Plant Gardens 101

As spring arrives us gardeners start to get ready for the coming season and a major part of this preparation is seed sowing. Sowing seeds and nurturing them through germination into strong healthy plants is without a doubt one of the most rewarding tasks in gardening. Watching nature work its magic is something that I never tire of seeing. Wherever you sow your seed, be it on a kitchen windowsill, in a greenhouse or garden shed, following a few basic rules will aid your chance of success. Foremost is hygiene, have a good spring clean before sowing. All pots and trays should be scrubbed clean with biodegradable detergent. Staging, worktops and the interior of the greenhouse can also be done at the same time.

Now a decision has to be made as to which growing medium is to be used. There is a variety of seed composts available on the market but in general any medium that is not overly heavy, water retentive or high in nutritional value will suffice, personally I use coir and vermiculite. Coir is a by-product from coconuts, making it a renewable organic resource. The only downside to coir is the air miles involved in bringing it to this country although storage and transportation are easier now as it comes in dehydrated blocks slightly larger than a brick. When you are ready to use it place your coir brick in a tub, pour on the required amount of water and within ten minutes you have 10 litres of hydrated coir. Into this I mix vermiculite to help with moisture retention. (more…)

The importance of having good seeds has already been declared. They must not only grow, but grow into what we have bought them for–be true to name. Without the latter quality we cannot be sure of good gardens, and without the former they will not be full ones. A meagre “stand” from seeds properly sown is a rather exasperating and discouraging experience to encounter. The cost for fertilizing and preparing the land is just as much, and the cost of cultivating very nearly as much, when the rows are full of thrifty plants or strung out with poor ones. Whether you use ten cents’ worth or ten dollars’ worth, the best seed to be had will be the most economical to buy–to say nothing of the satisfaction that full rows give. Inexperienced gardeners seem universally to have the conviction that the only thing required in seed sowing is to cover the seed with soil. What sort of soil it is, or in what condition, or at what depth or temperature the seed is planted, are questions about which they do not trouble themselves to think. (more…)