The vegetable garden planting calendar is good to know because it ensures a timely approach to gardening. This is the only way to get the most out of the garden.
Vegetable Garden Planting Calendar for Sowing in Containers
Sow in containers that are placed on heated verandas and warm and bright windowsills in the house.
We can grow seedlings of vegetables, spices, and flowers from February to April by sowing in containers or seed trays. Even those of us who do not have warm or cold beds and greenhouses.
Place the containers in a bright place where there is no draft.
Fill with special soil for sowing and diving, spread the seed evenly over the surface, and cover it with a thin layer of soil. Only seeds that need light for germination are not covered (it says on the seed bags). After sowing, spray the surface regularly.
When the first true leaflets appear between the cotyledons, we dive (a total of 4 leaflets developed). This means that these tiny plants are transplanted into pots, where they have more space to grow and develop. If we want to simplify the whole process, sow directly in peat pots and transplant the plant outdoors together with the pot.
Vegetable Garden Planting Calendar for Outdoor Sowing
To make work easier, we make paths between the beds. The easiest way is to trample the soil. The usual beam width is 1.20 m. The soil on the shaft must be light, airy, of good structure, evenly moist, and fertilized.
On a larger surface, we make beds of various shapes and sizes. It is necessary to sow at the RIGHT TIME. Above all, the sowing time depends on the weather. We follow a simple instruction: plants need heat and moisture to germinate and grow. Not too little and not too much. The seeds of each vegetable have specific requirements that we must take into account.
The mistakes we make when sowing is: we sow in poorly prepared soil, we sow too deep or too shallow, the soil is too dry or too wet, and we don’t take into account that some vegetables take a very long time to germinate (carrots, for example, take up to a month to sprout).
I suggest that we always sow in rows. And cover the seed with a thin layer of soil. We must always choose the proper plant density – the inter-row distances. We usually sow densely in a row, and the vegetables and flowers are later thinned accordingly; the density is indicated on the seed bags. The correct density is also known based on experience.
Transplanting Seedlings Outdoors
Water the seedlings an hour or two before transplanting them outdoors. Properly developed and healthy seedlings are then transplanted to the desired place in the garden. We must cover the young plants with a tarp if we expect cold spring air.
The Harvest
The crops are harvested at the time when the vegetables are most suitable for use. Usually, you cannot use all of them exactly. Therefore, various preservation methods are available: freezing, storage in vats, cellars, pickling, and drying. For storage, we collect only unblemished vegetables, free of diseases, pests, and sloping places. The crop is harvested on dry days because wet vegetables rot quickly.
A Book I Recommend
Would you like to learn more about how to approach gardening? Jessica Sowards, the warm and energetic host of YouTube’s Roots and Refuge Farm, is an excellent teacher for new gardeners, offering not just know-how but motivation and time-management advice for success. That’s why I recommend her book entitled “The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables: Volume 1: All the Know-how and encouragement you need to grow – and fall in love with! – your brand new food garden.”