How to sow seeds

How to Sow Seeds

Sowing Broad Beans

If you're new to seed sowing, broad beans are a great place to start. They're large and robust, and because they're a hardy plant, they can be sown directly into the ground.

1. Directly sow into the vegetable patch in autumn. They will germinate in October or November in mild areas, and then growth will pause when the daylight hours dwindle.
2. In spring, as they have already set root and germinated, they will grow quickly, providing you with an early harvest.
3. The rule for seed sowing is to plant your seed as deep as the size of the seed itself.
4. Sow extra in case you lose some seeds or seedlings to pests.
5. Once the flowers have been pollinated and the beans have started setting, pinch out the tops of the plants. This reduces the chances of black flies and ensures a good, strong crop.

Sowing Courgettes

Courgettes are another great crop to get started with, as they germinate very quickly and can be sown straight into pots instead of seed trays.

1. Courgettes are tender plants, so they need to be started off indoors or in a greenhouse, unless it's warm outside day and night.
2. Sow the seeds on their side rather than flat, as they're less likely to gather water and rot if they take a while to germinate. Sow straight into pots, as they are big when they germinate.
3. There's no need to use seed-sowing compost here, use compost or soil from your garden instead, as courgettes are quite hungry plants and so need nutritional content, whereas seed compost is low in nutrients.
4. While shop-bought compost is sterile and won't have weeds in it, compost from your garden will most likely contain weed seeds. So make sure you know what a courgette plant looks like, so you know which is the real seedling.

Sowing Chamomile and Tomatoes

Chamomile seeds are very small and need light to germinate, so you just need to scatter them on the surface of a seed tray.

Once they germinate, you can pick them out and pot them up into individual pots. It is a good idea to sow these seeds densely as they can be difficult to germinate. A dense sowing will improve your chances of success.

Once potted up, they can go straight outside as they're a hardy plant.

A bit bigger than chamomile seeds, tomatoes and lettuce can be sown on the surface of a seed tray and then lightly covered in compost.

Once germinated, they can be potted up and will need to be kept inside in a warm environment until they are ready to plant out, so make sure you have the space for them.

What Do Seeds Need to Germinate?

• To be kept moist, but not waterlogged
• Good air circulation
• Warmth (check guidance for the exact temperature for your seed variety)
• Compost or soil that covers them (in most cases)

Some seeds will need to go through a period of cold, known as dry stratification, in order to germinate.

Some hardy crops, like broad beans and radishes, prefer to go straight into the ground, as they don't like having their roots disturbed. This is also true of crops like carrots and beetroots.

Radishes can be grown between plants, which is called interplanting. Remember to sow seeds generously, as some might be eaten by pests. You can then thin them out as required.

The soil must be warm enough for germination though, so hold off direct sowing until late spring.