Hi bckwht, i like your idea about the "experiment", it's funny to think that the owner doesn't have a clue about what are you really up to :)))
About sowing seed direct into soil, i've considered this method but when you do this you have to visit them every day until the germination stage is over, while they are small they are really vulnerably, they can get ran over by any animal, they can get easily eaten, they can get outrun by other weeds and die without sun light. it's kinda difficult. A solution to this i think would be to cover them while small with a cut half 2L cola pet... It's just my opinion.
with this being said i think one can get a better result from this because the roots develop very nice without any limits (unlike in a pot) and they don't have to get thru the stress of a transplant.
Best wishes!