Are you new to growing your favourite flowers and crops from seeds? Don’t worry, we’ve all got to start somewhere. That’s why we’ve written this guide on everything you should know about growing seeds and how to sow seeds.

If you’re new to seed sowing or just need a few refreshers, this guide should lend a helping hand. Let’s jump in!

Tools you’ll need

For sowing indoors:

- Trays (modular or normal)
- Lolipop sticks for labels
- Fine compost suitable for seedlings
- Seeds
- Greenhouse/Cold frame/Windowsill

For sowing outdoors:

- A stick or trowel to make drills
- Seeds
- A hoe (to rake away stones)
- Watering can or hose

Sowing Indoors/Undercover

Image: Seedlings in a cold frame

Seedlings that aren’t frost-hardy are best grown indoors. This could be in a greenhouse or cold frame, just to keep them out of the way of the elements while they grow. Sowing indoors can also help gardeners get ahead of the growing season, as it allows you to start your favourite crops and blooms earlier than they could stand if grown directly outdoors.

Greenhouses and cold frames are great at trapping warmth from the sun, holding onto the rays longer than anywhere else. Perfect conditions for seedlings that need heat or at least semi-warm conditions to start growing. You can even start seeds off in the light of a windowsill if you don’t have a greenhouse or cold frame.

How to sow seeds indoors 

You can get seed trays with separate modules, which makes transplanting easier down the line, as it causes minimal root disruption. Sow seeds in each section, as deep as the instructions say (each seed will need different care and planting instructions).

Once the seedlings are about 3-5cm tall, gently remove them from their tray and move them into bigger plastic pots until the weather is stable enough to grow them outdoors. Make sure to label your plants, so you don’t forget what they are weeks later!

Sowing Outdoors

Image: Drills in outdoor soil

Now that the weather is warmer and frost-tender seedlings can stand on their own two feet, it’s also time to start transplanting them outdoors. Frost-hardy seeds, however, can be grown directly outdoors without you needing to worry about whether they’ll survive.

Sowing seeds outside is like growing them indoors – but instead of a tray, we’re using the ground! Prepare your sowing site first, getting rid of stones, rocks, clumps of soil, and weeds. Simply sow your seeds through drills in the ground or just by scattering them over the desired area.

Drills are divots in the ground you can make with a stick or the handle of your trowel. If you’re sowing vegetables or fruit seeds, then your drills will be uniform and well-spaced out. Check your seed’s instructions to double-check spacing and planting depth.

Image: Hardening off plants in the garden

Seedling plugs need hardening off before you pop them outdoors. Hardening off simply means acclimatising young plants to the outdoors without shocking them. Start bringing them outdoors for a few hours about two weeks before you plan on planting them out, increasing it to longer stints over the two weeks. Bring them in at night and put them back out in the morning.

You can also sow seeds outdoors into pots. Use a similar method that you would when sowing seeds into trays. Sow them as deep as their instructions ask for, but as a rule of thumb, large seeds are often pushed into the soil, whereas smaller ones are scattered thinly on top of the soil. Water gently – opting for a watering can with a rose is safest as it won’t dislodge the seeds you just carefully sowed. 

Ready to get started? You can shop our full range of seeds here!