You Can Start Bedding Your Seedlings And Seeds In Good Order

Once you've selected a purpose for your garden, and determined the plants you want it's time to sow. Each seed packet or starter plant you buy will have guidlines for planting. Keep in mind the other plants you'll be adding and take into account the space they need as well.

Seeds are easy to lose track of so mark courses where you'll be planting. The easiest way to accomplish this is with a piece of twine and two sticks. Just place a stake at one end of the row, tie the twine to it and run it to the other end of the row. Tie off the twine and your row is obvious. Do this before planting for all your rows and you'll be able to plant easily. It also makes it much easier afterwards to see what's sprouting and keeps you from walking on the row.

Plant the entire row of seeds and cover with a thin layer of earth. After planting, lightly water the seeds. A light sprinkler or hand held wand sprayer on a mist adjustment works well. Don't over-water or you will wash the seeds right out of the soil. The effect could be no plants growing in your garden, or a pumpkin growing in the yard. Rather, water softly, yet often. Keeping the seeds damp is the best way to get them going so water a couple of times a day for the beginning few days.

When planting seedlings, begin in early morning or in the evening. Never plant in mid day with the sunshine beating down. Dig a hole sufficient for the plant root to fit in. Don't sink it too deep and don't leave the roots exposed to the air. Pack dirt firm around the root area and supply mulch about the base of the plant. Then, water thoroughly. The mulch will help to keep the humidity around the plant higher and help it get acclimated. It also keeps the root area dampish, keeping the plant from drooping.

If you are planting seeds, hold off until the plants are a few inches tall and then add mulch around them as well. Straw works peachy and is rather easy to obtain from a local farmer. Just distribute the straw round the plants in a two to four inch thick layer. Keep it from covering the plants themselves, just make them a little hole to poke out of. Water the straw heavily once layed down. The straw will work to keep moisture in and screen out weeds and it makes a decent surface to walk or kneel on too.

Many people are unsure of how to properly water their garden plot and water way too much, too little or at the incorrect time of day. The best time to irrigate your garden is in the evening as the sun fades or really early in the morning. Never water with a sprinkler or spray the leaves directly. You could burn your plant leaves. Sounds strange, but it's dead on, water drops on plant leaves magnify sunlight like a magnifying glass. The results are brown, dead, burnt spots on leaves. Early morning sprinkler watering allows the water to evaporate and not bake the leaves. Nights are best for slow, drip watering as it permits the plant to soundly soak up the moisture.

Add compost to your garden patch to help fertilize your plants as they develop. Also think about employing other organic fertilizers such as cow or horse manure. They add a boost of nitrogen to your soil and encourage robust plant growth and high rewards at harvest.

Throughout your growing season, check your plants for dead foliage and other problems. Keep the weed population down by pulling them and adding them to the compost heap. Keep your plants from drying out by adding mulch as required. Water on a regular, logical schedule and keep your plants fertilized. Your garden plot will show you just how happy it is by growing strong and producing a good harvest at the end of the season.