Seeds started in the house can sometimes be spindly by the time you're ready to plant, when compared to the plants you buy from nurseries. I was reading about the type of light the plants get and how it affects growth.
http://awaytogarden.com/why-vegetables-seedlings-stretch-and-get-spindly/I picked up several interesting articles recently via Twitter from
@MargaretRoach.
I plant some seeds directly in the garden. Onions (when I can do it at the right time) are a toss-up because a packet of seeds or a handful of onion sets cost about the same, so timing is more important than cost. Okra I plant from seed in the garden, as well as herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, and cilantro (they seed themselves in my garden). There are usually flowers in the garden also, and marigolds plant themselves very well from seed (dead head them and sprinkle the seeds to keep them going and spreading).