Now people just garden for fresh food they like to eat. As some people don’t like store bought vegetables. You can grow your own garden and it will be just great!
Materials:
Paper and pencil
1 seed packet each for leaf lettuce, radishes, carrots, scallions
2 or 3 window boxes, at least 20 inches ling and 6 to 8 inches deep, or 4
or 5 large flower posts, 10-12 inches in diameter
pail of course gravel or pebbles for drainage
garden topsoil, enough to fill all the containers
peat moss, potting soil or all-purpose fertilizer (optional)
gardening trowel or an old kitchen mixing spoon
4 or 5 craft sticks or popsicle sticks
permanent marking pens, any color
hoe or rake for outdoor plots
1. Plan your garden or containers
on paper. Read the directions on the seed packets to get an idea of the space
needed between plants and the depth of the soil, then make a sketch of where
you will plant each kind of seed.
2. For window boxes and flower pots, fill the bottom of the container with
a 1 to 2 inch layer of gravel or pebbles for drainage. Add topsoil to within
1 inch of the top. If the soil feels hard and does not break up easily, use
a trowel to stir 1 to 2 cups of peat moss or potting soil into the soil in
each container. A small amount of all-purpose fertilizer can also help; follow
the instructions on the bag.
3. Use the tip of the trowel or a craft stick to make a shallow groove or
furrow in the soil for planting the seeds for each kind of plant. Check seed
packets for directions on how deep and how far apart to plant the seeds.
4. Cover the seeds with soil. Lightly press the soil down with the heel of
your hand or the trowel.
5. Use the marking pen to write the name of each type of seed on a craft stick.
Prss the sticks into the soil to mark the location of each variety.
6. For outdoor gardening, loosen the soil with a hoe or rake. The directions
on the seed packets will tell you when to transport from containers to the
ground.
7. Your garden won’t need a great deal of attention. If possible, place
your container outside for sunlight and moisture. Water the plants as needed,
but avoid letting them become waterlogged. Thin the seedling (pull some out
to make more room the others) when necessary, according to the directions
on the seed packets.
8. Your first harvests are likely to be radishes and leaf lettuce, about one
month after planting. The only way to tell when root plants like radishes
and carrots are ready is to pull one up. When leaf lettuce forms, pinch off
the leaves iwht your fingers and more leaves will form, giving you several
lettuce harvests.