How to Plant Your Garden Seedlings

After you have turned the soil and thoroughly raked in the compost and manure, you can begin planting your garden. A spring planting schedule can be found here courtesy of Heirloom Seeds. Determine when the last frost of the year occurs in your area. Then check the dates under that column to find out when you should plant each of your seedlings. It is better to plant your seedlings late than early. If you think they are still to small to be transplanted, wait until they are big enough to survive a rain.

Using the hoe, rake out rows in your planting bed. The rows should be about six inches apart and six inches wide. Depending on what area you live, the rows should follow a certain pattern. If you live in a wet climate, the rows should point downhill so that excess water will be able to run off easily. If you live in a dry climate, like I do, you need to make the rows run horizontally across the side of a hill so that excess water will be trapped between the rows. If your garden is planted on flat ground, just make the rows whichever way you feel suits you best.

Begin in the back of the garden. If you are planning on growing climbing plants such as peas or beans, you will need to construct a trellis for them. You can buy pre-made wooden trellis at the hardware store and then just prop it against two poles. Another method is to buy metal fence stakes and run wire or string between them. Climbing plants usually like to grow between six and eight feet high, so you may just want to build the garden next to a fence. You may still need to nail in some nails and string together a grid of twine for them to climb up.

The tallest plants will go in the back of the garden with the plants getting shorter as you work your way forward. This allows the shorter plants in front to get the same amount of sunlight as the plants in the back. If the garden is out in the middle of the yard and not near a building or a fence, then the tallest plants should be grown in the center of the garden and the shortest plants on either side. If you are not sure how tall your plants will grow, consult your seed packets. Typically, tall plants include climbing plants and corn. Medium-sized plants include tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and okra. Small plants include carrots, onions, radishes, lettuce, and creeping plants such as pumpkin, watermelon, and squashes.

Dig a hole with your trowel as deep as you need. Make sure that the soil that the seedling has been grown in goes in deep. You will need at least one inch of garden soil to cover the original soil you grew the seed in. Don't pull seedlings out of the containers by the stem. This will put strain on the plant and it will weaken or kill it. Instead, try pushing it out from the bottom of the container. After it goes in the hole, cover the seedling with soil and pat it around the base of the plant. Your seed packet should tell you how far apart you need to space the seedlings. I like to plant all my plants about a hand's length and 1/2 apart (about ten inches). Onions and carrots get planted about 1/2 a hands width apart (about 4 inches). I

f you need to sow seeds directly into the garden, this is the time to do it. Plant lots of seeds. Later, you can go back and pull up the weaker seedlings. Be sure to mark each row so you will know what types of plants you are growing. For safety, don't put all of one type of plant in the same area. This will invite pests and disease. Instead, mix all of your plants in together, or only plant four or five plants together in one area. This will help to confuse insects and, if you do get pests or disease in an area, all of the other plants of that type will be protected by not being near them. Water the garden after you are completely finished with the planting.

If you have not already, please see my article on starting seedlings organically.