Direct Seeding and Transplanting

Now that many of us have passed or are closing in on our frost free dates, it's time to get into the garden, prepare the soil and begin the satisfying work of sowing seeds and setting out transplants. We've developed the following information to help you on your way to your most successful garden ever.

When to Plant Whether transplanting your starts, or direct seeding to the garden, you'll first need to determine the optimum time to plant. Find out the "frost free" date for your area and follow the instructions on your seed packs. If you don't know the average date of the last frost for your area:
- Ask other gardeners in your neighborhood
- Contact your local extension service
- For future reference, build your own data-base with our GardenCycle Planner

The following charts will help you plan your planting sequence and timing for direct seeded varieties.

Best Times to Direct Seed (Chronological Order)

1.) Early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. (Soil temperature between 40 and 50ºF)

• Peas (plant again late summer)
• Lettuce (continue planting until late summer)
• Spinach (plant again in late summer and early fall)
• Poppies (best planted from late fall through late winter)
• Cilantro (continue planting until mid-summer)
• Dill (continue planting until mid-summer)
• Summer Savory (continue planting until mid-summer)

• Beets (continue planting until late summer)
• Carrots (continue planting until summer)
• Parsnips
• Radish (continue planting until late summer)
• Chard (continue planting until late summer)
• Mustard (continue planting until early summer; plant again late summer/early fall)
• Chicory/Endive/Radicchio (plant again late summer)
• Chamomile (continue planting until mid-summer)
• Fennel (continue planting until mid-summer)v
• Parsley (continue planting until mid-summer)
• Hardy annual flowers: Agrostemma, Alyssum, Bachelor Buttons, Bells Of Ireland, Calendula, Campion (Silene), Dianthus (Annual Pink), Flax, Lavatera, Larkspur (the seed must be placed in a refrigerator for 2-4 weeks before planting), Nigella, Phlox, Safflower, Shoofly (Nicandra), Sweet Pea

• Corn (continue planting until mid-summer)
• Quinoa (continue planting until mid-summer if grown for greens)
• Hardy annual flowers:
  Aster (Callistephus), Basket Flower, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Dahlia, Echium, Evening Stock, Four O'Clock, Lupine, Marigold

• Beans
• Cucumbers
• Gourds
• Melon
• Pumpkin
• Squash
• Okra
• Grain amaranth
• Tender annual flowers:
  Garden Balsam (Impatiens), Celosia, Cleome, Lion's Tail (Leonotus), Foxtail Millet, Morning Glory, Nasturtium, Nicotiana, Sage, Scabiosa (Starflower), Strawflower, Sunflower, Verbena, Zinnia
• Biennial Flowers: Hollyhock

Soil Temperature Ranges for Seed Germination

Soil Preparation

When your soil has dried out enough to work easily, prepare your beds by working the soil as deeply as possible without disturbing its natural layering. Double digging is a great way to accomplish this.

Double Digging: The Short Course

• Loosen the top foot of soil in the entire bed using the digging fork. If this is a new garden, remove the sod and reuse it or compost it.
• Down one side of the bed, dig a trench in the loosened soil a foot deep (or the depth of your topsoil if it is less) and a foot wide. Set the soil aside in a cart or on a tarp.
• Loosen and aerate the subsoil in the trench with the fork. Work in an inch or two of organic matter, then fill the trench with the topsoil from the next one-foot section of the bed.
• Repeat this process until you get to the end of the bed. Use the soil you set aside to fill the last trench.

For an in-depth explanation, complete with illustrations, check out John Jeavons' How to Grow More Vegetables.

You'll find working the soil much more satisfying when you use a digging fork rather than a shovel. A digging fork penetrates the soil more easily, works around sticks and stones, and breaks up the soil better than a shovel. The earthworms will thank you for it as well! If your soil is too dry and compacted, soaking the area a couple of days prior to digging can help.

Using your digging fork, work mature compost and other organic amendments into the top 4-6 inches of the soil, then level the surface of the bed and rake it smooth. These steps should be sufficient for transplants.

For direct seeding, rake out the top two inches of soil until it is free of any debris or clods. This will provide an optimum environment for germination and allow your seedlings to emerge unimpeded. Some say it's best to let the soil "rest" for a day or two before transplanting.

Direct Seeding

Perhaps the greatest advantage of direct seeding is that plants do not suffer from transplant shock (i.e. root pruning) and can mature faster, especially those species that are sensitive to root damage, although this is not necessarily true for species that can re-grow roots quickly. Secondly, direct seeding is an efficient way to seed field crops such as corn and beans, or cover crops such as vetch, buckwheat, or rye. Finally, direct seeding does not require a greenhouse or cold frame, potting mix, containers, and all the accessories necessary for transplanting.

To direct seed your crop, dig a furrow in the soil to the planting depth indicated on the seed pack. We suggest sowing 2 to 3 times closer than the desired plant spacing, then thinning out the weaker plants before things get crowded.

Place the seeds in the bottom of the furrow, backfill, and lightly tamp the soil over the seed. Our farm-tested, light weight Smart Hoe is a great tool for this job as well as for light cultivating. A little depression in the center where you plant the seeds will help with watering.

Tips for Direct Seeded Crops and Garden Layout

• Rotate Your crops Be sure to rotate your varieties to a different place in the garden from the previous two years. This will reduce pest problems.
  
  
• Companion Planting To increase your garden's potential, take "companion planting" possibilities into consideration. "Great Garden Companions" by Sally Cunningham is a wonderful book exploring this topic.
  
  
• Thinning For most direct seeded crops, thinning with a hoe or by hand is needed to produce full-sized plants. Thin when the plants are small to avoid root damage to neighboring plants.
  
  
• "De-weed" your beds Freshly sown beds can become overrun with weeds before your seeds emerge. The "stale seed bed" technique is a way to overcome this. Lightly work the soil bed a couple of weeks before planting. This exposes fresh soil and weed seeds , which will sprout and grow. After a few days use a tool such as the Hula-hoe slice off the weeds just below the surface and then immediately plant your seed. Add mulch as seedlings emerge to control weeds and conserve moisture.
  
  
• Protect your seedlings Another useful precaution is to cover your seedbed with a floating row cover right after planting to protect the emerging seedlings from pest. Row cover also gives frost protection for tender seedlings.

Watering

For most seeds, you can lay a board on the soil to keep it moist, removing it at the first sight of sprouting. Once your seedlings emerge, allow the surface of the soil to dry out between waterings. When the plants are established, irrigate according to the needs of the variety as indicated by the watering symbol on the pack.

Transplanting

To ease the shock of transition, it's ideal to transplant on a calm, cloudy day or in the evening. If this isn't possible, early morning is the next best time. Always avoid transplanting in the heat of the day.

You'll want to plant your starts to the same soil level as they had in their pots, so make your holes about the same size as the root ball. Ease the plant out of its container, immediately place it in the hole, and gently pack the space around it with soil. Making a small depression, or "well", around the plant, will help in watering.

If cutworms are a problem in your garden, you might want to make some cardboard collars to place around the stems of your transplants. The collars should encircle the stem from an inch below the soil surface to about 2 inches above the surface.

To get a jump on the season, protect your plants with our Solar Bells, Garden Tunnels, or Coldframes. They can buy you a couple of weeks and help get your plants off to a good start. Our Wallowaters will allow you to get your transplants out there up to a month earlier.

More Watering

Remember, these new transplants will grow fast, so follow the recommended spacing on the seed pack. An occasional application of a liquid organic fertilizer like EarthJuice or Maxicrop or side dressing with mature compost should keep them going strong, right through to the harvest.

* A Note on Hardening Off About two weeks before you're ready to transplant your seedlings, you'll need to get them used to the idea of being outside in the sun, wind, and cool nights. Do this by setting them outside in a protected place for an hour or two at first, then gradually increase their exposure until transplanting day. Be sure not to overdo it at first and remember that they will dry out much faster outside. Using cold frames or cloches is a great way to harden off. Our new Deluxe Cold Frame even has an optional, Automatic Vent Opener to help prevent overheating during the day and freezing at night.

For further information about planting your garden, visit Digging in the Dirt on our website or consult one of the excellent gardening books available through our catalog or website and at your library.