Sowing is the process of planting seeds. An area or object that has had seeds planted will be described as being sowed.
Among the major field crops, oats, wheat, and rye are sown, grasses and legumes are seeded, and maize and soybeans are planted. In planting, wider rows (generally 75 cm (30 in) or more) are used, and the intent is to have precise, even spacing between individual seeds in the row; various mechanisms have been devised to count out individual seeds at exact intervals.
In sowing, little if any soil is placed over the seeds. More precisely, seeds can be generally sown into the soil by maintaining a planting depth of about 2-3 times the size of the seed.
For hand sowing, several sowing types exist; these include:
Several patterns for sowing may be used together with these types; these include: