Which Vegetables to Direct Sow and Which to Transplant
Start tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onions, and cabbage family crops indoors. Direct sow root crops, beans, peas, and corn. Squash, cucumbers, and melons w...
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Which Vegetables to Direct Sow and Which to Transplant
Start slow, long-season crops indoors so they are big enough to set out after frost. Sow fast crops and crops with touchy roots straight in the garden. This also decides which seed you need first, since start-indoors crops need seed weeks before the rest.
The Seed Order Planner groups your order into start-indoors and direct-sow lists.
Start Indoors
| Crop | Start before last frost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Onions and leeks | 10 to 12 weeks | Slow from seed. Need size before long days trigger bulbing. |
| Peppers and eggplant | 8 to 10 weeks | Slow to germinate and need warm soil to grow. |
| Tomatoes | 6 to 8 weeks | Need a long warm season to ripen fruit. |
| Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts | 4 to 6 weeks before setting out | Head up best in cool weather, so a head start matters. |
| Head lettuce | 4 to 6 weeks before setting out | Even spacing and an earlier harvest. |
Direct Sow
- Carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, rutabaga, and parsnips. Root crops fork or stall when moved.
- Beans, peas, and sweet corn. Large seed sprouts fast in warm enough soil. Transplanting gains little.
- Spinach, leaf lettuce, mustard, and other baby greens. Sow thick and thin, or cut as baby greens.
- Okra. Sow after soil reaches about 65 F.
Either Way
Cucumbers, squash, melons, and pumpkins grow fast from direct sowing once soil is warm. In zones 3 to 5, starting them 3 to 4 weeks early in pots helps melons and winter squash ripen. Their roots do not like being disturbed, so sow in individual pots and set out without pulling the root ball apart.
Kale, collards, kohlrabi, chard, and bok choy also work either way.
Seed Amounts Differ
Transplants need about 1.5 seeds per plant you want. Direct-sown small seed needs about 3 per plant because you thin. See how many seeds to buy and the seed-starting calendar for your dates.
Sources: Virginia Cooperative Extension 426-331, Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide; University of Minnesota Extension, Starting seeds indoors.