Which way to sow?
Bob Flowerdew considers the relative merits of sowing crops in multi-celled trays versus sowing in situ
NATURALLY, we sow many of our crops in situ, where they are to mature. With crops such as carrots and other longrooted vegetables, this is effectively the only way. However, for most others, we have the option of starting in a more convenient place and planting out later. This ensures our new crops are well spaced and positioned, and allows simpler weed control for longer without a sown crop getting in the way.
On the other hand, plants sown in situ usually are the best – but only if they emerge and survive, which is less certain than planting out young plants. This is much easier now. In the old days they only had clay pots, which were bulky and breakable, and these were not very practical for starting off large numbers of crops. Wooden and then plastic trays (quite shallow) were used, and these worked well, but the roots would entangle and be damaged when seedlings were moved on.
Now we have multi-celled trays in a range of sizes. Those with just six compartments, each the size of a small pot, are handy for sowing large seedlings such as courgettes, or for ‘potting on’ plantlets from smaller cells. Trays of nine or a dozen cells are good for starting off many crops, and for ‘pricking out’, which just means potting on seedlings initially sown together.
But better still is to use even smaller cells, giving each seed its own space from the start. The smallest cells of all, plug size, are too small for almost anything living in them for a long time. But they’re excellent for sowing a large number of seedlings to grow on in increasingly larger cells until planted out. And they are perfect for starting each crop in several small batches to be sure of catching the best growing window.
■ See Anne’s Masterclass on page 50 to find out how you can get more from growing plants with clay pots.
“Multi-celled trays come in a range of sizes”