Debate: is it better to start seeds indoors or direct sow everything?

I've been going back and forth on this for a few seasons now. Last spring I started all my tomatoes and peppers indoors under a cheap grow light and they did great, but the hardening off process was a pain and I lost about 10% to damping off. This year I direct sowed everything except the tomatoes and honestly the beans and squash caught up faster than I expected. Which method do you guys find works best for your climate, and have you had any major failures with either approach?

4 comments

4 Comments

wendy20525d ago

Did you lose the whole tray or just some of them?

murray.gray29d ago

Direct sowing definitely has a learning curve but once you get the timing right it saves a lot of hassle. The damping off thing you mentioned is a good point - I had a whole tray of peppers rot out on me two years ago and switched to bottom watering after that. Might be worth trying a heat mat next time if you go back to starting indoors.

davis.gavin25d ago

Wait, you had a full tray of peppers just rot out like that? That's brutal man. @murray.gray I don't think I could handle that, I'd be so bummed. How long did it take to even notice it was happening?

gray_nelson29d ago

Hey, did you try bottom watering too? I had the exact same damping off disaster with peppers my second year, switched to bottom watering and a fan for airflow, and it made a huge difference. Direct sowing beans and squash always feels like cheating because they just take off so fast it's almost unfair.