A four year study was conducted to determine if tobacco transplants can consistently be produced by direct seeding in outdoor water beds. Several supplemental heat treatments were compared for seed germination and plant growth. Both primed and non-primed pelletized seed were evaluated in the study. Plant beds were 4.88m x 2.74m and held 42 trays of plants. Beds were covered with a 30 gm weight, spun-bonded polypropylene material. Results demonstrated that the average air temperature inside the bed must be approximately 18°C to obtain complete germination of primed seed within seven days. Lower temperatures resulted in delayed seed germination, but germination rates ultimately reached 90-94% for most treatments. Percent germination decreased when temperatures inside the beds exceeded 32°C. Usable plants at transplanting ranged from 78-90% of the cell tray number. The most effective method of maintaining necessary temperatures inside beds is to heat the water to 24-25°C using electric water bed heaters; the air inside the bed is warmed by radiant heat from the water. The beds should be covered with 6-mil black plastic at night when subfreezing temperatures are anticipated. With this system, the temperature inside the bed was maintained above freezing when the ambient temperature was as low as -10°C.