Seed Planting & Gardening

Hoe the garden bed, removing weeds and grass. Cart away rocks and any other large debris.

Rototill the garden bed or break it up with a pickax and shovel to a depth of 6 inches. Spread 3 cubic yards of manure or other organic matter per 1,000 square feet of planting surface. Incorporate the amendment into the soil uniformly with the rototiller or shovel.

Make furrows that meet the seeds' depth and spacing requirements. Plant beet seeds, for instance, 1 inch deep and 6 inches from each other. In general, dig furrows twice as deep as the seeds' diameter. Before sowing them, divide the seeds according to temperature needs. Beets can go outside when the soil temperature reaches 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Eggplant need an additional 20 degrees of warmth to germinate.

Sow the seeds and cover them with a layer of soil.

Place a soaker hose on the ground 2 inches away from the seeded area. The soaker-hose irrigation method keeps strong water jets from dislodging the seeds. Water the seedbed 3 to 4 inches deep at planting. Keep the area moist until germination. Most plants require 1 inch of water a week in the growing season.

Fertilize the garden halfway through the growing season. Different plants have different nutrition needs. The University of Wisconsin Extension offers general guidelines for feeding vegetable plants. Using a technique known as side dressing, apply 3/4 cup of a 20-10-10 formula per 100 square feet in a band 4 inches from the base of the plants. Water the fertilizer into the ground.

Apply a general fertilizer on flowerbeds according to the manufacturer's rate instructions or submit a soil sample for analysis. The lab report will include specific amounts of nutrients needed to enrich the ground adequately.

Practice cultivation techniques that increase the health of your garden. Apply a 2-inch-deep layer of mulch, such as wood chips or bark, around the base of the plants to suppress weeds and slow evaporation. Control pests while striving to maintain your garden pesticide-free and friendly to natural predators. Consult a county cooperative extension service for help identifying and treating problems in the least toxic way.