There are a lot of beginning vegetable gardeners this spring. Among these well-meaning folks there seems to be a nearly universal fear of planting seeds.

Some seeds, like tomatoes and peppers, must be started inside in March but the best value from vegetable gardening is from crops that we grow from seeds sown directly into the garden.

It may seem very early but peas and spinach seeds can, and should be going into the ground in early April to grow in the cool weather of early spring. Our vegetable growing season is actually much longer than from Mother’s Day to frost.

There really isn’t anything at all difficult about starting seeds directly in the garden. Lettuce and all the other greens like chard and spinach and later on, green beans are good examples of easy-to-grow crops. Radishes are also very rewarding since you can sow a row every two weeks and they grow and mature in less than a month providing a continuous supply once they get going.

Let’s take a look at green beans, one of the easiest crops to grow. According to the vegetable schedule you can start sowing them in early May or anytime through the third week of July. Now let’s take a look at a bean seed pack. The front of the pack is pretty but the back has complete growing instructions. 

Let’s go step by step. I’ve made a little trench 2” deep as per the instructions and placed the seeds at the bottom. Then I cover them with 2” of soil and water them in. I like to use potting soil to cover them since it looks different than the garden soil so I know I’m watering the right area. Now I just need to keep them moist and they’ll sprout in a week or less. After a couple of weeks, they will be a few inches tall. Since they all germinated so well, I’ll have to thin them out by removing any that were closer together than 6” spacing the seed pack indicated I should have. If they are too close, they won’t do as well. and harvesting will be difficult. 

The trick is knowing when to plant which crop for the best results. If you’re just trying your hand at vegetable gardening for the first time, drop by the garden center and pick up a copy of the “Vegetable Schedule.” It is a wonderful resource for the beginning gardener and even a seasoned veteran can use it to keep on track. It shows when the different plants and seeds should be planted out in the garden. Spend some time with it and you’ll be on your way to bumper crops from spring through late fall. It is quite rewarding starting your crops from seed right in the garden. Try it out...you’ll be hooked in no time.

THANKS FOR THE READ!