Marks. Get set… Sow!
We come to it at last! The great sowing of the season! It's time for me to unlock the potting shed, cut open seed packets, and tear open bags of compost. The season starts now!
Welcome to this seed sowing ‘special’. By the time you read this, my seed sowing will be underway. Hoorah! It’s an exciting time of year! My initial sowing date is the 14th February. Yes! Valentine’s Day! In practice, it could be anywhere around mid-month, but Valentine’s is memorable and gives me a workable date.
My garden is at 51°North, in Southern England, a USDA zone 8b maritime equivalent. If I sow my frost hardy veg in mid-February, by the time I’m ready to plant out, around the vernal equinox (late March), light levels are rapidly increasing. If I sow earlier than February, I won’t actually have enough sunlight on the vegetable beds.
In this post, I’ve summed up the essentials. The products and methods I use, primarily for growing vegetables. The all important compost and seed, plus trays, light, sowing, germinating, etc. This is how I grow my own crops from seed. These aren’t rules and this is most definitely not the only way. It’s just the way that works for me. I hope you enjoy the read
Fresh seed
Let’s kick things off with the most important. Seed! It can be infuriating and heart-breaking, knowing that you have done everything right, yet germination is poor, seedlings are weak, or fail completely. The chances are you have inadvertently bought old seed.
Most vegetable seed is wholesale, open market, that could be years old by the time you open that packet. Most seed packets have a “Sow by” date, but this is largely irrelevant, because you don’t know when the seed was actually harvested.
Then there’s a question of viability in storage. We’ve all walked past those racks of seeds in garden centres, in summer, where the internal temperature is absolutely roasting. How do these temperature changes and humidity levels affect the seed? Even within their little foil packets, they’re not impervious to temperature.
As a consequence, I now order all my fresh seed directly from Vital Seeds, Real Seeds, Seeds of Italy (Franchi) and have had consistent germination and successful crops ever since. I have no commercial affiliation with them, I just know their seed is high quality. I very rarely buy seed from the big commercial retailers like Fothergill’s, Marshalls, Sutton’s etc.
Seed compost
There are literally thousands of reels and ‘tubes and blogs on this subject. What is the right mix? Do you need X? This is optimal… You should be using this… Et cetera ad nauseam. Charles Dowding, my own personal veg growing hero uses both proprietary compost and his own homemade blend. If proprietary compost is good enough for Charles, it’s good enough for me and probably you too.
If you’re starting out, keep it simple. Forget amendments and blending your own. Just master the basics. Consider nutrition and structure. Seed compost needs to be friable, to allow the growth of roots. So far, I have used SylvaGrow’s multi-purpose compost (with and without the added John Innes), Dalefoot Wool Compost, and Pete’s Peat Free. Charles also recommends Moorland Gold.
Which is the best this year? It’s just impossible to say! Which? have just released their test results, but fair warning, these can be based on the previous seasons formulations. Manufactures change their blend of ingredients every season! It’s so infuriating. You think you’ve found the perfect bag, growing vigorous seedlings, then the next season, they really struggle… Baahhhhh!!!
Arguably, I’ve had the most consistent results with SylvaGrow. Pete’s was excellent, but they seem to have stopped producing, which again is frustrating. So it will probably be SylvaGrow again this year. Fingers crossed, they’ve got the blend right! You can only hope!
Seed trays
Mini Trays. Used for salad crops as well as tiny seed such as poppies, digitalis, etc. Also for anything that requires cold stratification like delphiniums, where I need something smaller to put in the fridge. I tend to sow in lines, across the shortest width, labelling each row. I can sow four or five different salad crops in just one of these tiny trays.
View mini tray here
Traditional seed tray (without any divisions). They’re a little larger than an A4 sheet of paper holding roughly 3ltr (5pt) of compost. I use these very rarely now. They hold a large amount of compost but have relatively few drainage holes compared to volume. If you sow thinly, which is recommended, I find them to be a poor use of space.
View standard tray here
Root trainers. These are deep pocket packs that clip together. Broadly recommended and widely used for the largest seeds with the fattest, strongest roots, like peas or beans. Again, I use these very rarely now. I find them a fiddle and a faff. I also haven’t found any benefit over my next option…
View root trainer here
Module Trays. My go to tray is a 60-cell module tray from Container Wise Ltd. I have ten of these and they see me right through the year. Each tray holds roughly 2ltrs of compost, so across a season, this is 30% saving over the traditional tray. I can pack in an awful lot of seedlings in a small space. The little rootballs pop out nice and easily when it comes to planting.
View module tray here
More on the modules…
I use these for practically every seed, even the larger seeds like Broad Beans. When I sow beans or peas, I’m really only using the module trays to germinate and form a strong little seedling, maybe just 10cm (4in) tall, before they’re promptly planted out.
The module trays also save on space, which is at a premium here. I can start off hundreds, potentially thousands, of seedlings in a small area. Some will be planted straight out, others can be potted-on individually into 9cm pots. But at that stage, I can select the very strongest seedlings, further optimising space.
Using a module tray is a lot like station sowing, so you’re dropping seeds into each cell. That’s fairly tricky with black onion seed, but with dust-like digitalis it’s near impossible. So, for these micro seeds, I still use the mini trays, sprinkling over the seed. Also, for lettuce and some leaf salads, as the seed is small and I only need a few. I ‘prick out’ the strongest seedlings and grow them on in a module tray. I then have one tray filled with the very strongest seedlings, always useful if the viability or age of the seed is in doubt.
Other bits and bobs
Alongside seed, seed trays, and compost, there are a handful of items that do make life a little easier. It’s arguable as to whether they are essential, but definitely very handy.
Dibber: A little pointy-ended tool for making small holes in compost or lifting out tiny seedlings. You can also use an pencil, chopstick, etc.
Tidy Tray: A large tray with a high back. Very useful for piling up a batch of seed-sowing compost and containing it all, so it’s not thrown everywhere.
Scoop: Useful for loading up compost, vermiculate, perlite, etc. Like a deep trowel, so you can just use a trowel.
Labelling: Always label what you have sown. I reuse white plastic labels every season. I use a soft HB pencil that van just be rubbed off, but actually lasts longer (outside in the sunshine) than permanent marker. Make your own from ice-lolly sticks, cut-up strips of plastic (yogurt, butter) pots, etc. As long as it doesn’t go soggy, fade, or fall out.
Propogator lids: Something to retain the moisture. Some seeds need cover to generate more humidity. You can also use a plate of clear acrylic, glass, etc.
Fine rose: To water your trays of seedlings, you can either fill a large tray with water, then place the seed tray inside, so it’s sitting in a bath and draws up water from below. Or, use a watering can with an extremely fine rose, so your seeds and seedlings aren’t smashed or washed away by a deluge!
Sowing Calendar: I use Charles Dowding’s seed sowing calendar every year. It’s extremely useful! There are a range of dates for both outdoor sowing and under cover, plus successive sowing throughout the season. Use this discount code for 10% discount: LXZ-NXBWQ93
Plastics
It’s hard to get around using plastic for propagation trays. However, if you’re focused on recycling and sustainability (and rightly so), there are many ways to use everyday containers as seed trays. From yogurt pots and ice cream tubs to loo rolls and newspaper.
I see wooden trays making a return and it’s fairly simple to make your own from recycled pallet wood. There’s also other sustainable materials like bamboo, which is relatively expensive, but also Coir. I’ll let you dive into that subject in more detail as it’s a big piece all in its own.
The ContainerWise module trays I use are uv-stabilised recyclable polypropylene. Yes, it’s plastic, but will last a lifetime. (and yes, I understand that is part of the issue with plastics) However, you can literally drive a car over these and they don’t break. I would much rather buy these, just the once, compared to the paper-thin plastic tray ‘inserts’ for sale in most garden centres - these will definitely be heading to the landfill after just one or two seasons!
It’s sowing time!
First, I’ll make sure my wireless speaker is fully charged. I do need chewns! Then, I’ll make sure there’s a good supply of compost in the bins. I’ll also need my seeds (duh!), scoop and trusty dibber. On overcast days, I’ll take a rechargeable lamp too. Other than my planting plan, I just need three more things: A pencil, clean plant labels, and a large mug of tea!
Next, I’ll sort the seed packets. Some seeds will require warmth and light. Some will require darkness. Others may require surface sowing or sowing at a recommended depth. A ballpark guide is to sow seeds at a similar depth to the seed itself, but this is by no means universal. To optimise space, I’ll sow all those with similar propagation needs together in the same tray(s).
I spread the compost over the tray, forcing it into the cells. I do this twice to ensure there’s as much nutrients in each cell as possible. I’ll make a small hollow in each cell. Then drop the seeds into the hollow, so they don’t roll away.
Don’t worry about cramming in the compost. A good seed compost has an open structure, so even if it’s packed in, there is air and pathways for those microscopic roots. For roots, AIR is just as important as moisture, so be wary of waterlogged compost - this can rot seeds and kill seedlings!
Multi-sowing
I have a few examples here of how many seeds I sow per module:
Peas: 2
Broad (fava) beans: 1
Sweetcorn: 1
Squash/Courgette/Cucumber: 1
French beans: 2
Beetroot: 4-5
Onions (bulb): 4-6
Spring onions: 6-8
You can see with some crops I am sowing several seeds. This is called ‘multi-sowing’. The seeds are germinated as a clump, not thinned out. Grown on as a clump. Planted out as a clump. As they grow and develop, the individual roots swell and push their siblings aside. You then harvest the largest, leaving the rest to grow on.
It’s a very space efficient method of growing vegetables. In one tray alone, I could raise 240 beetroot, or over 300 spring onions. Even 60 pea plants with two stems per plant is an awful lot of peas! There is only two of us, after all.
Under cover
Sowing and raising seedlings all takes place under cover, i.e. a frost free, protected space. I sow in my Potting Shed, then bring the trays into the house to germinate the seeds. I have a cavernous, north-facing, heated conservatory, which becomes a temporary greenhouse for propagation.
The beauty of growing under cover is that, inside, I can control heat and light and protect vulnerable seedlings from pests. Then, when the seedlings are growing strongly, usually 6-8 weeks after sowing, they’re planted out and covered with horticultural fleece. At this size they can happily withstand the cold and a degree of predation by slugs and other pests.
Sowing under cover also buys me an extra month of growing season! Rather than waiting until the end of March, or even April, for outdoor soil to reach 10℃ or 50℉ (broadly recommended temperature for sowing directly), I am gaining time, preparing strong plants, that are ready to grow vigorously when they’re planted.
Germination
Germinating fresh seed is quite simple, made to seem overly complicated and overly-involved. Most seeds simply need a combination of moisture, light, and heat to germinate. Some require just warmth without light. Some just require the light but can germinate in surprisingly low temperatures.
To germinate my frost-hardy vegetable crops, I bring them into the conservatory which stays above 10℃ (50℉). This ambient temperature is enough for many hardy crops. Some trays, with crops requiring specific temperatures, will be placed on heat mats. Instructions on the seed packets will tell you whether you need this extra warmth, but you should always cross-reference this info.
It’s the consistency which is key! Seeds have hormones dictating when to grow. If the temperature or moisture levels fluctuates (too hot, too cold, to wet, too dry), the hormones prevent germination. With a constant regulated temperatures, we trick the seed’s hormones into thinking the conditions are right to germinate.
Light
As soon as the seeds germinate, they need light. Immediately! If you cannot provide enough light for growth, seedlings will stretch upwards, reaching for more light, etiolating, then collapsing. If you have a sunny conservatory or south-facing windows, you can continue their growth there, without added warmth.
If you’re growing on a window, remember to turn the trays regularly for even growth, as all the light is from just the one side. You can position a reflective board to bounce the light back in from the other side.
For me, in my situation, where sunlight is limited, I need artificial lights. Even before I see green, the lights go on and the trays are parked underneath. The lights stay on for a minimum of 12 hours per day - matching the daylight hours of the vernal equinox. For convenience, I use automatic timers on the lights.
If you don’t have lights, or indeed the required sunlight, simply wait. I know, sounds crazy, right? Yes, just wait. There’s absolutely nothing wrong in simply waiting. Please don’t get caught up in the social media induced frenzy of early sowing. I fell into that trap when I first started and had trays and trays of weak and etiolated seedlings. Rest assured, later sowings will catch-up and, in some instances, grow stronger than those sown earlier.
Propagation station
Previously, my seed trays would be spread far and wide, over every flat surface in the conservatory, much to the consternation of my partner! So, I built my own propagation station. It’s very simple, but does the job.
I used a spare IKEA metal rack. I strapped LED batten lights (6000K Daylight, Linkable LED 4000LM) to the undersides of the shelves, two per shelf. Then I lay electric heat mats on the shelves to warm the seed trays placed on top. It keeps the footprint very small and, with all the trays together, takes me just a couple of minutes to check every tray each morning.
Direct Sowing
There are a few crops that should be sown/planted directly outside. Carrots and parsnips, because we favour the long straight swollen root and we don’t want that tap root disturbed or broken when planting out seedlings. So I direct sow these seeds, in rows, across the beds.
Potatoes should also be planted directly. To get potatoes started earlier, you can ‘chit’ them. This just involves placing your potatoes in the light in a frost free space. Short stubby green shoots form and you then plant them out directly, having given them a head start. But chitting is not necessary.
Onion/shallot sets can be either started off in modules or planted out directly. Some gardeners prefer to get them rooted under cover, before planting them out. It’s an individual choice. I choose to grow my alliums from seed.
There you have it…
All the methods and products I use each season to grow wonderful healthy organic vegetables. I have to say, it is relatively stress free. My failure rate is now so low, I feel confident in sowing exactly what I need, rather than having spares lying around. Do feel free to ask me anything. I know it can be a minefield, especially when you’re starting out. I have more information about creating and maintaining my no-dig Kitchen Garden here 👇
Coming up…
This season (2025) is a year of simple, straightforward, wholesome gardening and enjoyment. Without massive projects overshadowing everything, I’ll get to revel in the fundamentals: Pottering, weeding, deadheading, supporting, clipping, mulching, sowing and growing. It may sound a little dull but I am more excited than ever! Then it’s a brand new series: “Making the no-dig Flower Garden”
I’m growing more vegetables this year so this is so useful!
Brilliant read for a novice! I’m just starting out my veg growing journey so it’s great to read all this simple advice. May I ask when you say plant out and cover with fleece can you explain what you mean? Cheers 👍