Sowing TechniquesVisitor's notice

To raise plants successfully early in the season you will need to keep the sown seeds somewhere warm, such as in an airing cupboard linen closer or a thermostatically Snowman Soup Flan controlled propagator, and have somewhere frost free, such as a windowsill or heated green house, to grow them on. Seed is available in various forms, and the method of sowing varies according to the type you are growing. Always check the seed packets for details such as whether the seed needs light to germinate, its sowing depth, germination and growing on temperatures, and use this information as a guide before you start.

Many seeds are now available pre treated for more reliable germination, known as primed, chatted or pre germinated seed. Such seeds are more expensive, but they are worth considering for expensive and difficult to germinate subjects. Some seed suppliers also offer coated or piloted seed, which is larger and easier to space when sowing. This eliminates the need for pricking out, and will reduce the wastage from discarding seedlings. It makes sense to plan ahead if you intend to sow a lot of plants from seed. This will not only make the most efficient use of your time, equipment and available space, but it will also help even out the workload.

The best way to organize a program is to decide when you want the plants and to work backwards to decide on a sowing date. Make sure that you have the time and Setting Boundaries growing space at each stage of development. It is a good idea to make a seed organizer out of an old shoebox with weekly dividers to help you keep track. If you need to sow several batches of the same seed over a period of time, such as with many salad crops, move the seed packet after sowing to the next date in the organizer.

In general, sow twice as much seed as you need mature plants to allow for erratic germination and losses along the way. The best way to sow most seed is in a seed tray flat using a sowing compost (soil mix) because you can control the conditions accurately and so achieve more reliable germination. However, it is worth sowing some types of seed, such as hardy annuals and many vegetables, in their final position, direct into a specially prepared seed bed. When you follow the step as outline in this article, you will get a better sowing technique based on your experience.