Content
- Sowing instructions for beginners - this is how it goes step-by-step
- No-till - Guidance for direct sowing in the bed
- Growing on the windowsill - this is how you prepare the seed
- Sowing instructions - the way from seed to seedling
- Pick seedlings and harden - that's how it works
- Small sowing ABC - how to avoid pitfalls
- Tips
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Sowing instructions for beginners - this is how it goes step-by-step
This guide explains step by step how seeds are transformed into vigorous seedlings under the care of the gardener. Learn here the best way to directly sow and grow on the windowsill. Helpful hints point to typical stumbling blocks when beginners sow seeds for the first time in gardener life.
No-till - Guidance for direct sowing in the bed
In April and May it is high in the flowerbed and vegetable garden. At the latest after the ice sacs opens the window of opportunity for the direct sowing of indigenous species, such as sunflowers, snapdragons, carrots, runner beans or radishes. Who wants to create a lawn, this season also chooses to seep lawn seeds. How to proceed step by step:
To protect against pecking birds and hungry snails, cover the seedbed with a protective net. At the end, please do not miss to mark the seed rows with the labels of the seed.
Growing on the windowsill - this is how you prepare the seed
Numerous garden plants come from distant lands, such as popular petunias and tomatoes. Higher temperatures are required for germination so that home gardeners sow the seeds on the windowsill or in the greenhouse. Pay attention to this preparatory work:
Ecologically responsible home gardeners do not use peat-based auxiliaries. For example, coconut fiber substrate is excellent for sowing. Sowing in peat pots is also frowned upon, because reusable seed trays, pots or disused egg cartons are perfect seed tanks.
Sowing instructions - the way from seed to seedling
While the seeds are soaking, fill each seed tube with substrate two-thirds. Press the earth and spray the surface with water. On the moistened soil you can now sow the still moist seeds. Light germinator press with a wooden board for a good ground connection. Dark germs sift with substrate in a species-specific height. You can read about the type of seeds on the seed label. This is how it continues:
The germination time depends on the plant species. Some growth rockets germinate after a few days, while other seeds take weeks or even months to germinate. If the first germ buds sprout, the cap has fulfilled its duty and will be removed. Keep the substrate slightly moist and do not administer fertilizer.
Pick seedlings and harden - that's how it works
Following the cotyledons grow the first real leaves. Both types of leaves are visually easy to distinguish. In the course of further growth, there will be intense narrowness in the seed vessel. High time to give the industrious seedlings more space. For this purpose, you pot the strongest copies in their own pots. This process is called piking. Thats how it works:
From mid-April onwards, place your pupils in a warm, partially shaded spot during the day on the balcony or in the garden. The youngsters spend their cold nights behind glass until mid-May. This phase of hardening guarantees robust plants and vital growth in the bed from the beginning.
Small sowing ABC - how to avoid pitfalls
So that everything runs smoothly on your first sowing, we have summarized the most common rookie mistakes. Practical tips on how to avoid the pitfalls:
Most frequent and fatal care mistake is waterlogging in the seed vessel. The references to regular watering and spraying must not cause seedlings to stand in the water. The result is fungal infections, such as the dreaded turnip disease. Drainage holes in the bottom of the pot and a balanced water supply are the best prevention.
Tips
With its own cold frame, the starting signal for sowing already falls in February and March. Equipped with natural heating, the first seeds germinate here when there is still snow in the garden. The ingenious box you can easily build yourself or purchase as a finished kit in the trade.