Spring planting guide: When to sow vegetables and flowers for best harvests
Skip the Seedlings: What to Sow Directly in Your Garden This Spring
Many gardeners rely on starting vegetables indoors, but it's not always necessary. Some crops thrive when sown straight into the soil—and save you the extra effort.
Here's a tried-and-true list of what you can plant directly in the garden as early as April and May.
What to Sow Without Seedlings
- Pumpkins – One of the hardiest crops. Sow pre-sprouted seeds in late April to early May.
- Zucchini – Grows beautifully with direct sowing.
- Cucumbers (outdoors) – Plant pre-sprouted seeds after May 10.
- Peas – Cold-hardy and one of the first to go in the ground.
- Carrots and beets – Sow in April for an early harvest or in late May for storage.
- Sweet corn – Direct-sow in early May.
- Basil – Can be sown in a greenhouse as early as April.
- Onions (from seed, or "black seed") – Plant in late April to early May. The bulbs may be slightly smaller, but the yield will still be good.
- Leaf lettuce – Sow thickly right in the bed—it grows like a weed.
- Calendula and cosmos – Flowers that germinate well even in cool soil.
What's Better Started as Seedlings
Head lettuce, heat-loving plants (like marigolds and yard-long beans), and vegetables that need an extra-early harvest.
Pro Tip
Before sowing pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, or corn, I always pre-sprout the seeds in a damp cloth in a warm spot. They germinate faster and more evenly.
This approach saves time and windowsill space—and many crops do just fine without seedlings, yielding a solid harvest.
