If you took action on last month’s article, your newly-made garden bed is now prepared and waiting for you to plant something into that potent soil. What’s the first step? What should I plant and how should I plant it? Do I plant my seeds directly into the soil, or should I start them in small containers? If I already have small plants (grown by me or by someone else), how and when should I plant them into the garden bed?
These are all good questions, and the answers depend upon many factors, including what kind of seeds you have, what kind of plants you have, how much space you have, and what the weather is like!
Let’s begin by looking at how different seeds work and how to get them properly started.
All Vegetable Plants Start with a Seed
It’s more than a bit bewildering seeing all the seed packets available both in the stores and online, with the potential for growing so many different kinds of vegetables! I keep my seeds in a seed box, which is an old shoe box lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. (See photo.) The foil protects the seeds from gamma radiation, which is the main cause of seed dysfunction (I am not making this up!) If you store your seeds in such a box, they can last up to three years. On the seed packet, I highlight or write the year of the seed purchase, so I’ll know at a glance how old the seeds are. Picture of seed box and picture of seed packets on desk (if there’s room).
Some of my seeds for this year are from Home Depot, while others have been purchased online during the winter. Two of my favorite seed companies are Gurneys and Jung. Both have a very good selection of vegetable and flower seeds. I especially like Jung offerings of winter squash seeds. Besides the wide selection of varieties available from mail order seed companies, you also tend to get more information about the seeds (such as, their disease resistance).
How can we create some kind of order out of this puzzling assortment of seeds!? Actually, there is a way to create seder out of this seed potpourri – if we think about their differences relating to how and when they are optimally planted. In my mind, seeds can be divided into two major categories.
1) How: Some seeds are best planted directly into the garden soil. Other seeds are best planted into garden pots and then transplanted into the garden bed when they are seedlings. (Note: A “garden pot” is any small container into which potting soil is placed and seeds are planted. Garden pots include those flat, multi-celled plastic containers in which most garden centers sell their vegetable seedlings.)
2) When: Some vegetables will grow better in cool weather; while other vegetables will only grow well during hot weather.
I don’t think you have to be a rocket scientist to see that we can now put together four different combinations of how and when to plant seeds:
· Seeds planted into the garden soil for cool weather
· Seeds planted into garden pots for cool weather
· Seeds planted into the garden soil for hot weather
· Seeds planted into garden pots for hot weather
We will eventually consider each one of these planting combinations separately. But first, here is a primer on cool weather vegetables.
Cool Weather Vegetables – A Primer
Okay, maybe you didn’t know that some kinds of vegetables prefer cool weather, while other kinds of vegetables like it hot. Way back when I got started, I readily admit that I didn’t know there was such a difference, and as a pre-teenager I couldn’t figure out why the peas I planted in the middle of the hot summer wouldn’t germinate and wouldn’t grow if they did! It was years later that I learned that peas are strictly a cold-weather vegetable. We are all familiar with spring flowers that bloom early, when the weather is still cold; summer flowers in all their glory that bask in the hot summer sun; and fall flowers that mature throughout the summer long and prefer the cool autumn clime. Well, it’s the same thing with vegetables, and all successful vegetable gardeners must know which is which.
Here is a short, non-inclusive list of some cool weather vegetables:
Peas: As mentioned above, peas are strictly cool weather. Plant directly into the garden soil as soon as possible in the spring.
Leafy Stuff: lettuce, chard, spinach, kale, collard greens, etc. These are not strictly cool-weather crops, but they grow much better when it’s cool, producing the leafy products that we want from those plants. Another thing: these vegetables stay leafy when the weather is cool but may decide to “bolt” or “go-to-seed” when it gets warmer: The plants will stop being bushy and leafy and will shoot up to produce a tall stem of flowers that will then turn into seeds. This means the end of productive plant, unless your aim was to produce seeds.
Of all these leafy vegetables, today’s chard varieties are the heartiest – I’ve never seen them bolt – and will continue to produce delicious and nutritious leaves all summer long, though they are bigger and better when it’s cool. Growing chard is heartily recommended, if you like a mild, spinach-like flavor; they are very similar in taste and appearance to beet leaves (only bigger). These leafy vegetable seeds are mostly planted directly into the garden soil.
Rooty Stuff: radishes, beets, turnips. We really look forward to growing these cool-weather crops (both in the spring and fall). They’re fun and not very hard to grow. The seeds go directly into the ground, and before you know it, you’ve got a nice row of seedlings. In warm weather, the roots get “woody” and will lose their fresh taste.
Radishes are the easiest root vegetable to grow and give (practically) instant gratification: full-bodied fruits within a month. We love beets (both the roots and the greens), while turnips are good in all kinds of soups. These root vegetables also last a long time in the vegetable drawer in your fridge.
Cool-Weather Staples: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi: We love these vegetables, which tend to define our cool-weather garden. Although their seeds can be planted directly into soil, these vegetables are most often planted first in garden pots, and the seedlings (small plants six to 8 inches tall) are then transplanted into the garden. In the next section, I’ll discuss the reasons for this. These vegetables do very well in the cool weather. But when the weather gets hot, they may bolt (a bolting cabbage is truly a sight to see!), go to seed (each little broccoli bump turns into a yellow flower!), and will get very buggy with white aphids and green cabbage worms, turning them into a lost crop.
Planting Seeds into the Garden Soil for Cool Weather
We have arrived – it’s time to plant! So, how do you do it? Really, it’s quite simple and straightforward, but it takes a bit of practice to get it right.
You will want to plant your seeds in the ground soon after tilling/digging – while the soil is still crumbly and in little pieces. If the garden soil is too clumpy (big chunks), too wet (muddy) or even too dry, this planting method will not work. But first, since you don’t want to be stomping around on your newly tilled soil, if your garden is large, it is highly recommended that you place stepping (patio) stones throughout the garden bed; use these stones to make your way around the garden.
Now, use a stick to “drag” a line into the soil about one-half-inch deep. It doesn’t have to be perfectly straight or uniformly deep. You are going to tap your seed packet so that the seeds fall directly into the small depression you’ve drawn in the soil. Picture of soil with stick and dragged line
Cut off the top the seed packet and, holding the packet about 12” above the ground, tap with your forefinger very gently until the seeds start to fall slowly out of the packet. (See photo). Move down the little furrow, all the while tapping the seeds so they will fall into it. When finished, use your hand (or foot, or a small dirt hoe) to bring soil from the edges of the furrow back into it and cover your seeds. Pat down gently. Picture of tapping out seeds
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
How many seeds are supposed to fall out into the furrow? Answer: Not too few and not too many! The seed packet always tells you how far apart each plant should be in order to grow properly. In every case, after sprinkling seeds into the ground in this manner, you are eventually going to have to come back to thin out the extra seedlings that have come up in your row (I’ll tell you how to do this in the next article). Try to keep in mind the final desired result when tapping out your seeds, but also tap out just a bit more than you think you’ll need.
Be careful when tapping out your seeds, but don’t freak out if too many come out all at once! It happens to the best of us. Gam zu letovah! Practice will make perfect (or better). If you find that tapping out directly from the packet is just too difficult or nerve-wracking, try this instead: Pour some seeds into your palm, pinch some seeds with your other hand, and sprinkle them into the furrow with your fingers. Repeat.
Keep your eye on the weather before planting: Don’t plant on a windy day because the wind may blow you seeds off course! Also, don’t plant before a very heavy rain – your seeds may come uncovered, and the ground may become a muddy mess, choking your seeds and seedlings before they can even get started. However, it’s a very good idea to plant before a light or “normal” rainfall.
Mark your rows with a little stick stuck into the ground at the head of each row. I
usually mark off my rows before planting, so I can see where each row is going to be. How far apart should each row be? It depends on what you’re planting (read the seed packet): small plants, like radish, small distance (about 8 inches); big plants like cabbage, big distance (about 18 inches). (Note: Plants within a row are generally much closer together.) Keep this in mind: Crowded plants do not grow well and will not give you the biggest bang for your garden buck.
Once again, peas are the exception. Pea seeds (shriveled peas) can be planted directly into the garden soil, as follows: Lay out the relatively large pea “seeds” directly on top of the tilled soil about three inches apart. Now, go back to the head of the row and push them into the soil with your finger to about one inch deep. Kids can help with this! Cover up each hole after planting.
Now the garden magic begins! wide shot - seedlings growing in rows
What We’ve Covered, Where We’re Headed
In this article, I’ve tried to give you a handle on the bewildering array of seeds that are available for your vegetable garden, and I’ve categorized those seeds as to how and when they should be planted. Remember, there are four combinations of these parameters. In this article, we’ve discussed only the first variation: seeds planted directly into the garden soil in cool weather. Actually, you’ve learned more than this limited title implies, because you now know how to plant any seed directly into your garden – either by sprinkling (for smaller seeds) or pushing in (for bigger seeds), whether the weather is cool or hot!
In the meantime, unless you have already
started your nightshade (hot weather) vegetables in garden pots (namely:
tomatoes, peppers and/or eggplants), now is the time to buy these
plants in pots from others who have done the work for you: tall seedlings
growing in pots or flats ready-to-go from garden centers! Buy them and plant them now as the
weather has warmed up a bit. In my opinion, the best place to buy them is
Valley View Farms on
P.S.: Almost all other hot weather vegetables can be started from seeds planted directly into the warm garden soil. This includes cucumbers, melons, beans, and all kinds of squashes. To get a head-start on the growing season, start them in garden pots/flats now; or, you can buy them as seedlings from the garden store. Exception: beans! Beans are ridiculously easy to plant and grow, and they also grow very fast. Buying a bean plant, to me, is kind of silly.
Until next issue, kol tuv, Avraham Cohen.
Note: Other articles in this gardening series are
available now, and include a Model Layout plan for a 6’ x 6’ garden. To receive
a pdf of available articles, please write to avcogrh@aol.com.
|
