To transplant or to direct sow… that is the question. What’s the best option? This video shares the pros & cons as well as the methods I prefer in my own Ohio garden.
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00:00 Intro
00:37 Advantages to Direct Sowing
03:01 Thrive Market
04:42 Advantages to Transplanting
09:09 Crops I always Direct Sow
10:50 Crops I Direct Sow AND Transplant
15:49 Crops I always Transplant
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27 Comments
Do I need to 'harden off' my seedlings if I'm transplanting into a polytunnel and the seedlings are in the polytunnel?
Great tips Jenna have a fabulous day 👍
I have had really mediocre germination with beets direct sown. So I this year I started a tray full in the greenhouse to transplant. Just planted them out yesterday, so we'll see how they do that way.
I was excited to hear that your holy basil seeds itself year after year. I have started some for the first time this year! It is LOVELY!
My reasons: seed starting is FUN! I get flowers and produce sooner.
Direct sowing is a different kind of fun, I do that too!
Are you going to do another “variety favorites” video series this year?? Or have not enough changed?
Also, when do you seed & harvest your celeriac? I’m in the same area as you 😊
This is wonderful. It could be a textbook in and of itself. My experience is like yours. I tried the double solo cup method of indoor sowing of tomatoes and although I used indoor lights and a fan they all died after thriving early, despite daily attention. They were not over or underwatered. The two plants I have the most difficulty is with parsnips because their outdoor germination in Vermont is 2 weeks minimum and the seeds are more difficult to find, and Lima beans (only can find "ford hook") which seem to require a prolonged growth period, despite pre-sprouting. Thanks for your inspiration. Craig
Southern Ohioan here. I've had pansies outdoors all through winter, covered in snow, still have green and blooms when the snow melts! 😂
Even my direct seeded plants I pregerminate, so I'm sure that it's a good seed. Melons, corn, okra and beans are this months push. I've already started my brassicas for fall gardening. They've been outdoors the whole time.
I can’t get the squirrels or chipmunks to leave my sunflowers alone. They dig up the seeds and the east and squash the transplants.
I took your advice and placed hardware cloth over my potatoes. But I have a question: Is the hardware cloth to be placed right on top of the soil during the potato growing season? Or to be removed once it starts showing grow?
Excellent points re: transplanting late season brassica. I was planning to start indoors to await sunshine after other crops have expired. Limited space managed.
What is the white powder fertilizer are you using?
OMG Jenna, are those chipmonk skulls on the shelf in your greenhouse??? LOL!
Please tell me that one of them is not Alvin. Do they keep the chipmonks out?
Great video, Jenna. Especially interesting to me because I’ve done a lot of experimenting with transplanting vs direct sow this year. My greenhouse was full to the rafters so I’ve realized with my experiments that I can direct sow several things next year. As long as Ohio cooperates, that is. 🙄😂
i need to know this for planting out fall crops in mid to late summer. It eludes me to know when and how to sow or seed start indoors cooler weather crops in the heat of summer for a fall harvest.
I’ve tried transplant and direct seeding marigolds and zinnias. Direct sown either doesn’t sprout, or the birds rip them right out. Transplants to be spindly, and birds will occasionally still rip them out. The best luck I have are the volunteers. Go figure.
Thank you for sharing all of your knowledge about plant's.
I direct sowed green bean's, summer squash, Calendula, and Anise Hyssop.
I'm in Florida and use buckets or grow bag's on my patio. We had a long drought here and we're just starting to get some rain. With the feels like temp being over 100° it's sometimes hard to grow anything. Sweet potatoes have done great.
I can't get rid of leaf miner's.
I’m at the point of transplanting nearly everything from seedlings that I started inside. I think the only thing that I direct seeded this year were carrots and radishes. I also did a few sowings of lettuce when I planted out my pre-started seedlings. Two years ago I tried to direct seed a fall bed of brassicas and they did really great! I was surprised because I started those seeds in the middle of August and I live in the south, it’s hot! But I covered with row cover and was diligent about watering and they sprouted beautifully, to my surprise. Last year, the summer was so brutal I could not get seeds to germinate no matter how hard I tried… Likely because I couldn’t keep the soil moist enough. So I am going back to starting my seedlings inside for the fall garden as well. The weather patterns are just way too unpredictable and I guess I’m a bit of a control freak!😂😂😂
Great and thorough information here! Sunflowers are one thing that I definitely can’t grow from direct seeding—too many hungry critters out there! And I’ve tried nasturtiums both ways, but the ease and success rate of popping a seed in beats out caring for a transplant any day.
You accidentally misspoke when discussing your “always transplanted” herbs. The first time you said you direct sow basil, thyme, parsley and oregano. Then you said you start them indoors and transplant. Just FYI.
Great video And I love Thrive Market Been purchasing from them for over a year
Youtube still isn't showing your videos in my feed… but since clicking the bell it does at least let me know when your new videos are out… so I'll keep up to date that way.
Since making my greenhouse and being able to start seeds in there I've found planting out gives me the benefit of knowing that what's growing in my veggie patch is actually something I want (I'm still not great at recognising weeds/crops) so that's very helpful in letting me get some crops… that and it is nice being able to have things look a bit less chaotic 🙂
I direct sowed corn this year never again i did so much better starting them indoors last year
Great video- noticed your cucurbits were in smaller seed trays – seeds need to be in 3.5 or 4 inch pots to do well as transplants for root development.
Great informative, expert video again! You are the best Jenna, I follow many gardeners across the globe but your channel is by far the highest quality! A huge extra that you garden in Ohio, like I do. I am learning so much from you, thank you!
Thank you, Jenna. I direct seed everything this year as it is my first growing season in GA 7b. Everything is growing well, except eggplant, peppers and some tomatoes. Super slow growth. My season is long enough to make it work but i am considering to do transplant for those slow growth vegetable next year. Also my cool crop such as cabbage , cauliflower, broccoli didn't develop due to warm weather. So that would benefit from transplant.
Garden sure looking good this year