Preparing Your Garden Bed

There are many different ways to prepare your garden space. Some people rototill, others double dig, some use amendments. Whether your using local soil or bringing in new soil make sure you have plenty of aeration in your mix to promote healthy root growth. The best time to tum your soil is when you’re making a new bed. You can mix in things like rice hulls, perlite, or coco bean hulls to achieve proper aeration. Make sure to add any amendments that you’re planning on using at this time.

lf you choose to amend you’re soil, add things like earthworm castings for balancing pH levels, and fixing heavy metals. Organic compost which hosts a full spectrum of essential plant nutrients while providing a strong base of microbiology to assist the plant in the breaking down of nutrients. Seaweed adds much needed micronutrients, vitamins and enzymes. Seaweed is also loaded with natural growth hormones enhancing the growth of your plants. Things like gypsum and oyster shell flour add calcium and dolomite lime will help adjust and stabilize the ph of your soil. If you choose to use any time-release fertilizer this would be a great time for mixing it in.

lf you’re working with an established garden bed. mixing your amendments in the first six inches and top dressing with compost will be great for the beneficial microbiology, called the soil food web. If the soil food web is harmed it will have to rebuild itself before it can work for you breaking down natural fertilizer.

Creating a rich healthy environment for your plants will ensure your gardens success. Have fun!

Starting Seeds

Starting seeds is a great way to start out your gardening season disease and pest free. There are a few key factors involved with starting seeds, timing, medium, temperature and moisture.

Choose your timing so that your seed starts don’t get overgrown before its time to plant outside. Overgrown seed starts are difficult to get back on track. Most seed packets have a planting schedule on the back to help indicate proper timing. Some seeds like to be soaked for a period of time before planting. Soaking time can also be found on the back of the seed packet.

Using a light and airy medium is crucial for new seedlings to develop roots. A light peat or venniculite base medium without heavy fertilizer that will hold moisture is best. After choosing your container fill almost all the way, lightly soak your medium and place either one seed per space or evenly space seeds apart. If sowing smaller seeds a few in one spot is OK too. Lightly sprinkle your medium on top of your seeds an use a squirt bottle to evenly spray with water.

It is important to keep your seeds evenly moist throughout germination. Using a squirt bottle is an easy and effective way to moisten seeds without over doing it. Using a fertilizer is not necessary while still germinating. When seeds begin to sprout giving them a mild fertilizer and some mycorrhiza for positive root growth is OK, however most seed starting mixes have enough food in them to get your seeds through the sprouting phase.

Keeping your seeds warm will help them germinate quicker. It is as easy as setting them close but not on top of a heater vent, putting a florescent light over them or getting a heat mat from your local garden store. Keeping them above 70 degrees and below 85 degrees is best.

When it’s time to plant your seedlings make sure you take the time to acclimate them to the outside temperature. Putting them outside in a shady spot for a couple hours the first day and slowly a day at a time introducing them to the sun will ensure your seedlings don’t get (sunburned). This is called “hardening off” Plant them on an overcast day or in the evening to prevent transplant shock.