For most home gardening, a simple rule works well: plant 2–3 seeds per hole for small and medium seeds, and 1 seed per hole for large seeds like squash, cucumbers, or pumpkins.

Quick Scoop: How Many Seeds Per Hole?

Think of “how many seeds per hole” as an insurance policy against seeds that don’t sprout.

General rule of thumb

  • Small seeds (lettuce, carrots, basil, many flowers): 2–3 seeds per hole, then thin to the strongest seedling.
  • Medium seeds (most herbs, many veggies): 2 seeds per hole is usually enough; you can still do 3 if germination is poor.
  • Large seeds (beans, peas, corn, squash, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins): 1 seed per hole is usually recommended, because they’re strong and can crowd each other if doubled up.

If all the seeds come up in a crowded spot, you simply thin them by snipping the weaker seedlings at soil level and leaving the best one.

When to Change the Number

Several factors can nudge you up or down from that basic rule.

  • Old seed or low germination rate: use 2–3 seeds per hole even for medium seeds, so you’re not left with empty spots.
  • Fresh, high‑quality seed: you can go closer to 1–2 seeds per hole to avoid wasting seed and thinning work.
  • Tiny “dust-like” seeds (some herbs and flowers): people often sprinkle several in a shallow furrow rather than counting; then thin heavily later.
  • Container or cell trays: many guides still suggest 2–3 seeds per cell, then thin to 1 strong plant once they have a couple sets of true leaves.

A quick example: if your packet says 80% germination and you want 20 plants, you’d aim to sow about 24 seeds total, often by placing 2 seeds in each of 12 cells and thinning.

Little Forum-Style Take

If you scroll through gardening forums today, you’ll see a familiar pattern: most folks say something like, “I drop 2–3 seeds per hole and thin later, except for big seeds like pumpkins where I only do one.” That blend of caution (extra seeds) and laziness (less thinning) is exactly where most gardeners settle once they’ve experimented a bit.

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Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.