Now that your bed is prepared and the soil amendments have been added it is time to plant your crops. There are several ways to plant and it depends on what you are putting in the ground which technique is most likely to be successful.

You may want to sow the seeds directly into your prepared soil. Peas are often sown this way as they are hardy seedlings that don’t easily succumb to fungal infections. Young seedlings are, however, quite vulnerable to large pests like slugs and snails and so should be adequately protected against these predators.

Another approach is to sow your seeds indoors. Putting the seeds on a heating pad inside you increase the rate of germination (the seed sprout faster) as well as keeping the seedlings completely protected from outdoor pests. Another reason for starting indoors is to increase the length of the season. In the northwest, for example, the hot season is just barely long enough for some popular heirloom type tomatoes. To give the plants a ‘jump start’ at the beginning of the season gardeners sow their seeds indoors before it is warm enough for them to germinate outside.

Another important consideration when sowing your seeds indoors is whether a sterile seed staring mix is necessary. Using sterile seed starting mix is important for seedlings that are more sensitive and succumb more easily to fungal infection. Most squash plants are a examples of plants best sown in sterile seed starting mix. You can purchase the mix, or mix your own. It is just a sterile mixture of peat moss and pearlite or vermiculite.

Another commonly used type of propagation is plant cuttings. You must again use a sterile soil mixture and rooting hormone. Not all plants are easily propagated by cutting, but perennials herbs like rosemary and thyme are examples of some that do. Take a small branch from an existing plant and remove some leaves leaving only as much as seams sufficient for that size of twig. In some cases it is necessary to cut a large leaf in half to reduce the greenery load on the small cutting. Be sure to use sterilized clippers when cutting and clean with an alcohol swab each time you move on to a new plant. Coat the clipped end of the twig in rooting hormone and place it into the sterile soil mixture. When you have completed your tray of plantings water them in and cover them with a plastic container to help protect against infection and keep the moisture content high. After a week or so there should be some root development, and in several weeks they will be ready to transplant into your garden.

Now that you have sown or transplanted your plants into your garden bed it is time to begin Farm Maintenance / Maintaining a Garden.