🥕 Sow Vegetables Outdoors: Carrots, Beetroot, Peas & More
As spring soil begins to warm and daylight hours stretch out, it’s time to start sowing some of your favourite vegetables directly into the ground. There’s something deeply satisfying about sowing seeds outside — no propagators, no potting on — just seeds, soil, and the promise of a homegrown harvest.
Here’s how to get started with carrots, beetroot, peas, parsnips, spinach, lettuce and other cool-season crops that thrive in early spring.
🌱 Why Sow Direct?
Some vegetables do best when sown directly where they are to grow, especially root crops like carrots and parsnips that dislike transplanting. Direct sowing is simple, cost-effective, and ideal for creating productive rows or beds in the kitchen garden or allotment.
🧺 What to Sow Now (and Why)
| Vegetable | Best Soil | Spacing | Harvest Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrots | Loose, sandy | Thin rows, 2–3cm apart | 10–16 weeks from sowing | Avoid fresh manure to prevent forking |
| Beetroot | Fertile, well-drained | 10cm apart | 8–12 weeks | Great for succession sowing |
| Peas | Moist, well-drained | 5–7cm apart in double rows | 10–14 weeks | Add twiggy supports as they grow |
| Parsnips | Deep, stone-free | 15cm apart | 16–20 weeks | Sow fresh seed — it loses viability quickly |
| Spinach | Moist, rich soil | 5–8cm apart | 6–8 weeks | Harvest young for salads or mature for cooking |
| Lettuce | Light, crumbly soil | 10–15cm apart | 6–10 weeks | Keep sowing every few weeks for a steady supply |
🧤 How to Sow Vegetables Outdoors
- Choose a Sunny Spot
Most vegetables need 6–8 hours of sunlight daily. Avoid shady, boggy corners. - Prepare the Soil
Remove weeds and rake the surface to a fine tilth. Avoid sowing in wet, sticky soil — wait for a dry spell when the soil is crumbly. - Mark Out Drills
Use a cane or the edge of a hoe to make shallow drills (rows), spaced according to the vegetable. - Sow the Seeds
Scatter or place seeds thinly in the drills. Cover lightly with soil and water gently using a fine rose. - Label Your Rows
Don’t forget which row is which! Use waterproof labels or wooden sticks marked in pencil. - Thin Seedlings
Once they’ve sprouted and grown their first true leaves, thin seedlings to their final spacing to avoid overcrowding.
💡 Top Tips for Success
- Warm the soil in advance with cloches or fleece if your site is cold
- Protect seedlings from slugs and birds — netting and organic slug control work well
- Succession sow lettuce, beetroot, and spinach every 2–3 weeks for continuous harvests
- Water regularly in dry spells, especially for shallow-rooted crops like lettuce
- Mulch lightly around young seedlings to retain moisture and suppress weeds
🌿 Raised Beds or Open Ground?
Both work well. Raised beds warm up faster and drain better in spring, making them ideal for early sowing. However, root crops like parsnips will need a good depth of soil, so choose your site carefully.
🥗 Final Thoughts
Sowing vegetables outdoors in spring is one of the great joys of gardening — low cost, low fuss, and incredibly rewarding. With just a few packets of seed and a bit of preparation, you’ll have rows of fresh, homegrown produce ready to harvest throughout the summer.
Whether you’re aiming for colourful beetroot salads, crunchy carrots for lunchboxes, or sweet garden peas fresh from the pod, the time to sow is now.
