by Amanda Vittitow

Created on: April 17, 2008   Last Updated: May 27, 2008

The Seed Packet Is Your Best Friend:

The good thing about how to start bedding plants is the back of the seed packets tell you everything you need to know about planting depth, watering and sunlight. The packets also tell you what months to start them in to avoid the new sprouts getting damaged or killed from frost.

Soil Prep:

If you're using old or new planting grounds, you'll want to make sure the dirt is broken up and loose, by either hoeing or tilling, and you'll want to make sure the dirt you're using is brown (red dirt is okay but lacks the nutrients that brown dirt has). Miracle Grow is the best dirt to use and will feed your vegetation for up to three months Use however many bags it takes to fill up the planting area(s). Something else that works really well to ensure growth and survival of your vegetation is to use peat moss or bone meal.

Planting Depth:

Planting depth refers to how much depth the seed is, in the ground. Most gardeners think that you just put the seeds in the dirt and cover them up, and that's that. But that's the wrong thing to do. Different kinds of vegetation require different depths. Some vegetation needs to "feel" or "sense" light to germinate so they need to be closer to the sunlight, while other vegetation needs to be in a dark, moist environment to germinate and need to be planted farther away from light. Again read the back of the seed packet.

Once you've established depth, you can start to establish width. Generally you can plant the seeds about two inches apart, and once you've gotten a lot of growth going on, this is the time you can start thinning out the vegetation and figure out if you want to plant it elsewhere or if you want to throw them out.

Watering and Sunlight Requirements:

Watering and sunlight directions are basically the same as depth. Certain vegetation's require more or less water, and certain vegetation's require more or less sunlight. Avoid watering too much as this can cause seed rot, and avoid too much sunlight as this can cause death in some vegetation.

But again...

The seed packet is your best friend!

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