We should probably get this one out of the way early! If you don’t know how to grow something? Read the seed packet! It seems so simple, but it’s probably one of the most overlooked things in gardening!
Pretty much every seed packet we’ve ever laid eyes on contains a brief “manual” on how to grow that plant. It usually talks about all the little important details that the gardener needs to know.
So, if you’re wondering whether you should cover those seeds with soil, or not, read the packet! Wondering what kind of spacing the plant needs? The packet. Wish you knew when to sow it? Guess what, that’s on the packet too. Sowing depth? Hmmm, seed packet? If you’re wondering how long it’ll take to germinate? Guess what…the packet! Wondering about the right temperatures to germinate at? Well, you get the point…
Now, the truth is that there will be a zillion different little nuances between different seed packets. Especially among brands. Some of these “manuals” are also better than others. One of the things we’ve worked hard at is coming up with a consistent method that we could use across every single type of seed that we grow. Inevitably, we’ve had to create some exceptions. And then exceptions for the exceptions. But, don’t drive yourself crazy with all those nuances. Usually “close enough” is “good enough” when it comes to growing from seed.
There’s usually a fair bit of leeway in growing. It’s not a precision based thing. Plus, as we always like to say, gardening is a learning curve. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re also going to learn things. There’s “book smarts” and “street smarts” and growing your own food decidedly falls into street (errr, field?) smarts world.
So, if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the information out there, take a few minutes to sit down with your seed packets. You’ll probably learn a ton of things just doing that!
And sometimes you’ll get a good chuckle too. We’ve seen packets say something like, “Sow liberally, six weeks to last frost” and look outside at five feet of snow on the ground. What can we say? You might have to apply common sense sometimes, too.
