SOWING YOUR SEEDS 

Now that you have done all the hard work in preparing your garden bed, it is now time to start planting or sowing seeds. This for me is when the miracle begins, sowing a tiny seed which then produces your favourite vegetables or fruits which is nature’s gift to us. 

Before now you would have thought about the type of plants you wanted to grow and how many depending on the size of your family. If you have a small family, you may not want too many vegetables unless you intend to freeze where possible or give some away. 

You also need to remember that not all vegetables grow in the summer and should consider planting some autumn and winter vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, leeks or broad beans.

Which crops you grow will determine how the seeds are sown. You should also be aware that some seeds may lose their viability over time, so it is important that you check the dates on the packet to ensure they are at their peak.   Know also that when growing plants from seeds it may take at least a month and over to germinate and develop into plants, compared to starting your garden with plants that are already established. Seeding requires warm, care and moisture as well as adequate sunlight until they become establish plants.

There are two ways of sowing your seeds.

1. Indoors in pots until they are ready to be planted into their final growing site.

2. Outdoor through planting direct.

 Let us now look at both method.

Sowing Seeds Indoor 

Plants that are unable to tolerate early spring weather are best sown indoors where the temperature is warmer for example, a warm greenhouse, kitchen or window sill.  To begin your indoor sowing, you can use plants pots, plastic tray, or even water bottles cut in half using the bottom half ensuing that there are holes at the bottom for drainage.The choice of soil to be used is also important. It is best to use soil, which is rich, and well drained which can be a standard or soil-less seed compost for seed sowing.

 ·         Fill your container with compost but do not pack it too tightly, allow space of about a three-quarter inch from the rim and the soil then level and firm gently.

·         Small seeds should be scatter/sown thinly over the surface of the compost. Very small seeds can be mixed with fine, dry sand before sowing to obtain an even distribution.

 ·         After scattering your seeds, sift or sprinkle a fine layer of compost over the seeds.

·         Larger seeds can be sown by pressing each seed individually into the surface of the compost about (1in) apart in a seed tray.

·         For plug trays you can sow one or two seed per plug and once the seedlings begin to grow you should remove the weakest.

·         After you have sown your seeds and label your trays/pots, water lightly making sure that you do not wash your seeds away. Some gardeners recommend that you use a window sprayer which will prevent the seeds from floating to top and I have found this method useful when sowing my seeds.

·         After watering cover your trays or pots with clear plastic sheet or a sheet of glass, in a room with temperatures between 60-65°F unless your seed package says differently.

·         You should also keep your pots or trays out of direct sunlight until germination has been completed.  Depending on the type of seeds this could take between two weeks to over a month.  Check your plant periodically to see whether your seeds have germinated but also making sure your compost does not become too dry.

·         When your seeds have germinated they will need to continue their growth in a place where the temperature is now much cooler but still not as cold outdoors in the Spring weather, especially when the temperature drops at night. You can now start picking out and put your seedlings in small pots (3-31/2 for growing on and planting out later.

·         When your seeds have germinated they will need to continue their growth in a place where the temperature is now much cooler but still not as cold outdoors in the Spring weather, especially when the temperature drops at night. You can now start picking out and put your seedlings in small pots (3-31/2 for growing on and planting out later.

Sowing Seeds Out Door 

Most seeds won't germinate below a soil temperature of about 7°C (45°F) so you must delay early sowings until the soil has at least reached this temperature. One way to hasten this process is to warm the soil by putting clear plastic sheeting or bottomless plastic bottles over the soil a few weeks before sowing or planting out.

The downside with direct seeding is that it can take longer to show results and requires a great level of patience. One of the mistakes many amateur gardeners, including myself has made, was to scatter my seed packets into my garden bed without first making sure that the seeds will receive enough light or air this then resulted in the growth of tall weak stemmed plants. As a new gardener you need to understand that your seeds will need special care and attention so that you will be able to see your garden thrive.

Before you start planting your seeds ensure that your garden bed has been dug over in advance so that the soil can settle. Your soil should already have warmed from following the methods mention previously.

To start planting your seeds rake or dig a small trench, water each row prior to sprinkling the seeds, then evenly sprinkle the seeds row by row. Each row should be at least an inch apart from each other. Then increase the distance between each row which will allow you walking space between each row once your plant as fully grown, as well as allowing you to clear any weeds later. 

Use a rake to gently cover the seeds with soil. If the seeds are very fine or of thin variety, they shouldn't be covered by the soil at all. Planting the seeds too deep beneath the soil will prevent the plant from flourishing if the soil is too heavy and very damp, it will cause the leaf buds to rot before it reaches the surface. To ensure that a maximum number of seeds mature into fully grown plants successfully, cover them in soil with a depth no more than twice their size

Once you have completed your seeding, mark each plant's location by writing the name of each plant on marker stick at the beginning of each row to help identify each plant later. To further protect your seeds beds from birds, squirrels and cats is to cover with a single layer of fleece, secure this by pushing the edges of the fleece into the ground to ensure it doesn’t blow away.

You have now completed your garden bed and all you need to do now is just wait to see the fruits of your labour. However, in between this you will need to ensure that you water your seeds during dry spells and check whether there are any buds appearing.

Read more at Gardening Know How: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/