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Switched from seed trays to direct sowing after 3 years of leggy seedlings

I used to start all my peppers in those little plastic trays indoors but after three years of weak stems that always flopped over, I just poked the seeds straight into the ground last May and they grew twice as thick with zero transplant shock, has anyone else had way better luck just skipping the starter setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

lindal139d agoMost Upvoted

You know, I used to be the person who swore by those "zero transplant shock" claims from big box stores. But reading your post about skipping the starter setup really got me thinking. Last spring I tried direct sowing my bean seeds after years of leggy failures indoors, and I was shocked at how much thicker and healthier they turned out. I guess sometimes we overthink things and nature knows better than we do.

the_nathan9d ago

Not gonna lie, I think the whole "starter setup" industry kinda banks on us feeling like we gotta control every variable... @lindal13 I had the same thing happen with my squash last year. I babied those seedlings indoors with lights and fans, then they just sulked for weeks after planting out. Meanwhile the seeds I just poked into the ground two weeks later caught up and passed them by midsummer. It's like plants know how to handle their own business if you just give 'em half a chance.

barbarah198d ago

Yeah but isn't it funny how we really do overcomplicate all this? I had the exact same thing with my tomatoes a few years back. Bought all those fancy peat pots and grow lights, monitored the humidity, the whole nine yards. Then I moved and just threw some seeds in the ground on a whim the next season. Those direct sown tomatoes were tougher and produced way more fruit. They just seem to know what to do when we stop hovering.