[This useful information was on a sheet included with the seeds on the April 3, 2004 Seed Distribution Day sponsored by Greencorps Chicago.]
| Annuals | Grow, flower, produce seed and die all in the season they are planted. |
| Reseeding annuals | Drop their seeds and germinate the next year. Examples: cosmos, petunia, hollyhocks, alyssum. |
| Biennials | Grow the first year but wait for the second year to flower and set seed. |
| Perennials | Take longer to grow but once established will flower every year and only need to be divided every three to five years depending on their vigor. |
Clean it up! Make sure your bed is clean of all debris and any molding vegetative parts from last year. Loosen soil by tilling with a shovel and hoe. Remove and discard all waste properly - put your recyclable yard waste into Blud Bags.
Juice it up! Adding amendments, including lots of compost, to the soil will lighten up and improve it. Add composted or aged manure and a fertilizer with a 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 composition into the soil and mix well. Level with a rake, remove all stones, and break up soil clumps. Never cultivate wet soil as it will clump up and be impenetrable to roots.
Mulch it up! Mulch acts as a soil insulator so wait until the soil has warmed up before mulching. Spread the mulch around any young emerging plants. To get the most water retention, mulch after a good rain. It is best to spread the mulch over the entire bed, then clear out space for planting your seeds and transplanting your plants. A 2-3" layer of organic mulch will prevent soil erosion, keep the soil uniformly moist and may prevent weak germination and growth, Keep the mulch away from the tops of root crops such as carrots, beets abd potatoes to avoid plant diseases.
FYI - By starting seeds indoors, you can reap the rewards of having earlier flowers and a longer harvest season!
If you plan to sow your seeds directly outside, rather than starting indoors and transplanting later, wait until all chance of frost is past, usually after May 15th in Chicago. Plant seeds as suggested on the back of the seed packet. Ideal temperatures for seedling growth are 70-75 degrees during the day and 55-60 degrees at night, depending on the seed. There are many places to grow seedling outside as long as you meet the requirements that plants have for needing light, moisture, air, space, and nutrition.
Before planting your seeds, wet the soil with enough water to thoroughly moisten it to a depth of 6" to help maintain a balanced soil mixture.
Planting seeds in straight rows makes it easier to identify weeds from the germinated seeds and also makes cultivation and harvesting easier. Shallow furrows can be made with a stick; deeper furrows can be cut with the side of a hoe blade.
Place one seed at equal intervals along a row. After planting the seeds, cover with a fine layer of soil 2-4 times thicker than the width of the seed and firm up the soil around the seeds. Gently water and label the rows with the seed type and planting date.
If the packet doesn't specify seeding depth, plant seeds twice as deep as they are wide. Sow more seeds than you think you'll need because some seeds won't germinate and others may not make it past the seedling stage. The general spacing directions are: large seeds - 1" apart; medium seeds - 1/2" apart; tiny seeds - 1/4" apart. Space the seeds closer if you plan on thinning the young seedlings before transplanting.
To keep the seeds moist, you can cover the planting with a clear plastic container to allow light through and retain moisture. Immediately after germination, vent the plastic cover for a couple of days before removing it completely. You must pay close attention if you cover with plastic so as not to kill the seedlings - do not let the seedlings touch the plastic cover.
After germination and when the plants are just over 2", thin the plants at equal intervals as recommended on the seed packet. After thinning, mulch your beds with straw, bark mulch or other organic mulch.
Pay attention to the condition of the soil medium - do not let it dry out and crust over and avoid over-watering your bed and drowning the roots. You can give the seedlings a regular misting to help maintain moisture balance. Water your seeds/seedlings in the early morning, before the sun becomes too hot. When first planted, finer seeds need to be watered once a day or more. Observe your seedlings for any wilted leaves and water more thoroughly. Water plants wheen the soil is lighter in color and feels dry to the touch. Plan to water once every 2-3 days in the morning.
After 1 1/2 - 2 weeks the plants will have their first true leaves and will need to be fed or fertilized. Begin your fertilizing routine with liquid fertilizer such as a general all-purpose fertilizer, sea weed emulsion or fish emulsion. Apply at 1/5 the recommended rate on new seedlings; gradually increase to recommended rates at maturity. Fertilize plants when watering by applying a liquid fertilizer with a hose attachment at the recommended rate. A slow-release granulated fertilizer can be broadcast on the soil an worked in around the plant.
Pinch back plant tips when seedlings grow 3-6" high.
| Seed does not sprout |
1. Seed is not alive or is diseased 2. Seed is planted too deeply 3. Seed is over- or under-watered |
| Seed sprouts slowly | Soil is too cold |
| Seedlings are yellow, spindly |
1. Too little light 2. Too warm |
| Seedlings are tall, scraggly |
1. Too much water 2. Too little light |
| Seedlings collapse on the soil line | A seedling killer could be "damping off" the seedlings. E.g., the killer could be a plant virus which is encouraged by insufficient light, soil too damp, or soil too dry. |
| Seedlings are stunted |
1. Too little water 2. Aphids |
| Seedlings are healthy but grow slowly | Insufficient root space |
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