Seed Sowing Equipment Checklist

Sowing a packet of seed needs less equipment than the catalogues suggest. The Royal Horticultural Society's own list for sowing seed directly in the ground is short: a trowel, a hand rake, a dibber, a measuring stick, kneelers, gardening gloves, a watering can, labels and a waterproof pen or pencil, plus sticks or straws to mark rows, and the seed itself¹. For sowing in pots and trays the list is shorter still: containers, peat-free seed compost or sieved multi-purpose compost, labels and pencils, and a watering can with a fine rose².

What decides the kit is where the seed is going. Open ground needs the rake to make a fine, level tilth and the measuring stick or dibber to keep rows and spacings honest. Pots and trays need a container with drainage, a fine rose on the can, and a label written before you start. Everything else is comfort and safety: gloves, a kneeler, and something to lean on.

This page sets out the full checklist first, then explains what each item does, how to prepare and mark a row, how to sow and water, and how to label and keep what you sow. If you are still deciding what to grow and when, start with Growing Your Own Vegetables: Where to Start and Sowing Seeds Indoors and Outdoors: Timing, Depth and Germination.

The seed sowing equipment checklist

Work through this list before you open a packet. Each item earns its place, and most households will already own a version of several of them.

1. Trowel. Lifts and moves compost, and doubles as a spacing guide: the Royal Horticultural Society suggests using the length of a trowel as a quick planting and spacing guide³.
2. Hand rake. Levels the soil surface and breaks down lumps before sowing. Rake gently over the surface forwards and backwards in long strokes, tapping lumps with the teeth of the rake⁴.
3. Dibber. A small stick for making holes in potting compost for seeds or seedlings². Pencils, plant labels and chop sticks can all stand in for one⁵.
4. Measuring stick. Keeps row spacing and seed spacing to what the packet says. The Royal Horticultural Society advises reading the seed sowing instructions on the packet to work out the sowing distances¹.
5. Kneeler. Protects knees and back during long sessions at ground level; it appears on the RHS list for both direct sowing and planting out¹.
6. Gardening gloves. On the standard list for sowing¹, and advised for health reasons when handling compost⁶.
7. Watering can. Ideally with a fine rose for newly sown seed². A can targets water at the roots far better than a hosepipe⁷.
8. Labels. One per variety and sowing date, written before you start².
9. Waterproof pen or pencil. For labels that survive watering and sun¹.
10. Sticks or straws. To mark rows so you do not weed out seedlings by mistake¹.
11. Containers, if sowing in pots. Seed trays or similar, such as clean fruit punnets or juice cartons⁸.
12. Compost. Peat-free seed compost or sieved multi-purpose compost for pots and trays².
13. The seed itself, and its packet, which carries the sowing distances and depth¹.

Preparing and marking the row

Open ground is prepared before any seed goes in. The Royal Horticultural Society's sequence is to make sure the area is weed free, then rake the soil gently so it is fine and crumbly and reasonably level, wearing gardening gloves, and then read the seed packet for the sowing distances¹. Raking is the step that decides how well the row works: move the rake gently over the soil surface forwards and backwards in long strokes, tapping lumps with the teeth of the rake until the surface is level⁴.

Marking the row is where the measuring stick and dibber earn their keep. A drill, the shallow furrow the seed goes into, is typically 1 to 5cm deep and is made with a stick, hoe or rake¹. The packet tells you the depth and the row spacing, and the measuring stick keeps you to it. Where the packet gives no clear guidance, the length of a trowel, dibber or plant label works as a guide for spacing³.

Two tricks save seed and confusion. For small seeds, empty the packet into a small pot and mix with sand so the seeds are visible in the drill¹. And to mark a row of slow-germinating seed, sow a few quick-sprouting seeds alongside it: dashing a few radish seeds in with slow to germinate seeds such as carrots or parsnips will help to mark the rows so you do not weed out the crop by accident⁹. Parsley is another slow starter that can be sown in rows with quick-sprouting seeds like radishes, which mark the rows and are harvested before the parsley needs the space¹⁰.

Sowing and watering

Sowing itself is quick; the care is in the depth, the spacing and the first watering.

For pots and trays, the Royal Horticultural Society suggests 7 to 9cm pots as the best size for sowing seeds². Fill with peat-free seed compost or sieved multi-purpose compost². For small seeds, sprinkle them on top of the compost, allowing space between them, then sieve a thin layer of compost over them². If seeds are very small, use a seed sower to help sow them². If you have no sieve, another pot with holes in its base will do the same job². For larger seeds, a dibber makes the hole and you sow one seed per station, which is known as station sowing¹.

Watering is the step most often done too hard. Water carefully, either by placing the pots in a tray of water and allowing the soil to absorb it, or by carefully using a watering can with a rose head². Newly sown or planted areas are vulnerable and their watering needs should be a high priority¹¹. Use watering cans rather than hosepipes, and rainwater rather than tap water if you have a water butt⁷. For a fuller account of harvesting and storing water for the garden, see Rainwater Harvesting at Home: How a System Works.

Gloves matter here for a reason beyond comfort. NHS Inform advises wearing gloves while gardening, especially when handling compost, because Legionella bacteria can be found in compost, and suggests considering a mask for dusty work and washing hands afterwards⁶.

Labels, records and keeping seed

A label written at sowing time costs nothing and saves confusion later. The Royal Horticultural Society's advice is to write labels first, including the date and name of the plant². For microgreens, add a thin layer of compost over the seeds, just enough to cover them, then label with the seed variety and date of sowing⁸. The same principle applies to saved seed: label with name and date to avoid confusion later¹².

A waterproof pen or pencil is on the standard equipment list for a reason¹. Ink that is not waterproof fades in sunlight and runs in the rain, and a faded label is worse than none because it gives false confidence. Pencil on a plastic or wooden label lasts well and can be rewritten.

If you plan to save your own seed, the labelling habit pays off twice. Store seeds in labelled paper envelopes or bags, kept in a cool, dry place, within an airtight container if possible, and add sachets of silica to absorb excess moisture¹². Before sowing old seed, put medium to large seeds in a jar of water: viable seeds will sink, whereas dead seeds will float to the surface¹². Our guides on How to Store Saved Seed So It Lasts and How to Test Whether Old Seeds Will Still Grow go further.

Making do: substitutes that work

Most of the checklist can be improvised without harming the crop, as long as the job the tool does is still done.

Two further stand-ins are worth knowing. A sheet of clear plastic laid over sown ground enables earlier germination, and should be removed as soon as the seedlings appear¹⁴. And bottomless plastic bottles sunk into the soil over the seeds can deter rodents and act as a mini cloche¹⁵.

Keeping the kit ready between sowings

Sowing kit lasts for years if it is put away clean and dry. The Royal Horticultural Society's advice after preparing soil is to return all tools to the tool stop or shed and clean off soil with a brush⁴. Do that and the trowel, rake and dibber will be ready when the next packet is opened.

Keep the small items together. Labels, pencil, dibber and a few sticks in one box means you are not hunting for them with muddy hands halfway through a row.

If you are sowing in pots on a windowsill, the same short list applies: a container with drainage, peat-free compost, a label and pencil, and a can with a fine rose². For more on growing in containers and small spaces, see How to Start Growing Food in a Small Space and How to Grow Microgreens Indoors.