Direct seeding vegetables outdoors

Which vegetable seeds should be direct seeded?

Direct seeding works best for cool-season plants like beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, parsnips, parsley, peas, rutabaga, scallions, spinach, Swiss chard and turnips, which can tolerate cool soil and air temperatures. Many of these can be seeded as soon as the soil has warmed up. Follow instructions on the seed packet to see how deep and how far apart to plant the seeds.

While some vegetables are cool-season plants, certain ones also require a long growing season and should also be started well ahead spring. These include Brussels sprouts, celery, celeriac, leeks, and sweet or Spanish-type onions (from seed, not bulbs).

Tender, warm-season plants are very sensitive to cold soil and air and will not do well if they are seeded outdoors directly. Tender plants include basil, celery, celeriac, cucumber, eggplant, okra, peppers, pumpkins, squash, tomatillos, melons and tomatoes. Grow these indoors as seedlings before spring and plant outdoors when the soil is warm and there is no longer a risk of frost.

In the far North, the growing season is even shorter. In addition to starting warm season plants indoors, many northern gardeners also start corn, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli indoors as seedlings well before spring.