Direct-seeding next year

Next year I'm planning to direct-seed everything, except okra (because okra takes ages to germinate and mature when direct-seeded here), maybe peppers, strawberries and maybe a few odds and ends. I've been looking at my reseeded and direct-seeded plants, and they seem to have considerable advantages over my transplants (in cold-hardiness, drought-hardiness, appearance, etc.). Plus, they don't have the time-delay that comes with transplanting. True, germination rates may not be as good for all varieties, but I have lots of seeds.

I know people say tomatoes that are direct-seeded take a lot more time to get fruit, but I'm not sure if that's as true as most people think. When people say x days from transplant and y days from seed, they might be considering that y was also transplanted (and are just calculating the days from being seeded in small containers) on to after they're transplanted and have fruit, which shouldn't be the same as days from seed if direct-seeded (whether or not it would be longer/shorter).

I'll probably direct-seed a lot of stuff in April, next year (or before if I use milk jugs). Direct-seeded plants don't seem to care about cold as much in my gareden (so, that's why I wouldn't wait until the last frost was over).

Anyway, I need something to cut down on things vying for my attention, and I think this will help. I'll probably grow less tomato varieties next year. I might stick with early indeterminates and a few other choice varieties. As for this year, I've still got 101! Granted, all but three varieties (five plants) have a late start, due to a later frost-free season this year, fatigue, and my having started the seeds two weeks or so later than last year. Hopefully I'll find lots more choice varieties.

As for now, I'm direct-seeding a bunch of watermelon. A number of the transplants died.

About the advantages for direct-seeded plants, it seems that tomatoes transplanted very early are capable of obtaining some of those advantages, too, eventually.

[Rockporter]

There is a lady here in our area who never starts seeds indoors. She even starts tomatoes in the middle of summer by putting them in an area with mostly shade through the day. She covers with milk jugs she cut the bottoms out of and keeps the lids. She can take the lid off to allow more air in or close it when there is a storm coming. Her plants always do well.

[AlittleSalt]

Shule1, thanks for this this thread. I have been giving some thought to this for a while - a long while...Decades.

Everything my grandfathers and father started in their gardens were from seed - including tomatoes. That was back in the 60s and 70s. They grew some really great gardens.

Over the past 7 years of my gardening experience, I have learned that volunteers out produce plants that are transplanted. "After all, they're growing like weeds."

Originally Posted by Rockporter

There is a lady here in our area who never starts seeds indoors. She even starts tomatoes in the middle of summer by putting them in an area with mostly shade through the day. She covers with milk jugs she cut the bottoms out of and keeps the lids. She can take the lid off to allow more air in or close it when there is a storm coming. Her plants always do well.

Wow. That's pretty cool. Thanks for your reply. She sounds like my kind of person. You must get some awesome storms. It takes quite a bit to disrupt a plant coming from above an open milk jug hole (although I've had it happen once—it was an enormous amount of heavy rain, unusual for my area).

I use milk jugs to protect plants from frost and to a lesser degree, from other weather/insects (sans grasshoppers that hatch under the jug), wind, and dry air. I haven't tried them in shade in the middle of summer, though.

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Shule1, thanks for this this thread. I have been giving some thought to this for a while - a long while...Decades.

Everything my grandfathers and father started in their gardens were from seed - including tomatoes. That was back in the 60s and 70s. They grew some really great gardens.

Over the past 7 years of my gardening experience, I have learned that volunteers out produce plants that are transplanted. "After all, they're growing like weeds."

You're welcome. Thanks for your words.

Speaking of weeds, I think tomatoes are our most abundant weed in the watermelon/muskmelon patch, this year (tomatoes were there last year). They're outdoing the lambsquarter, amaranth, morning glory, calendula (it's reseeds like a weed), prickly lettuce, catnip, horehound, creeping charlie, grass, and whatever else we have, currently. They're a lot easier to control than some of those things, though.

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by shule1

Wow. That's pretty cool. Thanks for your reply. She sounds like my kind of person. You must get some awesome storms. It takes quite a bit to disrupt a plant coming from above an open milk jug hole (although I've had it happen once—it was an enormous amount of heavy rain, unusual for my area).

I use milk jugs to protect plants from frost and to a lesser degree, from other weather/insects (sans grasshoppers that hatch under the jug), wind, and dry air. I haven't tried them in shade in the middle of summer, though.

Yeah, it's pretty hot and humid in the summer. I think the closing of the jug is to keep out the heavy rainfall but also for winter time when she is sewing seeds for the next season. She has a nice yard with plenty of shaded areas she can do this, but my yard is not setup with all the trees around me like she has. She has the ability to surround her jugs with other pots growing this seasons things which then protect the jug from the wind. She's got a pretty cool setup.

[Labradors2]

I used to do that! I would diligently pick up any large tomatoes that rotted in the garden, while leaving any cherries that fell. I knew that any volunteers would be cherries, and I'd simply select the biggest ones and re-plant them in a row. It always worked really well!

BTW I never knew that Sweet Million was an F1 and it seemed to grow true.

Linda

[Salsacharley]

I've been considering direct seeding some tomato plants into 5 gal containers, wondering why that wouldn't work out well. I'd love to bypass the transplant step. I do worry about the high winds and wild temperature swings, and having a very large number of plants makes protecting each individual seedling a real chore.

[kameronth]

It may work in your zone. My volunteer tomato plants will set flowers, but I've never had them go to fruit with my short growing season. Transplanting is a must for my zone.

[Lowcountry]

I've thought about this as well. Wonder how it work here in SC?

Originally Posted by Rockporter

Yeah, it's pretty hot and humid in the summer. I think the closing of the jug is to keep out the heavy rainfall but also for winter time when she is sewing seeds for the next season. She has a nice yard with plenty of shaded areas she can do this, but my yard is not setup with all the trees around me like she has. She has the ability to surround her jugs with other pots growing this seasons things which then protect the jug from the wind. She's got a pretty cool setup.

I usually just build up soil around the sides of my jugs to lock them in place, to protect them from wind and curious cats. We tend to get probably above average wind here, but maybe your area is even more windy. This year hasn't been very windy, though. You have to be careful with small plants if you remove the jugs, since the dirt around may be taller than the plants and may smother them during watering if you're not careful.

Originally Posted by Lowcountry

I've thought about this as well. Wonder how it work here in SC?

I'm curious about that, too. I don't know why it wouldn't work in the southern states.

People from there might have things to say.

If it gets above 95° F. that's supposed to make it harder for tomatoes to sprout. I don't know how hot it is in your area during the time you would want to seed.

Originally Posted by Salsacharley

I've been considering direct seeding some tomato plants into 5 gal containers, wondering why that wouldn't work out well. I'd love to bypass the transplant step. I do worry about the high winds and wild temperature swings, and having a very large number of plants makes protecting each individual seedling a real chore.

I think it can work pretty well if you do it right, but make sure it's not too hot by the time you do it (or else maybe shade it to cool it like Rockporter mentioned). However, with containers, you'll want to make sure you have a soil the seeds will sprout in. Not all container soils are great for germination. I had tomatillos and a tomato reseed in a container once (very early). I left two tomatillos in and they did quite well. I transplanted the tomato. They had overwintered in the soil. Disturbing the soil and watering seems to encourage earlier germination for reseeded seeds.

I know it's not supposed to be ideal, but I used garden soil (mixed with peat moss) for my container (which is why it had tomatillo seeds in it). I didn't grow tomatillos in the same container the year before.

[brownrexx]

It depends on how long your growing season is I guess. My seedlings that I set out in May are probably 6 weeks old and I get tomatoes and peppers in late July.

If I direct seeded my plants I guess that I wouldn't get fruits until late August or September and that is too late for me.

My soil is too cold for seedlings of warm weather plants like tomatoes or peppers to do much growing before the middle of May even under milk jugs.

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by shule1

I usually just build up soil around the sides of my jugs to lock them in place, to protect them from wind and curious cats. We tend to get probably above average wind here, but maybe your area is even more windy. This year hasn't been very windy, though. You have to be careful with small plants if you remove the jugs, since the dirt around may be taller than the plants and may smother them during watering if you're not careful.

We are on the Gulf Of Mexico and she is only 1 mile from the coast. I am about 5 miles from the coast. The wind pretty much swirls around us here, and it's usually some good wind gusts that come with it.