My Ultimate Guide To Seed Sowing & What To Sow Now
Each year, I find myself really looking forward to March, as March is a big month for seed sowing. I thoroughly enjoy shopping for seeds, often at Burford Garden Co. and yes, I tend to get a little carried away! When it comes to choosing what to sow, I’d recommend growing what you like to eat; growing vegetables that are hard to find in the shops, and that includes unusual and colourful varieties such as purple dwarf beans or yellow beetroot. Growing your own vegetables is also great if you are interested in nutrition, as many of the crops that we find in the supermarkets have been bred to grow big and to grow quickly, at the expense of flavour and nutritional value. If seed sowing appeals to you but you don’t have a garden, don’t worry as you can grow several crops indoors – such as seed sprouts, micro-greens, herbs, and if you have a very sunny windowsill, you could even grow chillies indoors.
If you want your vegetables to taste amazing and be packed full of nutrients, it’s a good idea to choose heritage seed varieties, as modern varieties have often been bred for size and speed which reduces their nutrition. Because of this, my favourite online places to buy seeds are The Heritage Organic Seed Company, Vital Seeds and She Grows Veg as they all offer colourful heritage varieties which can’t be found in supermarkets and will be packed full of vitamins and polyphenols.
WHAT CAN YOU SOW IN MARCH?
If you haven’t already, March is the perfect time to sow your tomato, chilli, aubergine and sweet pepper seeds, as long as you have somewhere warm for them to germinate. All of these plants require quite a long season to grow and for the fruits to ripen, so it’s best to start them early, but as I mentioned they all need warmth to germinate, so be sure to keep them indoors on a sunny window sill until the weather warms up.
You can also sow things like broad beans, peas, kale and spinach in modules in March, and then once these seedlings outgrow their modules, they can be transplanted directly out into the garden.
There is not a huge amount of equipment needed to get started with seed sowing. Once you’ve chosen your seeds, the next most important thing to consider is your compost. I’d recommend using certified organic compost, as non-organic composts have artificial fertilisers added to them. My favourite organic compost is Rocket Grow which is chemical free, and is available on Amazon. You may want to go for the specific seed and cutting compost as it has the perfect balance of nutrients for young plants, and is a little finer in texture.
You’ll also need a seed tray or two; or you can repurpose household items to sow in, such as an egg carton, or a selection of toilet roll tubes held vertically within a plant pot. It will also be helpful to have a trowel, plant labels, and a pair of gardening gloves.
SPRING
HOW TO SOW IN SEED TRAYS
When you’re ready to sow your seeds, the first thing to do will be to prepare your compost. You want to make sure your compost is lump-free, and to do this you can use a compost sieve, or you can simply break up the lumps with your hands.
Fill your seed tray with your prepared compost until each cell is almost full, and press the compost down lightly. It’s a good idea to water the compost at this stage rather than after you put your seeds in, as you don’t want to wash your delicate little seeds away.
Next, you want to consider how many seeds you’re going to place in each cell. Some vegetables can be multi-sown, meaning you place 2-4 seeds in one cell, and you keep the 2-4 shoots together when you plant them out in their final growing spot. You can multi-sow spinach, radish, leeks and more. Other crops, such as broad beans prefer to grow alone, meaning you might only put one seed in each cell.
I’d recommend labelling as you go. Plan out which varieties will go in each cell (you might do two rows of spinach, two rows of spring onions and two rows of basil in one seed tray for example) and label as you go to ensure you don’t get confused.
When placing your seeds, leave them exposed on the surface until every seed has been placed so you don’t forget which cells contain seeds. Next, scatter a thin layer of compost over the surface. As a general rule, you want to cover each seed with a layer of compost that is around the same thickness as the seed.
Leave your seed trays somewhere warm; such as a sunny window sill or on a heated mat to speed up germination, and make sure the seedlings receive full-sun once they’ve germinated, to ensure you grow thick healthy seedlings, rather than weak leggy seedlings.
Getting started with seed sowing really is that easy! You will learn through trial and error, so don’t be afraid to give it a go. Seed sowing is low-stakes, so just get started. I’d love to see what you’re sowing this month, so be sure to tag me on Instagram @JosieLDN.
