Hi, Khynnea. Yes, from the inventory I've placed the plant (fruit, veggie, flower or herb) onto the ground and it doesn't give me the option to plant, it just gives me the option to move it to another place on the lot or back into the inventory.
At first I thought I had to use planters too, I figured it was different from what we were used to on sims 3, but then I saw a tutorial with pictures and a youtube video where they placed the plants onto the ground and then selected the option plant right there, without using planters. Plus I talked to a friend who's also playing the game and she told me she had no problem planting them on the ground, that she wasn't using any planters.
Right now, to be able to have the plants out of the house, directly on the ground, I have to place it first on the planter and after that go to build mode, select the plant and place it on the ground.
(Sorry for saying "planters" so much! Hahaha!)
:cathappy: