How to Sow Seeds

With spring quickly approaching, you may be thinking about planting a garden. It seems easy enough. You put some seeds in soil, water and watch them grow. But the truth is that a lot of other factors go into having the perfect garden.

You may be asking yourself when I should start planting? What should I plant next to what? What kind of soil do I use? Don't worry, we are here to help!

Believe it or not, for most vegetables and spring flowers, you should actually start to sow your seeds indoors in February or March. If you don't have a greenhouse or grow room you can make mini greenhouses using recycled containers. This is known as winter-sowing. Once they start to grow you can begin transplanting them in April. Make sure you wait until the last frost to transplant them into your garden bed. Click here for a simple seed sowing guide.

Did you know that how you lay out your garden can actually determine how well it does? Plants have natural companions that when planted together, help the other thrive. For example, if you plant your onions next to your strawberries or tomatoes, they will be protected from slugs. On the other hand, if you plant kohlrabi next to tomatoes, it can stunt the tomato's growth.

Choosing soils can be tricky. The type of soil you have plays a large part in how your garden does. The first thing you want to do is evaluate your soil. This will help to make sure your soil has the adequate nutrients needed for your garden. There are a lot of ways that you can feed your plants by adding things like bone meal, plant food or manure into your soil.