Planting a garden from scratch can sound like a daunting task, especially for those who are new to the hobby. But with the right knowledge, you can have a successful, fruitful space and a great harvest.
To get a head start on your garden, start seedlings indoors and transplant them into an outdoor garden. This time-tested technique can save you hundreds of dollars annually, as plants at a nursery can be pricey. Tips and tricks to make the most of this method:
• Don’t start your indoor plants too soon. They can grow in about four weeks or less if you use a high-quality garden starter. Check seed packages to learn when to plant outdoors and then start them indoors 1 month earlier.
• Consider using a seed-starting system that takes some of the guess work out of the equation. For example, the Aerogarden Seed Starting system can start up to 66 seedlings indoors with no dirt, nurturing seeds with optimal amounts of water and nutrients for reliable germination and healthy growth.
• Add nutrients to the seedlings every 2 weeks and keep the water at full level. Over feeding could hurt the plants.
• Before transplanting, seedlings need to be hardened off. Skipping this step usually results in plants dying. Hardening off seedlings eases their transition to the outdoors, where they are exposed to the elements. The process involves gradually exposing plants to the outdoors, protecting them from full sunlight, temperature variations and wind.
• Don’t let sprouts get too big before transplanting. Ideally they should be 4-6 inches tall. If possible, plant seedlings on a cool, cloudy day. If seedlings get too large before weather allows moving outdoors, transplant them into small pots with high quality potting soil. Keep fully watered in a sunny space until weather permits transplanting outdoors.
• After transplanting seedlings outdoors, be sure to water them daily for two weeks, especially if the weather is dry and sunny.
• Save and reuse your seed starter tray for the next season. Once the spring plants have been transplanted outdoors, get a head start on a summer crop.
More tips available at www.Aerogarden.com. For true green thumb bragging rights, grow your garden from scratch. Just be sure you know the tricks of the trade.