Growing
The basic starting point
for all gardens and gardeners is knowing how to grow and look after your own
plants successfully. Gardening is a skill that is learnt over many years, but
some of the essential elements can be established quite quickly. The following
brief guide will help you to gain an understanding of general plant growing
techniques, covering sections like seeds, seedlings, plants, cuttings and related
subjects.
Growing plants from seed
- Preparation
A great way to learn gardening
basics, and also get real value for money is to grow your plants from seeds.
The amount of different seeds types available is vast, and you should plan your
seed list before you purchase.
Most seed packets will come
with specific instructions; you should follow these to achieve the best results.
There are some basic elements of preparation that you can take to make your
job easier though.
(1)Assemble all the materials
you will need in your work area.
(2) You will need suitable
containers with holes for drainage. You can use plastic pots, trays, or peat
trays.
(3) Suitable potting compost
for planting the seeds into.
(4) Labels - so you know
what you have planted!
A rough planting guide:
Fill your containers to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Moisten the soil if necessary,
allow the excess water to drain from the containers, tamp them lightly to pack
the compost. The containers should now be ready to sow seeds into now. See the
Sowing Seeds guide for further details.
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