When it comes to early-season gardening, there are definitely seeds you should start indoors for better results, such as warm-weather crops that take a long time to mature (tomatoes, peppers) or cool-weather crops that take a long time to germinate (parsley, celery).
And while it’s tempting to start all your seeds inside while you’re waiting for the ground to thaw or the weather to cooperate, certain cool-season seeds don’t need to be started indoors at all—they’re best sown directly in the garden.
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What are cool-season seeds?
These are crops that prefer to grow in cool weather (from early spring to early summer, or from fall to winter) and in many instances, they actually grow better when it’s a tad chilly. Cool-season crops don’t like heat and will respond by slowing down significantly (if they don’t stop growing altogether), turning tough and bitter, or bolting prematurely.
Some cool-season seeds can be sown as early as February in certain climates, and if you’re in a warmer growing zone, you may be able to seed them in the garden now.
Here’s what I recommend direct sowing in the garden as soon as your soil is workable.
Peas
There’s no need to start peas indoors, because the large seeds and quick germination times mean they’re one of the easiest seeds to direct sow! And since you have to sow a lot of seeds to get a decent size harvest from those plants, doing this outside will save valuable indoor space for other seedlings under your grow lights.
Peas love cool weather and will germinate in cool soil (40°F to 75°F is their sweet spot—they’ll take a little longer to sprout on the low end of that range, but they’re always one of the first seeds I sow in spring). If you live in a drier climate or tend to forget to water, you can soak your seeds first to speed up germination. I direct sow peas about six weeks before my last frost date.
Beets
Root crops, in general, like to be sown where they’ll be growing. While beets aren’t as sensitive to transplanting as carrots (see below), they’re still a good candidate for direct sowing because the seeds are easier to handle.
Beet seeds are actually multigerm seed balls, so you’ll get several seedlings sprouting from a single seed. As they grow, you can harvest microgreens or baby beet greens while you thin the seedlings—a bonus!
Beet seeds can be direct sown about two weeks before your last frost. I like to make a shallow trench with my Cobrahead and drop the seeds in every 2 to 3 inches. This biointensive spacing means I’ll have enough for beet greens and baby beets (which I love in salads) and enough for mature beets.
Carrots
Carrots really do not like their roots disturbed. Even if you started them indoors and grew them to a good transplant size, it’s quite labor-intensive to plant them out in the garden while making sure their tiny taproots remain as straight as possible. (Believe me, I’ve tried many times!)
The good thing is that carrots can germinate in cooler soil temperatures (minimum of 40°F), so you don’t have to wait too long to plant them outside. Sow the seeds about four weeks before your last frost (or as soon as your soil is workable), since they benefit from maturing during cool spring weather, when they naturally become sweeter.
Spinach
While you can start spinach indoors, it tends to be a sensitive crop that doesn’t respond to stress very well. The seedling develops a taproot, making it tricky to transplant unless you’re using soil blocks, peat pots, or newspaper pots. If your spinach isn’t happy about being moved, it may bolt prematurely.
Luckily, spinach is quick to grow and doesn’t mind cooler soil temperatures, making it ideal for direct sowing. About six weeks before your last frost date (once the soil is above 35°F), you can sow your first round of spinach seeds. (I like to sow seeds every couple of weeks for continuous harvests.)
Mixed salad greens
You know those seed packet blends (sometimes called mesclun) that offer a mix of leafy greens, like lettuce, arugula, and mustards? They’re perfect for direct sowing!
That’s because salad greens don’t need to be grown in rows, or even with proper plant spacing—they’re well suited for growing as a verdant carpet of baby greens that you can harvest continuously. And if one plant seems to be crowding out the others, you can simply cut the whole head and let the rest of your salad greens fill in.
Lettuces can be sown around four weeks before the last frost as soon as the soil is workable. The easiest way to direct sow seeds is to broadcast a handful of seeds over the soil and rake them in lightly with a hand rake (like this one, which is what I use).
Cilantro
Cilantro (like other plants in the Apiaceae family—see the carrots I mentioned above) hates to be moved around because its long, delicate taproot is sensitive to being handled. If you try to transplant cilantro, you’ll likely stress the plant and cause it to bolt prematurely.
Direct sow cilantro seeds about three weeks before your last frost date. An even easier way to sow them? Let your plants go to seed at the end of the season and spread their seeds naturally! They’ll germinate on their own the following spring when conditions are just right.
Dill
This annual herb is another member of the Apiaceae family that does not transplant easily. Dill is a drama queen that dislikes its roots being disturbed, so you’re better off sowing seeds directly in the garden.
They can be scattered in the soil about three weeks before the last frost, but personally, I never have to sow dill seeds because the plants reseed themselves so well at the end of the season! It’s a much easier way to grow dill at home, since their flowers are also well loved by bees and other pollinators.
