Sowing the Seeds of Your Vegetable Garden

Garden seeds can be sown in a variety of ways. The most common is to plant in straight rows, but in more intensive planting, diamond shapes are often used.

There's no hard and fast rule about how deep seeds should be planted. The depth required will vary based on both the seed being sown, as well as the character and condition of the soil. In heavy clay and moist soils, the covering should be lighter than in sandy or dry soils. Regardless of the depth, planting should be uniform. Whether you're planting in boxes or beds, you can use the side of a small plank of wood to create a depression for the row in which to seed.

In a large garden, or small farm plot, you're looking to reduce the labor required as much as possible, and so long rows are much more suitable. By grouping the vegetables together according to their care requirements, you'll also reduce excess work needed to care for your garden. By doing this, you can tend each group of vegetables together as one plot.

Remember too that the more work you do in the fall, the less preparation you'll need to make in the spring before you can begin planting. If you're using manure as a fertilizer, plan to apply it in the fall, and turn it under the soil. That way, your garden ready for planting early season crops -- you only need wait until the soil is dry enough -- a process that is hastened with fall manure applications.

The actual planting of the garden is pretty simple, if you've taken the time to prepare a garden plan. No time is lost in deciding what vegetable to plant where. You can, instead, simply refer to the plan and get started. For most home-sized gardens, it is easiest to plant by hand.

The most common way is to use a dibber, or another hand tool, to create holes or depressions in the soil, into which the seeds are dropped. The seeds are then covered, and the soil firmed. It's important to make sure the soil is completely firmed, because most seeds will not germinate unless they are in contact with the soil.

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3 Problems For Late Gardens to Overcome

A few years ago a neighbor welcomed our family into the neighborhood with a basket of juicy, mouth-watering sweet corn right at frost time. This put me to thinking of all the delicious eating I had missed by not growing late crops of vegetables. And when my neighbor followed up with tasty beets, beans that were a delight to snap, and crisp radishes. I could hardly wait until the next July to start planting.

Now, several seasons later, I am convinced that most gardeners miss some of their finest eating because they fail to make midsummer plantings.

You can grow excellent crops of the following vegetables for late eating:

beans, lettuce, sweet corn, beets, carrots, peas, cabbages, onions, radishes

If you have space and time, you can add broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cucumbers, Chinese cabbage, endive, kale, and spinach.

There are some problems connected with late plantings, but you can, with experience, lick them.

One is that of getting seeds to germinate and start growing vigorously during the hot, dry summer months. Attack this problem by soaking the furrow thoroughly with water before planting. Then cover the seeds (a little deeper than in the spring) with dry soil. To go all out in your attack, tamp the covered seeds lightly with the hoe and then loosen the surface with the rake or your hands.

Some gardeners also put a light covering of something like sawdust or straw over the row, regulating the depth of the mulch according to size of the seeds. You can put a heavy layer of straw, leaves, or grass clippings along each side of the row as soon as it is planted, leaving the row itself uncovered except maybe for a thin layer of straw or clippings.

You may, especially in the case of carrots and onions, even have to soak the row a few times after it is planted, but if you start this phase of the watering, continue it regularly enough to keep the ground moist until the plants break through, else a hard crust may form.

Set out plants during cloudy weather if possible, but if you have to set during sunny weather, shade the plants with something-maybe a shingle stuck into the ground.

If you use the above suggestions for getting your late garden started, you will almost always succeed. Now your second problem begins that of keeping your garden growing rapidly during the usual warm, dry summers. High quality of crops like beets and carrots depends greatly upon rapid growth.

Mulching with leaves and so on while the plants are growing will help tremendously in counteracting drought. This plus occasional watering will assure good crops. If, however, you do not mulch or water you'll often raise much good food, for you'll usually get rain before the plants actually suffer.

A third problem the late gardener faces is that of timing his planting and selecting the varieties that grow best. This means, for instance, that you should usually select the quick maturing and vigorous kinds. You will soon learn from experience the earliest and latest practicable dates for planting.

You may, in some cases, want to try later dates, and you'll sometimes succeed with them. For instance, one year I pushed my "frost luck" to the extreme with sweet corn by planting on July 20. I gathered splendid ears from September, 30 to October 14, even though we had light, non-killing frosts on September 24 and 27. The two weeks of beautifully warm weather after the frosts saved the corn.

Two additional problems will confront you if you don't prepare ahead. When I first began planting late gardens, I would invariably run out of some kinds of seeds (used them in the spring) and find it difficult to buy a few. I learned to buy more than I needed for spring planting.

Then I would run out of insecticides. I soon learned to judge how much I needed for the entire season.

I believe that once you give late gardening a real try, you will discover a delightful hobby. Raising vegetables, planting and replanting flowers under adverse conditions is a challenge to one's skill. But with practice you can easily overcome the difficulties.

Then when the members of your family are seated around the table eating juicy sweet corn on the cob, enjoying brittle, tasty carrot sticks, and praising you for the tender snap beans, you'll start planning next year's fall crop.

In case you are unaware there is much more on the topic of replanting flowers. Beginners and experts alike refer to us as their source for information on plant-care.com.

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Starting a Home Vegetable Garden

Whether it's a large patch in the backyard or a small strip of space along the side of your house, transforming bare land into a productive garden can be a rewarding undertaking. Taking the following simple steps will have your project off the ground in no time.

Preparing Your Garden Plot

• Find a flat spot with full sun. Flat ground will help with water retention, and most vegetables require full sun for most of the day. Avoid spots shaded by buildings, trees, or bushes.
• Decide which vegetables to grow. The most important consideration is the local climate. Find a local guide to vegetables and see which ones are right for growing in your area. If you live in an area that freezes over the winter, find a guide with the average duration of freezing days to help you decide which vegetables to grow.
• Plan your space. Once you know which veggies you would like, look up details on how they grow and how much space they need. Each vegetable has its own space requirements, and your garden can be divided up in many different ways depending on what you decide to grow.

Planting Your Vegetables

• Schedule your plantings. Most vegetables are classified as either cool season or warm season plants. Cool season plants grow best in the spring and fall while warm season plants grow best in the summer.
• Buy seeds or seedlings. Once your planting date is close, it is time to select your plants. Some vegetables can be planted directly as seeds, while other vegetables grow better as seedlings. You can buy each of these at local nurseries, online, or by mail-order. Nursery staff experienced in vegetable growing can assist you with this process.
• Plant your seedlings within three days to prevent them from wilting.

Routine Maintenance

• Water your garden regularly.
• Monitor your plants for bugs or yellow leaves. Yellow leaves can be a sign of disease and plants with extensive yellowing should probably be removed. Use natural pest control techniques to keep your garden healthy.
• Use compost to fertilize your soil. Composting of kitchen waste is a natural way to provide your garden with plenty of nutrients and lowers the amount of waste that you throw in the landfill.

Home vegetable gardens are a great way to reduce your grocery spending and ensure that you are getting fresh, chemical-free produce. Experiment with new recipes that include your vegetable crops as ingredients and taste the difference of freshly picked produce.

For delicious and creative recipes to try with your home grown veggies, visit CD Kitchen here.
Joseph Devine

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