How to Decide Between Direct Sowing and Starting Seeds Indoors?
Asked by G4rdenN3r_77
Hey everyone! I'm gardening in the Netherlands, which is kinda like zone 7. I planted some tomato, cherry tomato, and zinnia seeds in pots indoors last week near my kitchen window and I've been giving them a daily mist. On my garden layout, I'm also looking to grow veggies like spinach and Swiss chard. I've read that these can be sown directly outside right now (or started indoors back in February), but I'm a bit confused about timing, especially with the last frost date here being around the second week of May. Right now, it's about -3C at night and around 8C during the day, but it's supposed to warm up soon. So, when do you guys decide it's time to directly sow seeds outside? For my tomatoes, I'm planning to keep them indoors until early May depending on how fast they grow.
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Definitely, many hardier greens like spinach and Swiss chard can be seeded outside right now. I find that peas and radishes are also good to go. Just make sure to wait on the warm-weather veggies until the nights stop freezing.
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For me, I just check the seed packages for planting instructions. It organizes everything based on whether to start seeds indoors or direct sow. I’ve found the info a bit mixed up in some charts, but looking up each specific veggie has helped me a ton. Like, peppers and tomatoes need indoor starts, while others like zucchini and beans can be direct sown.
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SeedStarter99: Yeah, it’s definitely a bit confusing. I see advice all over, like ‘direct seed in March’ but also ‘not after the last frost’ which for me is in May. I think I’ll just try it out and see if they come up!