Direct-sowing nasturtiums in early April

Direct Sowing Nasturtiums in Early April

So far we've looked at indoor sowing, but now we'll move on to how I direct sow outdoors, with the example of this popular and easy hardy annual.

Nasturtiums grow really easily from seed and are very hardy.

I will direct sow most of mine, straight into my cut flower bed, where I'm growing in rows. I will also sow a few under cover as backup.

• Another hardy annual you'd sow direct is poppies. These have tiny seeds that germinate easily and resent being moved.

When sowing direct, soil temperature should be at least 7 degrees Celsius. You can check with a soil thermometer; alternatively, a good indication that the soil has reached this temperature is that annual weeds are coming up.

I'm sowing mine in early April.

How to Sow Nasturtiums Outdoors

1. Clear the ground by hoeing off annual weeds. Perennial weeds might need to be pulled.

1. Prepare the ground by adding homemade compost. I'd put mine down a while ago, so needed to weed again afterwards.

• I'm using the no-dig method, so I just add a layer of compost each year and never dig it over. This prevents disturbance to beneficial soil fungi (mycorrhizae) and saves time.

1. Rake over and remove any stones from where your row will be.

1. Use a garden line (string between two pegs) to mark out your seed drill, ensuring a straight line.

1. Use a dibber to draw a shallow drill along the string line. It doesn't need to be deep.

• Nasturtium seeds are quite big so will need to be a centimetre or two deep.

1. Plant the seeds about 10cm apart.

1. Cover the drill with soil or sieved compost if your soil isn't very fine, to 1-2cm depth.

1. Firm down with dibber. You can leave a bit of a trench to show where you've sown.

1. Water in or let rain do this if rain is expected.

1. Label the row.

1. Keep weeding the bed until you're ready to plant other plants out. After you do plant it up, planting in rows means you can hoe in between the rows as plants develop.