Plants to Transplant and Direct Sow in the Home Garden

Grow an amazing and abundant garden by learning which plants you can transplant and direct sow! 

For years I never really had a “garden system.” I have always grown a garden but I didn’t really care if I planted exactly on time or did everything exactly right.

I just loved having a garden and as long as I had some vegetables planted I was happy.

But over the years I have perfected certain areas. I try to do most everything the “right” way so my garden can be as successful as possible.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t fail or that I am not still constantly learning. I really believe that gardening takes years to master but you can still have success with no experience which is the great part.

Something that I have been working on lately is getting my own seeds started early enough so that I can plant transplants on time and then direct seed later on.

And unfortunately it is tougher than I imagined…

Around January I was fully prepared, I had all planting dates wrote down and seeds ordered. But now it’s March and the only seeds I really started on time were my tomatoes and peppers.

Which doesn’t mean that I can’t still direct sow many of those seeds, I just won’t have already started transplants like I had hoped.

But on the bright side if you’d like to also learn how to start your own tomatoes you can check out here How to Grow Tomatoes in Pots from Seed.

Plants to Both Transplant and Direct Sow

1. Basil
2. Beans, snap
3. Bok Choy
4. Broccoli
5. Brussels Sprouts
6. Cabbage
7. Cauliflower
8. Chard, Swiss
9. Collards
10. Cucumbers
11. Dill
12. Endive
13. Fennel, Bulbing
14. Kale
15.  Kohlrabi
16. Leeks
17. Lettuce, Heads
18. Melon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew
19. Mustard Greens
20. Okra
21. Parsley
22. Peas, Snap
23. Scallions
24. Spinach
25. Squash
26. Pumpkins
27. Tomatillos
28. Watermelon

How to Transplant and Direct Sow the Same Crop

The point of using both practices is to lengthen your growing season and take advantage of succession planting.

With each of these crops you can start your own seeds early on and so that as soon as the weather is permitting you can plant the transplants out into your garden.

You can also buy already started transplants and plant them in the garden early on in the growing season. Then as weather is permitting for each crop you can direct sow your seeds.

Many growing zones don’t get warm soon enough to only direct seed crops and so planting transplants definitely comes in handy.

In fact, some crops are long season crops and so if they are started by seed they actually may not mature in time for a good harvest.

The important thing is to know your growing season and when each crop should be started to be successful in your area. If you’d like to find your zone and see when each crop should be planted fill in the form below and a free pdf will be sent right over to you!

Plants That Should Only Be Transplanted

1. Celeriac
2. Celery
3. Eggplant
4. Peppers
5. Sweet Potatoes
6. Tomatoes
7. Artichokes
8. Asparagus
9. Rhubarb

These plants do not do well when planted directly into the garden from seed. While it can be done it isn’t recommended.

A benefit of transplanting each of those crops above is that they all tolerate root disturbance. Meaning that if you have two or more plants growing in the same container you can carefully separate them at the roots and plant them all.

On the other hand there are also crops that should never be purchased as transplants and should only be direct seeded. To see which crops to direct sow, check out my post 11 Plants That Are Best to Direct Sow.

Then there are the plants that can be both transplanted and sowed by seed. But even though some of those plants listed can both be transplanted and direct sowed, some of them do not tolerate root disturbance.

So being extra careful during transplant is super important.

Transplants That Don’t Tolerate Root Disturbance

1. Beans (lima)
2. Beans (snap)
3. Corn, sweet
4. Cucumbers
5. Dill
6. Melons, Cantaloupe, Honeydew
7. Peas (shelling)
8. Peas (snap)
9. Squash
10. Pumpkins
11. Watermelon

So as you are transplanting each of these plants be extra careful while handling them.

Unlike the plants that don’t mind root disturbance where you can easily take two plants from the same container and plant separately.

If you have a container with two or more plants growing in it that is within the category of not liking root disturbance, you should use scissors to snip off the extra plants to avoid disturbing the roots.

How to Transplant

The first thing is be gentle. Carefully transplanting transplants will result in healthy, happy plants.

If you transplant under stressful conditions your plant may go into transplant shock which may result in wilted plants, stunted growth, and a reduced yield.

Prepare Your Garden Bed

Prior to planting be sure that your garden beds are worked up. You can do this either by using a rototiller (amazon) which is what I do, or working up by hand if your soil isn’t too hard and doesn’t have big clumps in it.

Another reason why I also like using the rototiller before each planting is first because it works the soil so nice, but I also add compost into my soil each year and so the rototiller mixes it in perfectly.

After your soil is worked up nicely you should pre-dig holes at the all the right spacing for each plant. Then as soon as you remove them from their containers they are ready to be planted.

Plan With the Weather

The best conditions for transplanting are overcast skies, cooler temperatures, and even a light rain.

These conditions will minimize water loss in plant leaves and the moisture in your soil will hold up better, reducing root damage and encouraging new growth.

Overall your plants will just do better and be healthier if it’s possible to plant under these conditions.

Although I know it’s not always possible to work with the weather, if it was it would be awesome though!

So if there aren’t any cool overcast days in the forecast save your transplanting for early mornings or evenings and make sure to water the soil well before transplanting and again after.

Water Well

You should water your transplants as soon as possible. There is no need to wait.

Watering your plants settles the soil around the roots and protects them.

Have a Great Garden Season

If there’s anything more you’d like to know about direct seeding and transplanting I’d love to hear from you.

I really love my garden and I often wish I could just spend all day long out there. Although once summer hits I’ll be thinking the opposite… Why did I ever start this garden! Haha!

But I really do love gardening and I want to encourage you to love your garden as well. There’s a great quote I saw once that said:

“if you want to be happy for a lifetime, be a gardener”

And I really believe that’s true, there’s nothing better than digging in the garden, watching your plants grow and harvesting your own food!

If you need more help in your gardening journey I highly recommend this book. It is so helpful and no matter how much I learn I always refer back to it.