Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Sowing vegetable seeds
Any open, sunny patch of ground can be turned into a productive vegetable plot. Just follow this step-by-step guide for the best possible start.
As long as the soil is warm and moist, seed can be sown and it will germinate quickly. In practice, this usually means that mid-spring to early summer and late summer are the best times to sow. If you’re prepared to provide the crop with protection, such as cloches or fleece, sowing can begin earlier. Likewise, regular watering will make it possible to raise rows of seedlings in summer.
Beds should be dug over in advance to allow time for the soil to settle. New beds can benefit from double digging, but turning the soil over to a spade’s depth is usually sufficient. Cover over the roughly dug bed with plastic or a double layer of fleece to suppress weeds and, in early spring, to help warm up the soil.
When you are ready to sow, uncover the bed. Use a rake to level the surface and create a crumble-like tilth. Then pick off any remaining weeds and debris.
Place a cane or stake across the bed and lightly push it into the surface. This will create a drill (shallow depression). The drills should be spaced according to the instructions on the seed packet.
Thinly scatter the seed into the bottom of the drill. Don’t be over enthusiastic (sowing dozens of seeds to the inch) if the plants will need to be spaced a long way apart according to the seed packet.
Use a rake to gently cover the seed with soil. Then water the row, unless the soil is very damp.
Before you forget where the row is and what you’ve sown, place a label in the soil at one end.
Cover the patch with a single layer of fleece. Use a spade to push the edges into the ground to ensure it doesn’t blow away. Remember to water in dry spells.
Leigh Hunt