Is direct sowing seed into the garden good or bad? Here are my pros and cons plus tips on when to direct sow seeds and when not to in the garden. Thanks for your support! 🙂
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/selfsufficientme
Help support the Channel and buy a T-shirt/Merchandise from our Spreadshirt shop: https://goo.gl/ygrXwU
Shop on Amazon for plants: https://bit.ly/2yRFNGQ
Shop for plants on eBay Australia: https://bit.ly/2BPCykb
Blog: http://www.selfsufficientme.com/ (use the search bar on my website to find info on certain subjects)
Forum: http://www.selfsufficientculture.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SelfSufficie…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SufficientMe
Subscribe to my channel: http://goo.gl/cpbojR
Self Sufficient Me is based on our small 3-acre property/homestead in SE Queensland Australia about 45kms north of Brisbane – the climate is subtropical (similar to Florida). I started Self Sufficient Me in 2011 as a blog website project where I document and write about backyard food growing, self-sufficiency, and urban farming in general. I love sharing my foodie and DIY adventures online so come along with me and let’s get into it! Cheers, Mark 🙂
Great stuff! I direct sow whenever possible for all the reasons you state. I do not transplant two times due to high probability of root damage. When I have to transplant, I only do it once by starting the seeds in a nest made of several coffee filters (very inexpensive when you buy them in bulk) with as much homemade starter mix as they will hold. I make my mix from worm poop, coir or peat moss and perlite or sand. I buy all this stuff in large quantities to keep the unit cost down. When the seedlings are ready to transplant, I do not remove them from their coffee filter nests. I bury everything intact to keep from disturbing the roots. Kinda like using a peat cup, but only a fraction of the cost.
These videos are great.
I like to start my tomatoes early in my aero garden hydroponic. It makes incredible roots then I transplant into my homade dirt into pots leaving them in partial light for three days than full sun than plant in garden.
I buy rockwool and put 3 seeds in each handpick the best and pinch off others. The prepared ones they sell work great but you pay for them.thats why I make my own.check roots while growing they should be white if you see any browning immediately put them in dirt and cut off any brown with scissors.
We start cool weather crops like broccoli, cauliflower, celery, etc. indoors because we have a short spring and very hot summer, so there isn't time for the plants to mature if they're directly sown when the soil is the right temperature. North America, southwest region, grow zone 8 can be tricky with the dry heat.
Hi Mark love you're videos keep them coming, you're videos are especially valuable for me because I live in a tropical climate and it is sooo hard to get good videos on what we can grow here. I have a question, have u ever had problems when you direct sow that the seeds or plants when they grow, either become gigantic or so tiny that they die soon after? It never grows according to the seed packet in my garden and planning has become useless at this point. I planted a couple of zinnia seeds, and those got well over 2 meters tall, and then I planted some tomatoes that barely got over a inch. Any tips? Would appreciate your feedback
The truculent snake intialy alert because tractor externally work till a wicked t-shirt. imported, worried sort
My neighbor keeps his garage door open with loud music blaring. So rude! I guess I need to work in the yard when he's at work.
Thank you for your valuable info and advice how to grow plants successfully.
Hi! Enjoy your show. I’m getting top soil delivered, what do I put with it to make a good earth to grow vegetables. Thanks. Bev.
It’s always the Australians that give the best advice haha
Mark. We directly sow our beans called 'Vitalis' variety ( Phaseolus vulgaris). They are so damn awesome you could do a 'Grow a ton of beans' video. You will be amazed at how well they grow. They are stringless, grow to about 20 -25cm long and we grow a whole years worth to blanch and freeze for the two of us from just a couple packets of seeds. please try them and show people how well they grow. they are extremely resistant to bugs and mosaic variety. We are so glad we found them and are stunned how tasty and how easy they are to grow. Also whilst on variety's, we plant 'Nante' type carrots as they have round blunt noses and don't fork or split as easily. Many people are put off by growing carrots as they fork every time the root tip hits anything bigger than a grain of salt. Try those two and tell us what you think…:)
Hi love your advice I'm having a hard time trying to get my beetroot an radish also cucumbers growing any ideas. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us
Suck up to this… 🙂 Thanks again Mark, I asked this very question today on another one of your vids. To direct sow or not. This helps a lot.
I'm learning what to direct sow and what not. Hardening off is difficult for me. Pepper plants seem to work much better if I start then indoors first, but squash (particularly pumpkins) do not!
love binge watching your gardening videos honestly, lots of info in a entertaining form
I have read and practiced seed compost and then re-pot into a good fully fed compost, Now seed compost has little if any food to feed the seed's once they have germinated, the reason seed compost was designed was due to the light make up of seed compost "so the seed can germinate and push through to get to the light Plus the seed compost was also designed to keep moist, normal compost can cause the seed to rot due to the weight of normal compost and the fact that this compost can cause the seed to rot, Hence i find with some seeds it is better to get the seed to germinate "But" as soon as this has happened "now" is the time the young plants need food "hence a good compost i find helps the plant to grow strong roots and weather permitting plant it out.
I used seed from a store bought kiwi. I used this process and they rooted after some time. They grew well. But I evidently watered too much because they molded and died. Really sad about that.
I like to grow bush and pole beans, potatoes and tomatoes here in southern Ontario, Canada. It seems as though the wildlife are also pleased with my choices. The raccoons have left the potato patch looking like a war zone full of bomb craters and the squirrels and chipmunks have eaten some of the beans and redistributed the rest! Nice video – thanks.
My tip: paper (best) or peat (okay) pots. You then plant the entire pot into the ground when the plant is ready to go. No root disturbance–good air circulation–roots will grow right through it. The paper or peat disintegrates over time anyway. Between the two, I like the paper just a bit better, it seems my plants do better in the paper. (These are commercially made paper pots that I get at garden stores and hardware stores that sell seeds and gardening products in the US. They are molded it seems or pressed paper fibers. Direct sewing always gives me stronger plants, but it isn't always an option. Great video, Mark! PS: You could make paper pots by folding paper yourself–just avoid printed paper or other undesirable papers or ones that have glues.
Great to watch
"Bob's your auntie" LOL
I usually like your videos. This one though was too long for the amount of information. You could have summarized it in 3 minutes.
We love our coffee and these days of course coffee comes in plastic bucket basically. I've been recycling them to use as plant starter pots. Works great and saves me money.
Great video, Mark! You made some valid points for both types of sowing. I've found here on the west coast of Canada I can't plant peas in the ground in early spring. They either rot from our wet soil or something comes and steals them! So I've had good results with pre-seeding them in my greenhouse and then planting them out. Now in late summer, I have planted them directly in the ground and they've sprouted in less than a week!
Hi Mark. What are your views on using horse Poo. and how would you condition it?
This is what great about being an Aussie, 6 weeks ago I was washing ice off the windscreen to go to work and now I'm scrambling to find hay so I don't turn my new beds to dust with the heat, fighting both ends of the weather in the garden. You think it would be easy living in a farming town to get hay hey? Problem is most are 100 bale minimum order, I want 10 max.