After figuring out your growing zone, reading seeds packs comes in at my "2nd Most Important Thing"
Why is this so important? This is where you find important information about what you are wanting to GROW. You will typically find 1) Days to Germination 2) Planting Depth 3) Sun Requirement 4) Growth Height/Height for Best Taste. Some plant packets will have more or less information depending on what information the company wants to offer. See below for a more in depth breakdown of each section.
1) Days to Germination- This is important because it will give you an idea if ideal growing conditions are met, how long you should have to wait until you should see your seedling begin to grow. I utilize a planting journal where I log everything that I have planted, the date planted, and things I tried differently from the previous years. I also log the date and number of seedlings as they appear. This will help if you happen to have some failed germination and no growth of some planted seeds.
2) Planting Depth- This is VERY important for successful germination of many seeds. If you plant your seeds too deep, your seedling will require more energy to push through the extra soil. Planting too deep may render your seed unsuccessful and no germination will occur.
3) Sun Requirement- This section should be used to help you determine where you should plant your seed and ultimately will determine how successful your plant will be. If your plant needs 4-6 hours full sun and you plant it were it gets 1 hour full sun, you may have stunted growth and lack of maturation of the plant. Same goes for a plant that needs less sun, if it gets too much sun you may have sun damage or even worse ultimate death of your seedling. Out of many of the things to consider, I definitely "fudge" this section a little more than others. I've still had decent success with my garden when I use alternative ways to combat too much sun like planting other plants that will grow bigger and will shade the less sun required plant. Sometimes, I get lucky and the less sun required plant does fine, and sometimes they don't. Growing at 10,200 ft is a gamble for growing many things.
4) Growth Height/Height for Best Taste- This is something to consider especially if you are growing something for consumption. I suggest keeping in mind this information as you go through the growing process but to me, it's definitely not one of the most essential things. I am more of a "eye baller" and have a good sense of how big something should be before it is harvested. If you are not quite that comfortable with the "eye balling" method, it would be worth periodically using a ruler or yardstick (depending on how big your plant is) to measure your plant as it grows. Please keep in mind, learning to grow things (vegetables, flowers, houseplants, etc) is all about learning as your go and adapting when things don't work while always trying new ways to be successful as a "grower". Even after years of gardening, I have failures too. Sometimes I make "rookie" mistakes and sometimes stuff just doesn't work. Keep trying and HAPPY GROWING.
Comments