Congratulations! You must have received one of ioby’s free seed packets! Thanks for stopping by our table at a Greenmarket or community outreach event.
In addition to the planting instructions on the back of each packet, you can refer to the gardening tips and websites below for more information about your plants.
While your garden grows, please be sure to check out ioby’s projects to learn more about how you can get involved with ioby by donating, volunteering your time or posting a project in your neighborhood.
- 1. Know your plot. Figure out how much sunlight your plot gets and how much your plants will need.
2. If possible, make your rows face east. By making your rows face east, you can ensure that taller plants do not block sunlight from shorter plants. If possible, cater to each plant’s sunlight needs. Sketching out your garden beforehand is a good plan.
3. Know your soil. Check the pH balance, and make sure your soil isn’t too acidic or too basic.
4. Make the garden plot in the fall. Plowing in the fall means the winter frost can break the soil clumps and leave you with a great plot for summer.
5. You can start your plants indoors in late winter. This can prepare them for planting in the spring and help make the most of your seed packet.
6. Smaller is better. For replanting, choose smaller plants as larger ones tend to be “shocked” more by the replanting.
7. “Harden” your plants. When bringing indoor plants outdoors, expose them for a few hours a day to start out and then gradually build up their time outdoors. This can be accomplished in about two weeks.
8. Fertilize wisely. Each soil has its own fertilizing needs, as does each plant. Generally, you can fertilize about 3-4 weeks after transplanting your indoor garden outdoors. With vine crops, such as squash and cucumbers, fertilize when they begin to spread, and then again when they bloom. Plan on using a good balanced fertilizer such as 5-10-10 and figure 2 pounds of fertilizer to each 25 foot row. Sprinkle the fertilizer 6 to 8 inches from the plant's stem, and work it loosely in to the soil.
9. Stagger plantings. Don’t plant everything all at once! Especially with fast growing vegetables (radishes, lettuce, etc.) try to space out plantings to make sure you have fresh vegetables all summer and no large influxes of vegetables you can’t eat. You can plant these vegetables about every 2 weeks to insure a long lasting supply.
10. Clean and compost! When plants die, be sure to clean the area and compost any debris. Dead plants mean more bacteria in your garden, which can cause plant damage. Composting will also give you a good source of fertilizer for your garden next year!
Read more here and for plant-specific gardening information refer to the New Gardener.
Best of luck with your seeds and please be sure to check out some projects relating to gardening and composting on ioby!