Gardening is a love affair that lasts a long time and requires time and patience. It's not often that you come across shortcuts that yield results with little effort. But when there are certain ways to circumscribe long and tedious work, it would be foolish to not grab them.

One such way is direct seeding. This means to literally sow seeds into soil directly, without bothering about pots and beds. Gardeners usually pick this one for vibrant and colorful flowerbeds, as it's one of the easiest ways to a beautiful garden.
Direct seeding offers quite a few advantages, as you will see below:

The most visible advantage of this method is that it allows you to do away with the elaborate paraphernalia for gardening. No more recycled containers, no more light fixtures, no more bags of fancy mix. And surprise, your windowsills are spared, too!
It also doesn't burn a hole in your wallet. Apart from saving on expensive supplies, you also save on bedding plants. You can get results at 1/10th the actual cost of what you would have to pay your local greenhouse for annuals.

More importantly, you can choose all the varieties that aren't available in your locality. Franklin Hill Garden Seeds is a small western Pennsylvania company that specializes in rare flowers and vines, most of which are fantastic choices for direct seeding.

David Quatchak, proprietor of the company, is a veteran gardener and advocates direct seeding. His small catalog "Poke 'n' Grow" lists a variety of annuals that flower quickly when sown directly.
He quotes from experience when he says that flowers like nasturtiums, sunflowers and hollyhocks, though annuals and favorites for direct seeding, don't thrive well in flatbeds. This has resulted in greenhouses completely ignoring them, as these varieties are unable to tolerate the heavy rate of transplantation that greenhouses practice.

Annual vines are another story altogether. Since they require support in the form of a stake, garden houses get only a couple of hours to display and move them before they are disturbed or damaged by eager customers.

Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) though, is an excellent choice for enthusiastic beginners, he says. An annual vine with bright foliage, it blooms quickly but is not sold in greenhouses for the reason cited above. The seeds tend to germinate, hence making it a prime choice for direct seeding.

Quatchak urges new gardeners to not knock direct seeding till they've tried it. It is what gardening is all about, after all. To support this, Poke 'n' Grow offers many varieties that germinate within a week and have a long season of bloom.

Make sure that the soil is fine enough for direct seeding, as direct contact is essential for germination, he advises. Also, take care to space the seeds at least a couple of feet apart and thin regularly so that one strong seedling thrives in a group. As you go, you will learn from experience the correct techniques for direct seeding.

If you like Gardening....These pages might also interest you:

Allium Directory, Amaryllis Directory, Begonia Directory, Crocus Directory, Daffodils Directory, Dahlia Directory, Hyacinth Directory, Iris Directory, Lily Directory, Tulip Directory

Also see:

A Love Affair With Gardening, Charming Camillias, Firescaping, Gardening for the Family, Garden Rodents, Garden Catalogs, General Gardening Tips. Gardens in the Shade, Hot Summer Cool Garden, How to Plant Leeks, Involve Your Children, Outfits for Gardening, Photograph Your Garden, Plant Care Basics, Using Leaves as Compost, What to Avoid Buying Guide, Cheap Garden Ideas, Creating Garden Berms, Garden Fragrances, Garden Lessons, Gardening for The Challenged, Gardening is Great, Gardening Math, Gardening Tools, How to Use Peat, More About Gardening, Love affair with Lilacs, Organic Gardening, Slow Down and Enjoy, Smart Plant Shopping, Tips for Beginners