How to Plant Your Garden Seedlings

After you have turned the soil and thoroughly raked in the compost and manure, you can begin planting your garden. A spring planting schedule can be found here courtesy of Heirloom Seeds. Determine when the last frost of the year occurs in your area. Then check the dates under that column to find out when you should plant each of your seedlings. It is better to plant your seedlings late than early. If you think they are still to small to be transplanted, wait until they are big enough to survive a rain.

Using the hoe, rake out rows in your planting bed. The rows should be about six inches apart and six inches wide. Depending on what area you live, the rows should follow a certain pattern. If you live in a wet climate, the rows should point downhill so that excess water will be able to run off easily. If you live in a dry climate, like I do, you need to make the rows run horizontally across the side of a hill so that excess water will be trapped between the rows. If your garden is planted on flat ground, just make the rows whichever way you feel suits you best.

Begin in the back of the garden. If you are planning on growing climbing plants such as peas or beans, you will need to construct a trellis for them. You can buy pre-made wooden trellis at the hardware store and then just prop it against two poles. Another method is to buy metal fence stakes and run wire or string between them. Climbing plants usually like to grow between six and eight feet high, so you may just want to build the garden next to a fence. You may still need to nail in some nails and string together a grid of twine for them to climb up.