First and foremost, I just want to remind you that this is all my opinion, based on my own experience, reading, and learning. When it comes to gardening, there is no one be-all-end-all way to do anything. So please take what I suggest here and apply it to your own needs. Try it, use what works, and adapt as necessary. And please share your thoughts and experiences with me, too - we’re all learning and growing.
In Situ vs. Ex Situ
In situ means “in the place,” and refers to seeds you plant directly in the ground; rather than seeds that you germinate in flats and then transplant (considered ex situ).
I have found that in general planting in situ is easier, faster, uses less resources (water, propagation supplies, time), and creates healthier plants. I planted several things back to back while experimenting last year. Below you’ll see a drastic difference between butternut seedlings planted in situ and one transplanted after germinating in the growing rack (photo below):
In the foreground is a small butternut seedling, transplanted about a week before the picture was taken. In the background are butternut seedlings planted in situ. All the seeds were planted on the same day.
Here’s another photo of the same plants (the transplant is in the upper left corner):
That’s extreme, but in each of my experiments I found that either the seeds planted in situ produced more rigorous plants, or I found no difference. And if I found no difference, why put myself through the pain of nurturing a seedling in a growing rack when I could just plant it outside with much less effort?
Reasons to Plant Ex Situ.
There are reasons to do so. They include: conserving water (you only have to water one tray of plants versus a whole bed), getting a jump start in colder climates (you can start a seedling indoors several weeks before you could plant seeds outdoors), giving the beds another month of benefit from cover crops, being able to control the elements - in other words being able to easily shelter a vulnerable seedling from sun, wind, rain, dryness and cold.
So you have to decide what is best for you, based on your own conditions. My list below includes mostly plants that grow well in situ, as I have found that to be the easiest, most reliable way of starting seeds.
Top Ten Easiest Vegetables to Grow from Seed.
1. Beans: pole beans, bush beans, soy beans, lima beans, soup beans, runner beans... any beans. Last year I accounted for every single bean I planted except for three. I finally found those three growing in the front yard - I believe an animal of some kind had carried it away from its original site and planted it there. Of the many, many beans I planted last year, every one of them came up and thrived.
2. Squash: I only planted winter squash from seed, but I suspect this is true for summer squash as well. You saw the squash seeding experiment above. I planted blue ballet squash in mid-August last year, and we harvested at least 25 squash before the frosts came in mid-November.
Once upon a time, there was a row in the middle of this photo...
and then it became filled with a deluge of squash:
3. Mesclun Lettuces/Mustard Greens: I planted several mesclun mixes, arugula, red mustard greens, and bronze arrow lettuce. Most of them came up and did well, whether planted in situ or ex situ. Due to successional planting, we had wonderful mixed green salads throughout December and January. Right now we only have mustard greens and bronze arrow lettuce remaining. But considering my last planting date was in September, I’ve been extremely impressed.
4. Beets: I grew several kinds in situ, and all did well. We’ve been eating the greens throughout the winter, and because we haven’t pulled them up, some are nearly the size of basketballs right now!
5. Kale: I transplanted these from the growing rack. Every one of them survived the process, and the plants are huge right now. With some of the sweetest kale I’ve ever had.
6. Radishes: A caveat here... the first time I tried to grow them, very few came up. I believe they were just too hot. The second batch I tried grew very well. I grew them beneath the beans, so they had some shelter from the sun. They grow very fast - if you’re looking for instant gratification, this is the plant to grow. Plus, if you let some go to flower, you will find lots of new beneficial insects coming to your garden. Ours have been blooming throughout the winter.
7. Tomatillos: I transplanted these from the growing rack. They all did well, and produced loads of tomatillos. We made an amazing salsa from them, and I hope to do a lot more of that this year. Apparently they are a reseeding annual, meaning they inevitably leave seeds for the following year. We shall see! I’ll also be planting some new varieties.
8. Broccoli: Planted them in situ, and they all came up and did well. Absolutely no complaints, excepting that I would plant them successionally this year rather than all at once. Ten heads of broccoli ready at the same time is a little much! Fortunately if you harvest just the head rather than the whole plant, they will sprout new heads laterally on each side for a second, albeit smaller, harvest.
As you can see in the following picture, the flowers are favored by beneficial insects. The flowers are edible, too - quite sweet.
9. Carrots: I love fresh carrots. Never ever have liked carrots much before - they always tasted a little too much like dirt. Not anymore! Wowie wow wow do I like them now. My caveat is that they take a long time to germinate, and a very long time to get very big. So you have to cast the seed (in situ), and then wait for several months to harvest them. But they’ll be worth it! And they’re pretty low maintenance while you’re waiting - a little water here, a little weeding there is all.
10. My tenth might be scallions, beetberry (easy to grow, but I don’t particularly like the taste), peppers... but I’m going to ask you what you think here - what do you find easiest to grow?
