This time of year there is a flurry of activity in every gardener’s mailbox – seed season is upon us. Every good garden begins with good seeds. Seeds can be purchased virtually anywhere in our day and age. Mail order catalogs (and their respective websites) are far superior to the vast majority of seeds available in stores. Most catalogs offer a much larger and more unique variety, putting more control in to your hands and thus allowing a higher potential for success. Choosing seeds can be a bit overwhelming. However, the following tips should help to focus your efforts:
1) Space & Spacing –Get an idea of the rough square footage and layout of the garden. Draw a sketch of the garden and decide how much space is going to be dedicated to various types of crops (tomtatoes, corn etc.).
Once the space is laid-out for each crop do a little research into the space required per plant of that crop (e.g. 24 inches between individual corn plants) - knowing how to space crops will ensure that appropriate amount of seed is purchased.
1)History – It is a good idea to keep a garden journal to record broad seasonal trends. If there are any records from the past look back at them and see what varieties were used and what were the successes and failures. This can save a lot of time and money if a specific crop or variety consistently does or does not perform in the garden.
2)Know Thy Self – For many years I grew peppers. They grew beautifully and I would harvest them and never use them. It was only after several years and I decided that I didn’t actually like peppers and stopped growing them. Grow only things that you KNOW you will use. If you only use three peppers a year it is cheaper to buy them from the grocery store.
3)Seeds v. Transplants – If you have a large garden or a crop that can be sown multiple times (greens or onions for example) it is more economical to buy seeds. If you have a small garden or only require several individual plants (for example tomatoes, peppers), transplants may be a better option. Dividing up which plants will be purchased as seed and which will be purchased as transplants will help keep costs down and streamline the gardening process.
4)Have Fun! – This might sound trite however a garden should be fun. A personal rule I have is to try something new every year – a new vegetable, a new flower, a new variety. Something new and fresh to keep me interested and engaged; it has lead to some great discoveries.
