Which Crops Should I Transplant?

How do you know if you should transplant or direct seed a certain crop? When trying to grow a successful garden one of the most important factors is deciding whether it is best to transplant or direct seed crops. The difference between transplanting seeds vs direct seeding is with transplants you are starting the seeds in a seed starting tray which allows you to better control the overall environment when they first start growing. While direct seeding plants you are allowing the plants to be exposed to a riskier environment because you can not control the weather conditions and possible pest pressures.

Transplant vs. Direct Seed List

Beets - BothBroccoli - TransplantBrussel Sprouts - TransplantCabbage - TransplantCauliflower - TransplantCarrots - Direct SeedChard - BothCollards - BothEnglish Peas - BothKale - BothKohlrabi - TransplantLeeks - TransplantGarlic - plant from clovesLettuce - BothMustard/Green Mixes - Direct SeedOnions - TransplantRadish - Direct SeedRutabaga - BothSpinach - Direct SeedTurnipsDirect Seed: Purple Top and White TurnipsTransplant: All Top Turnips

Show and Tell Segment

On the show and tell segment this week, Greg has edible hibiscus that is known to be easy to grow and drought-tolerant which is ideal for the summer heat. The hibiscus is native to Africa and kin to the okra family (Malvaceae). Hibiscus produces a seed pod that is wrapped with capsicum which is a flower that is self-pollinating. Once you peel the capsicum away you can find the seed pod that you can save seeds for next year. Then, the petals are known as the good part as Mr. Greg likes to say. The petals can be boiled down and make tea, syrup, jam, or regular food coloring. Greg also has a new update on his experimenting with the Microgreens project. He has recently grown the most popular microgreen from his research which is sunflowers. The sunflower microgreen is supposed to have the best flavor out of all the microgreen crops you can grow. The sunflower has more of a nuttier flavor and a little better texture which works great for a garnish or in a salad. With microgreens, it is a one-time cut harvest which means they won't grow back once you cut the plants.

Viewer Questions

This week Greg and Travis answer lots of viewer questions to help you succeed in growing your own food. The first question they answer is asking for more information related to monocots and dicots. There are several different characteristics between monocots and dicots but it basically just sums up two different types of plants. Cot stands for cotyledon which is in the seed, monocots have one cotyledon, and dicots have two cotyledons. Another way to tell the difference is the two different leaf veins such as monocots have parallel veins and dicots have branching veins.

The next viewer question is can you plant a greens mix and leave it to overwinter as a cover crop to help break up hard soils. Greg believes that a cocktail mix like daikon radish and a mustard green would work better to help break up tougher soils. The daikon radish will help bust up those deeper soil levels that are common in clay soils. While the mustard is going to give plenty of foliage at the top and great nematode suppression.

Can you start seeds in raised beds then transplant them in the garden? To answer that question, yes you can. Greg mentions that is the best way to grow onions is in a raised bed then transplant them in the ground. When discussing the best way to fertilize carrots, Travis plants his carrots thick on double rows and feeds them pretty well with irrigation especially once the start germinating well. Travis fertilization schedule for carrots is usually just 20-20-20 fertilizer about once a month.