[briandaud]

As a UK grow-my-own gardener I am sometimes confused and irritated by the American habit of referring to the sowing of seeds as 'planting'. If I look on a website for advice I am often told, for example, to 'plant in the Spring'. Does that mean to SOW in the Spring, or to PLANT plants that have been sown earlier in the year and require potting on? Or am I mistaken and it is okay to refer to sowing as planting?

[mumofstig]

No it's not ok.
You sow seeds and plant plants, it really is that simple - but as you say many people, youtubers especially, seem to conflate them. It certainly doesn't help beginners 

[Subversive_plot]

I agree with sow seed and plant your plants, it's just clearer. 

However, I think that you can chalk some of the confusion to the differences in way some words are used on different sides of the pond. A different example is use of the word "pants". In the USA, pants usually means trousers. My understanding is that in the UK, pants means underwear (we do say "underpants"), but is also slang for "bad".

[Rob the rake]

I agree with sow seed and plant your plants, it's just clearer. 

However, I think that you can chalk some of the confusion to the differences in way some words are used on different sides of the pond. A different example is use of the word "pants". In the USA, pants usually means trousers. My understanding is that in the UK, pants means underwear (we do say "underpants"), but is also slang for "bad".

It's amusing in some ways, is it not? Over here if we walked on the pavement, we'd be using the area reserved for pedestrians at the side of the road. If we walked on the pavement on your side of the pond we'd be flattened by an eighteen wheeler. In the US, people sit on their "fanny", whereas to the average Brit the word "fanny" has quite a different connotation! A garden becomes a yard and soil (or earth) becomes dirt, whereas dirt - to us - is something that we clean off our clothes and bodies. There must be plenty more examples, but these are the first ones that sprang to mind.

[Subversive_plot]

I agree with sow seed and plant your plants, it's just clearer. 

However, I think that you can chalk some of the confusion to the differences in way some words are used on different sides of the pond. A different example is use of the word "pants". In the USA, pants usually means trousers. My understanding is that in the UK, pants means underwear (we do say "underpants"), but is also slang for "bad".

It's amusing in some ways, is it not? Over here if we walked on the pavement, we'd be using the area reserved for pedestrians at the side of the road. If we walked on the pavement on your side of the pond we'd be flattened by an eighteen wheeler. In the US, people sit on their "fanny", whereas to the average Brit the word "fanny" has quite a different connotation! A garden becomes a yard and soil (or earth) becomes dirt, whereas dirt - to us - is something that we clean off our clothes and bodies. There must be plenty more examples, but these are the first ones that sprang to mind.

Here, many such words are proper or slang synonyms for each other. As a geologist, one of the earth materials I work with is soil.  Professionally, I'd never call it dirt, but talking to a neighbor informally, I might call our reddish soils red dirt or red Georgia clay. Mechanical devices for placing seeds in the ground are seeders, or planters, but I have never heard them called sowers (even though people do talk about sowing seed).

[JayG]

If I look on a website for advice I am often told, for example, to 'plant in the Spring'. Does that mean to SOW in the Spring, or to PLANT plants that have been sown earlier in the year and require potting on? Or am I mistaken and it is okay to refer to sowing as planting?

Can't remember how many years ago it was I tried to point out the difference, and why it can matter, in my profile 'signature', which I daresay no-one actually reads!   

Good to see someone else giving the subject an airing though. 

[Subversive_plot]

Online definition of "plant" (verb) from Oxford languages:

"1. place (a seed, bulb, or plant) in the ground so that it can grow."

I'm fine using "sow" when referring to seed, but even the Oxford folks seem to grant a little latitude  in terms of usage.  So far I haven't tried to "sow" a plant  .

[Growster...]

Our term here, is 'plant out', which refers to the action of taking a seedling, and putting it in its final position.

Even if I 'scatter' seeds - say in a tray, where I always grow radish, it's still sowing!