Working with Garden Seed

Garden seed, whether it is vegetable or flower seed, should be purchased from a reliable source. Your garden seed needs to be obtained from a firm that has been well established for several years and maintains a good reputation for not selling poor varieties of seed.

Many vegetables will grow quite well and produce wonderful crops from the seeds you plant directly into the tilled soil whether it is in hills or rows. The items that you will need to start your seed vegetable garden are seeds, shovel, watering can, hoe, garden hose, garden rake and a garden trowel. First of all be sure that your areas temperatures will not drop down to the freezing point, most seeds will not survive when they are frozen. The information found on the vegetable seed packets will let you know when you can plant the seeds in your part of the country, how deep, the method to use for best results and the distance apart the seeds need to be planted.

In order to plant in rows you will want to make a number of furrows or ruts by using a garden hoe. Each furrow should be as deep as the seed packet recommends for that particular vegetable; for instance the larger the seed such as beans the furrow should be 2 inches deep. Place the seeds in the row and space them as the seed packet recommends; you can then cover the seeds loosely with your hand or the back side of your rake. Pat the row lightly with the back of the rake just enough so the wind will not blow away any of the soil. Now you want to thoroughly water gently by using a garden hose with the nozzle set at a fine spray or a watering can with a fine spray opening.   

To plant in hills you want to gather the soil with a hoe and form it in a mound three to four inches high and twelve to about eighteen inches across; remember your seed packet should let you know how high and wide these mounds should be. You can use a stick, or better yet your finger, to make a hole down the center of the mound to the depth the seed packet recommends. Place 2 or 3 seeds in the hole, cover with soil and press it down using your hand enough to be sure it makes good contact with the seeds. Thoroughly water gently the same as you would if you planted the seeds in rows.

Sometimes it is better to plant the flower seed varieties indoors and then transplant into the flower garden after the first frost. The time that is needed before transplanting will vary depending on the type of flower seeds you choose. You can find this information on the seed packet or in any seed catalog. Some will tell you to start indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost. Some seeds such as zinnias or nasturtiums can be planted directly outdoors but you can get a head start by planting inside first to transplant right after the last frost. Some plants such as geranium or petunias, may take as long as 12 weeks before you can transplant them into your garden.  

The main idea of indoor seeding is to promote germination with the help of heat and water; seed growth using proper light and at the same time to prevent damping-off with air circulation and the proper drainage. This damping-off can be prevented by using a gentle blowing over the soil surface from an electric fan during the day. About a week and a half before planting these flower seedlings outdoors you want to start "hardening off". Stop fertilizing, reduce the watering by half, keep in a cool inside place and start giving them direct sunlight and changing outdoor temperatures. Set them outside for about an hour during mid day and gradually increase the time. They should not be out in the cold, heavy rain or strong winds and bring back indoors at night.

Before purchasing any garden seed try to pick up some free garden seed catalogs to browse through to see the different varieties of vegetable seed and flower seed packets that will perk your interest most. You may even find some that you have never heard of before and it might be worth the effort to try. Just remember to purchase all your garden seed from well known reliable sources.