Sowing nasturtiums

Robert West

Hello, 

I'm planning on sowing some climbing nasturtium seeds next month. The packet says to put them in the ground just below the surface. The thing is, I have a layer of bark down. Will I be best to clear it out of the way where the seeds will grow, or should I start the seeds off in pots and plant them out when they are bigger. I've never grown anything from seed so this may be a silly question. Thanks in advance.

K67

I prefer to start off in pots then you know they have germinated and where they are when you plant them but I would keep the bark clear of the seedlings.

Blue Onion

I just sow them direct, super easy -assuming you don’t have major slug issues.  I had more trouble with black fly on them, personally.  Just pull the bark back either in a row or in patches, and sow them a few inches apart.  You can sow in pairs and thin the weaker plant, or to allow for poor germination or bug munching.  You can sow some in pots as back up, if you want to experiment.  

debs64

For nasturtiums I just bung in seeds wherever but try to avoid very good soil as too many nutrients leads to lush leaf growth but fewer flowers and it’s flowers I want. They are pretty tough plants so don’t worry too much. 

Robert West

Thank you all for your advice. I'll clear some of the bark out of the way and see how it goes. I'll also sow some in pots as a back up.