    39 views2 pages
    Direct seeding is a quick and inexpensive way to plant a garden. It involves preparing the soil, adding amendments, deciding which crops to plant and where, placing seeds in trenches or hills at the correct depth and spacing, and watering until germination. Direct seeding works well for crops that mature quickly, like radishes, carrots, and greens, while transplants are better for longer season crops like tomatoes and peppers.

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    How-To-Direct-Seeding

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    Direct seeding is a quick and inexpensive way to plant a garden. It involves preparing the soil, adding amendments, deciding which crops to plant and where, placing seeds in trenches or hills at the correct depth and spacing, and watering until germination. Direct seeding works well for crops that mature quickly, like radishes, carrots, and greens, while transplants are better for longer season crops like tomatoes and peppers.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    39 views2 pages

    How To Direct Seeding

    Uploaded by

    Ariel Dejosco
    Direct seeding is a quick and inexpensive way to plant a garden. It involves preparing the soil, adding amendments, deciding which crops to plant and where, placing seeds in trenches or hills at the correct depth and spacing, and watering until germination. Direct seeding works well for crops that mature quickly, like radishes, carrots, and greens, while transplants are better for longer season crops like tomatoes and peppers.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    How-To: Direct Seeding

    Seeding is a quick and inexpensive method of planting a garden. Follow the guidelines below to increase the
    chances of good germination.

    Why Direct Seed?


    In the Pittsburgh region, direct seeding can be a successful method of planting
    short-season crops. While transplanting seedlings offers a longer productive life
    for some warm-weather crops (like tomatoes and peppers), direct seeding works
    well for crops that have moderately short days to maturity.

    Direct seeding has many benefits. It’s an inexpensive way to plant, compared
    with transplanting, and less risky, as seeds generally cost less to replace than
    urban farmers in training plants. Direct seeding is a much less complicated and time consuming process
    use a broadfork and rake than starting your own seedlings. It can be a simple way to repeatedly plant a
    to prepare a bed for
    seeding
    crop throughout the growing season; this is called succession planting, and can
    help provide a consistent harvest over time. Direct seeding can be a quick way
    to fill in empty space when it opens up in the garden.

    Best Crops to Direct Seed


    Some crops are better suited to direct seeding than others. Here are our recom-
    mendations for direct seeding specific crops:

    Direct Seed Direct Seed


    Can be Direct Seeded Not Recommended
    (warm-season crops) (cool-season crops)
    Beans, dry Beets Basil Broccoli
    Beans, green Carrots Chard Brussels sprouts
    Beans, lima Garlic Collards Cabbage
    Corn, all types Greens, baby Kale Eggplant
    Cucumbers Lettuce, baby Mustard greens Lettuce, head
    Melons Peas Scallions Onions
    Okra Turnips Peppers
    Squash, summer Radishes Tomatoes
    Squash, winter Spinach
    Zucchini

    How to Direct Seed


    Step 1 Prepare the seed bed. Seeding requires loose soil. Make sure the soil is
    dry enough to work (it should crumble slightly after being squeezed in your
    fist). Loosen the soil with a tiller, broadfork, gardening claw, shovel, or trowel,
    then hoe or rake to create a fine, smooth seed bed.

    Step 2 Add soil amendments and/or compost. Or, plan to add these to the seed-
    ing trench before planting.

    Step 3 Decide which crops you will seed in each section of the garden. Differ-
    ent crops have different seeding requirements, so read the seed packet or seed
    making a smooth seedbed
    catalog carefully.

    . . .
    6587 Hamilton Avenue #2W Pittsburgh PA 15206 412-362-4769 info@growpittsburgh.org GrowPittsburgh.org
    How-To: Direct Seeding

    Step 4 Prepare each section for its particular crop, using a trowel or hoe. Some
    seeds will need a trench, some are planted in mounds of soil called “hills,” and
    some are scattered across an area. Be sure to determine how far apart to place
    the rows or hills for each particular crop.

    Step 5 Place seeds in the soil at the recommended depth and distance apart.
    Cover with soil (some tiny seeds are lightly raked into the soil) and use your
    hand or a tool to pat the soil down. This is called “tamping,” and ensures that the
    seeds are in contact with the soil.

    Step 6 Gently and thoroughly water the seeded areas, using a misting hose noz-
    zle or a watering can. Keep the area well-watered until the seeds germinate.

    Tips
    • Purchase seed from reputable companies, to ensure good germination. If you are
    purchasing seed in a store, make sure it is labeled for sale for the current year.
    • Store seed in a cool, dark, dry place, like a sealed bag in the refrigerator or freezer.
    measuring the seeding area Most seed that is stored well should remain viable for multiple years. For more
    information on seed storage, please see the Testing Seed Viability Info Hub sheet.
    • Pelleted seeds may make seeding easier. Some small seeds are coated with clay, in
    order to make each seed easier to handle and see in the soil, making good crop
    spacing easier. Please note that pelleted seed does not store well from season to
    season, so order what you will use in one year.
    • Paper seed tape makes spacing easier. Seeds are spaced at the correct distance in
    biodegradable paper that can be quickly and easily placed in the soil. Purchase
    seed tape or make your own!
    • For organic gardens, avoid treated seed. Treated seed is used by some farmers to
    prevent warm season seeds from rotting in cool soil. These seeds are coated in
    chemical fungicides that are not approved for organic growing.
    • For large gardens, consider a seeder. Push-seeders like the Earthway speed the pro-
    cess of planting. Seeders typically dig a narrow trench, drop a seed in the hole,
    cover up the trench and firm the bed as you walk behind.

    direct seeding radishes

    . . .
    6587 Hamilton Avenue #2W Pittsburgh PA 15206 412-362-4769 info@growpittsburgh.org GrowPittsburgh.org

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