When we decide on gardening seeds to start our vegetable garden instead of seedlings we need to read all the fine print on the seed packets. The gardening seeds packaging may be very decorative but we need to know some important information before we purchase the packet. We need to know the planting instructions, the freshness, how many seeds in the packet and their ability to survive.  

The way to find out about the freshness of the seeds is to look for a 'packed for' date on the vegetable gardening seeds packet. Before you open the seed packet make sure to write the 'packed for' date on a different part of the package; the 'packed for' date is generally right where you open the package. If the planting instructions are very detailed you will have a tendency to purchase from that seed company again. Is the quantity of seeds written on the packet or do you have feel around the envelope? Some of the seed companies give you a testing date and a germination percentage; this means they tested the seeds befoe packaging and this is reliable information.  

The vegetable garden seeds that you purchase are prepared to germinate in moist soil so if you decide to 'water them in' you will need to have the water close at hand and have time to do it; these seeds think they get rain on a regular basis so will develop roots and leaves and will not worry about drought. You can plant the seeds in dry soil and by doing it this way you are letting them know that you are the one who is going to water them and you will have to keep up the process.  

Try to plant sparingly; if you plant all the seeds from a packet be prepared to store what you will not eat. Many of the gardening seeds packets that have the smaller seeds will provide more that needed; usually the seeds in packets of vegetable garden lettuce are enough to produce around 100 heads of lettuce. You may want to try planting less than 1/4 of the seeds.  

You want to space your seeds widely from the very start. If you plant them too close together you will need to thin them out later; the problem is we do not usually thin out until it is ready to eat. This could possibly damage the roots of the remaining plants. So if we plant farther apart our plants will become larger and stronger because they will not be competing with plants that were planted too close. By placing wide enough stakes at the beginning of the row gives you the opportunity to place the plant date, the seed source, and any other comments you want to make during the harvesting of the vegetable.

Planting gardening seeds to start our vegetable garden is a way to introduce children to growing vegetables. Sometimes planting seedlings, which are quite delicate, young children may find difficult to handle. By planting seeds you know that the children cannot damage them. For the very young child you may want to dig the holes for him and have him drop the seeds in and cover with soil. Older children like to dig in the dirt and may want to dig their own holes with a little guidance from you. Be sure to let the children know how often the vegetable garden needs to be watered and have them use a watering can. The fun part is going to be when they help you harvest the vegetables that they planted.

<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" />

<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" />

<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy">