How to Grow Seedlings Outdoors

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How to Grow Seedlings Outdoors

Guide to Seed Sowing (Outdoors):

When seed sowing in the outdoors there are a number of factors to consider and several pitfalls that the amateur organic gardener may encounter along the way. That is not to say, however, that the exercise is not immensely satisfying, especially in the case of good crops of fruit and vegetables and will not cause feeling of delight as well as sorrow when crops grow and fail respectively!

To germinate sufficiently, a seed will need moisture, warmth and air. Therefore the soil must be damp, reasonably warmed and the seed must not be buried too deeply. Seeds should be sown in the spring, just as temperatures begin to rise to a bearable level for the gardener. If you are freezing when sowing the seeds, it is probably too early to do so! Conversely, if you walk on an area of the soil and it sticks to your boots, then the soil is currently too wet for sowing. Do not always follow the calendar or seed packet slavishly and only plant when conditions permit – seeds sown 2 weeks late will still catch up. The soil should already have been dug and enriched with manure in the autumn and may only require a light hoeing over the surface to break up the frost firmed upper layer. Then, using a rake, the area should be raked to a fine tilth.

To make a straight drill for sowing the seeds, use a length of garden twine, strung tightly between two sticks. Straight rows are easier to thin, far better for utilising space and ideal for monitoring for growth, as you know where seedlings are likely to appear. Use a hoe or trowel and lightly take out a furrow along the drill line to the required depth of the seeds to be sown. Do this using small, light dragging motions, keeping the spoil away from the furrow. Using a small pinch of seeds in your hand, run this along the furrow, depositing the seeds thinly into the drill as evenly as possible. Do not try to empty them directly from the packet. Cover the seeds by lightly raking the spoil back over the seeds taking care not to overly disturb the rows. Use the back of the rake to firm the soil over the seed drill taking care not to compact the soil too much, remember, seeds need air too!

Ensure that you clearly label the line with whatever you have planted. Take care when the seedlings appear from the ground that you do not mistake them for weeds and pull out all of your hard work before fruition too. Some seedlings look uncannily like common garden weeds. Water the plot well. Many people choose to cover seed rows with plastic or glass cloches, however, that will usually rest upon the general outside temperature, the availability of such materials and the overall benefits of doing so. It is advisable, however, to definitely cover the seed row with a protective layer of chicken wire to prevent cats and birds digging up your labours and to place slug deterrents around the plot too – to protect the sprouting seedlings while they are young.

Kindly written by Kevin Thorns