Information Sheet 2.

5-1
Direct Planting of Vegetables

A. Learning Objectives:
After reading this INFORMATION SHEET, you must be able to familiarize with the principles on direct planting
of vegetables.
Learning Competencies/Objectives:
1. Identify plant parts which are directly planted.
2. Determine the methods of direct planting.
3. Discuss the methods of direct planting.
4. Follow the distance and depth of planting and the rate of seeding.
Direct Planting
Direct sowing is a method of planting in which the seeds are directly planted in the soil. This applies to large-
seeded vegetables, including legumes. Direct planting is commonly practiced in large farms. Where pest control and water
management are not problems, direct-seeded seedlings have better stand due to continuous exposure to the natural
environment since the start of growth and subsequently do not experience root damage and transplanting shock, so,
growth is not disturbed.
According to Agustin et al. (2005), there are plant parts that can be directly planted in the soil such as:
1. Seeds. Seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat and usually with some stored food.
2. Cuttings. Cuttings are made from a vegetative portion of the plant such as stems, modified stems (rhizomes, tubers,
corms, and bulbs), leaves, or roots.
Points to consider in selecting cuttings:
 The cuttings should be taken from sturdy plants.
 They should come from productive plants planted in productive land.
 They should be free from diseases and insect pests.
 They should be stocky and uniform in size.
Kinds of Cuttings:
 Root cuttings like bread fruit
 Stem cuttings like sweet potato and cassava
 Leaf - bud cuttings like swamp cabbage
Planting Cuttings:
 Plant only one cutting per hill.
 Plant cuttings in a slanting position.
3. Runners and Suckers. Runners are long, thin, above the ground stems with few or no leaves and suckers are young
plants that enlarged beside the mother plant and can be used for planting materials. The runners or suckers are detached
from the parent plants and then planted in the field before they get dry. They are usually set in ridges and rows. Examples
of crops that produce runners and suckers are strawberry, arrowroots, ginger, taro or gabi, gerbera, and many more.
4. Bulb. A bulb is composed of shortened branches that later develop with thickened petioles as exemplified by onion.
The bulb portion of the plant is used as a planting material. Examples are garlic and onion.
5. Root and tuber. Some crops are best propagated or planted by the sections of the roots or tubers. The root or tuber is
cut into halves or quarters. Each section of which should have at least two or three alive buds or “eyes.”
Methods of Direct Planting
1. Ridge planting. Seeds are placed on top of the ridge. This is usually practiced during wet season to prevent the stem
and roots from rotting.
2. Hill - planting. This is simply placing the seeds in one spot at definite intervals in the row. This is the best method for
cucurbits or vine crops.
3. Drill - planting. In this method, the seeds are sown in individual holes with a drill at the required spacing for growth.
Sow two to three seeds in each hole and thinned down to one as seedlings emerge.
4. Furrow planting. After land preparation, the seeds are planted at specified depth at the bottom of the furrow and are
covered with fine soil.
5. Broadcasting. Using your hand, broadcast the seeds evenly in the field. For small seeds, mix your seeds with a small
amount of fine sand or fine soil to add some weight and to help them scatter more evenly. Thinning is done when
necessary.
6. Raised beds. Make your bed at least one meter wide to a desired length and raise to at last 15 cm high. Most vegetables
benefit from a raised bed during wet season, but smaller vegetables such as lettuce, pechay, onions, radish, and spinach
really thrive with this type of planting.
Advantages of raised beds (http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/farming-with-raised-beds-in-an-urban-
environment.html)
1. Solve soil problems. Garden soil can be amended with organic matter if you have poor soil and drainage. And because
you don’t step on the beds as you work, the soil stays fluffy, providing the perfect conditions for root growth.
2. Reduce work. By growing your vegetables in raised beds, you can maximize your fertilizing and watering so that more
nutrients and water are actually used by plants rather than wasted in the pathways.
3. Attractive. For landscape vegetable gardens, you can make raised beds in almost any shape you like – rectangle,
square, circle and triangle. Your garden can take on a whimsical design with a little creativity.

Rate of Planting
 As cited in the Competency Based Learning Material (CBLM) of Tech-Voc in: Produce Vegetable Crops (2007),
among the factors to be considered with regard to the quantity or rate of seeds to plant are:
1. The viability of the seeds. Seeds known to be low in viability should be planted more thickly than those having high
viability. Seeds held over from one year to the next planting season should be tested for germination. If the percentage of
germination is low or if the sprouts are weak, the seeds should not be planted.
2. The condition of the soil. When the soil and weather conditions are unfavorable, more seeds should be planted than
when the conditions are favorable.
3. The size and vigor of the plants. Seeds that produce delicate and weak plants such as carrots should be planted quite
thickly to ensure a good stand. Any excess of plants may be removed to prevent crowding.
4. The possible ravages of insects. In planting seeds, it is a common practice to plant freely in order to have several times
as many plants that are needed to give allowance to ravages of insects. Later on, you can practice thinning if you found
out that your plants are crowding.

Depth of Planting
The most important factor in direct seeding is the planting depth. Depth of planting depends on the soil moisture
and soil type. Soil particles should be fine when small seeds are planted. For large-seeded crops, such as squash, the need
for thorough land preparation is less.
Seeds should be placed deeper in light (sandy) soils to prevent them from drying up. Shallow planting is required
in heavy soils. As a rule of thumb, the soil cover after setting should be about five times the diameter of the seed.

Planting Distance of Directly Seeded Vegetable Crops

Proper spacing between hills and rows is important to allow growth of plants, ease of cultivation, and efficient use
of space. Generally, the depth of planting depends on the size of the seed. The recommended distance of planting, depth
of planting, and rate of seeding of selected vegetable crops are given in the table below.
Distance of planting, depth of planting, and rate of seeding of selected vegetable crops according to Canare et. al
(2012).

Crop Distance of Planting Depth of Planting Rate of Seeding

Row Hill (cm) (cm) (per hill)
(cm)
Squash 100 75 2-3 1-2
Dishrag gourd 150 100 2-3 1-2
Bottle gourd 150 100 2-3 1-2
Bitter gourd 100 75 2-3 1-2
Ladies finger 100 75 2-3 2-3
Cowpea 75 30 2-3 2-3
String beans 100 50 2-3 2-3
Winged bean 100 75 2-3 1-2
Pole Snap beans 100 50 2-3 2-3
Bush Snap beans 75 30 2-3 2-3
Pole Lima beans 100 30 2-3 2-3
Bush lima bean 75 30 2-3 2-3

Diagnostic/Pre-assessment
A. Direction: Let us find out how much you already know. Read and understand the questions
below. Choose the letter of the correct answer and write it in your test notebook.
1. Cropping season is considered when selecting a planting method to follow. This method is simply
placing the seeds in one spot at definite intervals in the row. What is the best planting method for
cucurbits or vine crops?
a. Furrow-planting
b. Drill-planting
c. Hill-planting
d. Ridge-planting
2. Which of the following set of vegetables are directly planted in the field?
a. Eggplant, lettuce, ampalaya
b. Pepper, snap beans, tomato
c. Spinach, pechay, mustard
d. Squash, patola, pole sitao
3. There are factors to consider in selecting seedlings of vegetable crops. Which of the choices is not
a consideration?
a. Seedlings should be free from insects and diseases.
b. Seedlings should come from productive mother plants.
c. Seedlings should be uniform in size and weak.

d. Seedlings should come from a plant that is vigorous and of known identity.
4. The rate of planting should be taken into consideration when planting vegetables. When should
more seeds be planted?
a. When there are possible ravages of insects in the area.
b. When the soil and weather condition are favorable.
c. When seeds are viable seedlings.
d. When seeds produce sturdy and vigorous seedlings.
5. Depth of planting is the most important factor in direct seeding. Which is not considered in
determining the depth of planting?
a. Shape of the seed
b. Types of soil
c. Size of the seed
d. Amount of moisture in the soil
B. Enumerate the advantages of direct planting. (5 points)

KNOW
Activity 1
Have you experienced planting seeds and seedlings of vegetable crops? What were your
considerations in selecting planting materials?