By now, you have hopefully completed all the necessary tasks to begin the next step of your project. Refer to my last post if you have not finished this step which includes, choosing your seeds, selecting your garden location, and building your garden beds.

In this post, we will cover the essential tools for maintenance, the best soil for your seeds, and how to properly transplant your seeds or seedling as your garden progresses. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Step one of the next phase is gathering the proper tools. Off the bat, it’s most important we establish you will not be using dull or flimsy tools to work in your garden, especially cheap plastic ones. If you do, it’s basically the equivalent of trying to garden with beach toys. When it comes to starting your garden, it’s wise to invest in a sturdy metal shovel and a pair of gardening gloves, at the very least. The further you get into gardening, however, the smarter it is to pick up a few more pieces of equipment (Here is a list of tools that might come in handy).

The next step is finding the best soil for your seeds and seedlings since healthy plants need good soil to thrive and create good produce. It’s always a good idea to reuse your existing soil; however, it may not be rich enough to support your garden. The easiest way to fix this is by combining the existing dirt with a few inches of Miracle-Gro Garden Soil for Vegetables and Herbs. This will improve not only the texture of your soil but will also add in just the right amount of nutrients to get your new seedlings off to a great start. It may also be in your best interest to do a soil test to identify if you have any nutrient deficiencies. If you do, the good news is that the test comes with instructions to correct any imbalances.

Time to get to seeding your garden! Using fresh seeds is the best for germination. If you decide to use older seeds, plan on sowing more than the recommended amount on the off chance there is a low production rate. When planting seeds, make sure to follow the directions indicated on the back of the seed packet (other than the number of seeds to sow). Sow the seeds at the proper depth, pack them into the Earth with dirt, and water the surface whenever the soil dries out. 

An alternative method to growing seeds is transplanting seedlings (young plants) in your garden. If you decide to buy these from your local greenhouse, gently squeeze off the temporary pot. Lightly massage the soil mass, working out the roots until they no longer remain in their pot shape. Finally, use your hands or a trowel to create a hole in the soil, roughly the same size as the mat of roots. From here, cover the roots with the dirt and firmly press down, being sure the stem isn’t covered, and the plant is supported by the soil around it.

Congratulations, you’ve just finished planting your garden! All that’s left now is routine maintenance. We will learn about this in next week’s post so stay tuned to learn how to help your garden last!