Cultivation or direct sowing: When and which vegetables to propagate?

Pre-growing vegetable plants: Advantages of growing

When pre-cultivating indoors, you can influence the growing conditions to give the seedlings a good start. For example, you can use special potting compost that is relatively lean. This promotes root formation in the young plants, as they have to develop more space in their search for nutrients. There is also a relatively constant temperature in the house, which is particularly important for plants with a high germination temperature. Pre-growing vegetable plants can have even more advantages and can be useful depending on the crop and region. You can find all the advantages of propagation below.

Earlier sowing and harvesting

If you pre-grow your plants in a warm house on the windowsill, you can start sowing before the last frosts. In a warm spot, your tender young plants will be protected from the cold and won't suffer any damage. Early sowing also allows you to harvest earlier. This extends the growing season, which makes it possible to harvest particularly heat-loving crops such as peppers and tomatoes. You can find out how to preplant tomatoes and what you need to bear in mind here.

Protection against pests and weeds

The protective four walls not only protect your seedlings from the cold, but also from pests and wild herbs. In an unprotected vegetable patch, young plants are often a tasty morsel for snails and could also quickly be overgrown by wild herbs. As soon as your plants are larger, they will be better able to hold their own against other plants and establish themselves in the vegetable patch.

Save seeds

You can use your seeds much more sparingly when pre-growing. They cannot be blown away, washed away or snatched by birds. In addition, you don't sow generously in rows, but rather selectively in seed trays or pots. Alternatively, you can also make soil pots with a soil baler for plastic-free cultivation.

Which vegetables need to be preplanted?

It is particularly worthwhile to propagate slow-growing and heat-loving plants indoors. They require a relatively high germination temperature and can make good use of the extended growth phase. These include nightshade plants (tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, etc.) and pumpkin plants (courgettes, cucumbers, melons, etc.). You can find more tips and instructions for growing peppers and chillies in this article.

Various types of cabbage (head cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, etc.) also benefit from early sowing indoors, as they grow relatively slowly. As soon as it is warm enough outside, they can be planted out in the bed to make the most of the summer! As the tender leaves of young lettuce are often eaten by snails, lettuce is also often grown in advance. Unlike the nightshade and pumpkin plants, however, it is not absolutely necessary to pre-grow the plants. There can also be advantages to sowing these plants directly.

When to sow seeds for vegetables seedlings?

Most seed packets indicate the optimum time for sowing indoors and outdoors. For most plants, you can start growing indoors in early to mid-March so that the plants can be planted outdoors after the Ice Saints in mid-May. If you don't have time to grow your own vegetable plants this year, you can of course always buy young plants from the market, gardener or garden centre.

Pre-cultivation of vegetables: what you need to know

Make sure there is enough light

When pre-cultivated in a protected room, the plants may become very weak due to a lack of stimuli. If they do not get enough light, for example, they will grow unnecessarily tall and will not be able to bear their leaves later on with their unstable shoots. So make sure they get enough light! If you only have a few bright spots available, you can also use special UV lamps to help. You can find out more about plant lamps for growing plants in this article.

Watch the temperature

When choosing a location, you should also make sure that it is not too warm. In this case, the motto ‘a lot helps a lot’ does not apply. The plants should not be placed on a radiator, as the soil would dry out too quickly. A bright spot on the windowsill at a moderate room temperature is completely sufficient for growing!

Ensure sufficient moisture

This brings us directly to the next and very important point: sufficient moisture. Especially in the germination and early development phase, you should always ensure sufficient moisture. If the soil dries out repeatedly, the seeds cannot germinate properly. In addition, a lack of water can very quickly cost a tender young plant its life.

You can find everything you need to know about growing vegetable plants in this article. We give you numerous tips on how to successfully grow healthy seedlings.

Direct sowing and its advantages

Direct sowing also has its advantages. You can find out what these are and which vegetable plants are better sown directly below.

More robust plants

Direct-sown plants are generally more robust; they are hardened by a wide range of environmental influences. The wind, for example, ensures that the plants grow more stably due to the constant stimulus. The robust young plants are also less susceptible to pests (e.g. aphids) in comparison, they just must not fall victim to snails.

No pricking or transplanting

What also speaks in favour of direct sowing is the stress factor that arises when transplanting. Transplanting always means stress for plants! In nature, a change of location is actually only intended for the seed. It is carried away by animals or the wind to germinate in another place. Once the seed has sprouted and taken root, it has no reason to move, as the growing conditions appear to be suitable. The change of location is therefore only due to human intervention and not only damages the roots, but also tears the young plant out of its familiar environment.

Consistent growth

A diverse flora of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms lives in the soil. This flora can support the germination of seeds. When the seed sprouts, it automatically connects to the complex network in the soil. If the plant is then moved to another location, these connections are severed. The plant must then re-establish such connections in its new location in order to grow well. You have probably observed this before when planting young plants. At first the plants seem out of place, but after a few days you notice how they seem to connect with their surroundings and become stronger. Some plants manage to form new connections, but others are too weakened and die.

Our tip: Direct sowing saves you time anyway. With a seed tape, you can make your direct sowing even easier and more effortless. You can find out how to make your own seed tape in this article.

Suitable plants for direct sowing

There are plants that should definitely be sown directly, as they have very sensitive roots. Transplanting would damage the roots and weaken the plant to an extreme degree. These include root vegetables such as carrots, beetroot and radishes. But beans and peas also thrive better when sown directly into the bed. You can find tips on sowing and propagating peas here in this article. This is because they form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil. Legumes can only form this bond later when they are grown in advance. Pre-sowing is generally possible with lettuce and has advantages if you have to deal with a lot of snails in your beds. However, direct-sown lettuce is less prone to bolting. In general, most crops are suitable for direct sowing in the bed. Only slow-growing plants and those with a high germination temperature are worth growing indoors.

What you should consider when direct sowing

With these tips, you'll be well on your way to a rich harvest!

Ensure sufficient humidity

Even with direct sowing, sufficient moisture is essential during the germination phase! So make sure that your fresh seeds never dry out.

Protect seeds with a garden fleece

If you want to sow directly into the bed despite cooler temperatures, you can use special garden fleece. The fleece has an insulating function and can thus create a favourable microclimate for germination. After sowing, you should regularly check whether germination has started and remove the fleece in good time so that the young plants can develop properly.

Press seeds well

To minimise seed loss, you should press the seeds down firmly. This is particularly important for light sprouts (e.g. lettuce), as the seeds are not covered with soil, but laid open on the ground. Additional bird netting can be helpful here to ensure that your seeds survive until germination and are not nibbled.

Whether pre-grown or direct sown, each of the two methods has its advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, it depends on the plant chosen as to whether it is worth growing indoors or not.

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