Indoor Seed Starting, Direct Sowing, Succession Planting, Oh My!

Wondering what the best way to start your garden is? National Garden Bureau has you covered!

Spring arrival means starting our gardens. But what is the best method?

The honest answer is: it depends. Your geographical location plays a large factor in deciding how to start your seeds. Do you live in a cool climate with a short growing season which may require starting seeds indoors to get a jump-start on the season or a more mild climate with a longer growing season? Many gardeners start seeds indoors to have more time to enjoy them. Some plants like tomatoes and peppers actually benefit from an early start to ensure they are strong and healthy when it comes time to plant.

Direct sowing is the process of planting seeds directly in the garden. Some large seeds, like squash and watermelon, make perfect candidates for direct sowing. Some plants, like those with a long taproot, dislike transplanting and should be directly seeded in the garden.

Succession sowing involves multiple seed plantings of the same crop throughout one growing season. For example, instead of sowing 100 lettuce seeds at once, space out the plantings every few weeks throughout the growing season to extend harvest.

*This article was originally published by National Garden Bureau.