Once you’ve chosen a spot for your garden (as well as the size you want to make your garden bed), and prepared the soil with compost or other fertilizer, it’s time to start planting. Find seeds at your local garden center, browse through seed catalogs, and order seeds that will do well in your area. Alternatively, you can start with bedding plants (or seedlings) available at nurseries and garden centers.
Read the instructions on the back of the seed package or on the plastic tag in your plant pot. You may have to ask experts when to plant the seeds if this information is not stated on the back of the package. Some seeds (such as tomatoes) should be started indoors in small pots or seed trays before the last frost, and only transplanted outdoors when the weather warms up. For established plants or seedlings, be sure to plant as directed on the plant tag or consult your local nursery about the best planting times.
If you live in a cooler region with a shorter growing period, you will want to start some of your plants indoors. To do this, obtain plug flats (trays separated into many small cups or “cells”) or make your own small planters by poking holes in the bottoms of paper cups. Fill the cups two-thirds full with potting soil or composted soil. Bury the seed at the recommended depth, according to the instructions on the package. Tamp down the soil lightly and water. Keep the seedlings in a warm, well-lit place, such as the kitchen, to encourage germination.
SPROUTING SEEDS FOR EATING
Seeds can be sprouted and eaten on sandwiches, salads, or stir-fries any time of the year. They are delicious and full of vitamins and proteins. Mung beans, soybeans, alfalfa, wheat, corn, barley, mustard, clover, chickpeas, radishes, and lentils all make good sprouts. Find seeds for sprouting from your local health food store or use dried peas, beans, or lentils from the grocery store. Never use seeds intended for planting unless you’ve harvested the seeds yourself—commercially available planting seeds are often treated with a poisonous chemical fungicide.
To grow sprouts, thoroughly rinse and strain the seeds, then place in a glass jar, cover with cheesecloth secured with a rubber band, and soak overnight in cool water. You’ll need about four times as much water as you have seeds. Drain the seeds by turning the jar upside down and allowing the water to escape through the cheesecloth. Keep the seeds at 60 to 80°F and rinse twice a day, draining them thoroughly after every rinse. Once sprouts are 1 to 1 ½ inches long (generally after three to five days), they are ready to eat.
RECOMMENDED PLANTS TO START AS SEEDLINGS
HOMESCHOOL HINT
How do different treatments change how fast seeds sprout?
Experiment with sprouting seeds under different temperatures, or after being soaked for different times or in different liquids. Or, see how one kind of treatment affects different types of seeds. What makes seeds sprout the fastest? Do some look healthier than others? Write up a lab report to document your findings.
Once the weather begins to warm up and you are fairly certain you won’t be getting any more frosts (you can contact your local extension office to find out the “frost free” date for your area) you can begin to acclimate your seedlings to the great outdoors. First, place them in a partially shady spot outdoors that is protected from strong wind. After a couple of days, move them into direct sunlight, and finally, transplant them to the garden.
After your seeds or seedlings are planted, the next step is to water your soil. Different soil types have different watering needs. You don’t need to be a soil scientist to know how to water your soil properly. Here are some tips that can help to make your soil moist and primed for gardening:
1. Loosen the soil around plants so water and nutrients can be quickly absorbed.
2. Use a 1- to 2-inch protective layer of mulch on the soil surface above the root area. Cultivating and mulching help reduce evaporation and soil erosion.
3. Water your plants at the appropriate time of day. Early morning or night is the best time for watering, as evaporation is less likely to occur at these times.
4. Do not water your plants when it is extremely windy outside. Wind will prevent the water from reaching the soil where you want it to go.
Knowing the type of soil you are planting in will help you best understand how to properly water and grow your garden plants. Three common types of soil and their various abilities to absorb water are listed below:
In order to make this type of soil more loamy add organic materials, such as compost, peat moss, and well-rotted leaves, in the spring before growing and also in the fall after harvesting your vegetables and fruits. Adding these organic materials allows this type of soil to hold more nutrients for healthy plant growth. Till or spade to help loosen the soil.
Since clay soil absorbs water very slowly, water only as fast as the soil can absorb the water.
As with clay soil, adding organic materials in the spring and fall will help supplement the sandy soil and promote better plant growth and water absorption.
Left on its own (with no added organic matter), the water will run through sandy soil so quickly that plants won’t be able to absorb it through their roots and will fail to grow and thrive.
This is the best kind of soil for gardening. It’s a combination of sand, silt, and clay. Loam soil is fertile, deep, easily crumbles, and contains organic matter. It will help promote the growth of quality fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers and other plants.
Loam absorbs water readily and stores it for plants to use. Water as frequently as the soil needs to maintain its moisture and to promote plant growth.
