Meta Description: Once you have the soil prepared, planting is another critical stage of gardening. Read this post to learn how to sow seeds in soil and set your garden off to a good start.
Though vegetable and flower plants are available as seedlings at nurseries, the most devoted gardeners like to start their garden from seeds. Growing your garden from seeds is an excellent way to explore some exquisite varieties that aren't always available as transplants. Not to mention the satisfaction in planting a little seed, watching it turn into a beautiful plant, and enjoying the reward of your hard work at harvest time!
Continue reading, and you'll learn how to sow seeds in soil, give them the perfect conditions for germination, and care for the young plants until they are ready to go into the garden.
Whether you’re planting vegetables, flowers, or a mix of both, there are countless varieties to choose from. Even for a single species, like tomatoes, you’ll find a range of different types of seeds available. It’s important to know the difference so you can choose something that suits your needs.
Generally, seeds fall under the following categories:
Open-pollinated seeds grow into plants that pollinate by natural means, including birds, insects, and wind. The superior flavors of the harvest make them a favored choice among gardeners.
Heirloom seeds are open-pollinated varieties that have been passed down generation in families. A seed has to be passed down at least 50 years, protected from cross-pollination with other varieties to be considered an heirloom. The plants grown from these seeds are "true to type," which means that they have the same characteristics as that of the parent plant. These time-tested, high-quality, historical varieties with authentic ages-old flavors are a favorite of many gardeners.
Hybrid seeds are created through intentional or unintentional cross-pollination between different varieties. They'll grow healthy plants the first time, but any seeds you save from these plants will be unstable and aren't recommended for saving for the following seasons. You'll have to buy new seeds each year.
GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) seeds aren't bred in a garden. Instead, they are genetically engineered in a lab to achieve some desirable properties such as disease resistance or higher yields. There are conflicting opinions regarding their use and safety for edible crops.
Should you go for direct seed sowing in the garden, or should you start them indoors? What's the better option for your plants? It really depends on the plant you're growing and its requirements. Some varieties, particularly root vegetables, like carrots, beets, and radishes, don't like any disturbance to their roots, so you'll want to sow them directly in the garden for best results.
Some vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers take a considerable growing season but should not go in the garden until after the frost has passed. For such varieties, you can sow seeds in soil indoors in small pots to get a head start on the season and transplant the seedlings outdoors once the frost has passed.
Another advantage of indoor seed sowing is that you can protect the vulnerable sprouting seeds and seedlings from the outdoor elements and give them the optimal temperatures and moisture to thrive.
Following the seed planting steps provided below to start a healthy garden:
Depending on the temperatures they prefer, different vegetables and flowers have their own planting times. The goal is to plant them such that the seedlings are healthy enough to go outside as soon as the weather is favorable for them. Here’s a table to show the right time to plant some of the important spring vegetables. Planting times are also mentioned on the seed packets.
Vegetable |
Indoor Planting Time |
Outdoor Planting Time |
Tomato |
6 weeks before the last frost |
2 weeks after last spring frost |
Cucumber |
4 to 6 weeks before the last frost |
2 to 3 weeks after the last spring frost |
Peppers |
6 to 8 weeks before the last frost |
1 to 2 weeks after the last spring frost |
Carrots |
Don’t start indoors |
From 3 to 5 weeks before last spring frost |
Beans |
Don’t start indoors |
1 to 2 weeks after last spring frost |
Peas |
8 to 6 weeks before last spring frost |
4 to 6 weeks before the last spring frost |
Zucchini |
2 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost |
1 to 2 weeks after the last spring frost |
Seed starting trays or small peat pots are perfect for seed sowing. Make sure they have drainage holes at the base before filling them. Use a good sterile seed starting mix to fill the containers. Use a bucket to moisten them before filling the soil in pots.
Check the instructions on the seed packet to know the correct planting depth of the variety. Some seeds, like tomatoes, are too small and shouldn't be planted more than ⅛ inch deep; otherwise, it will be harder for them to sprout. You can just drop such seeds and sprinkle a thin layer of soil over them. Larger seeds (e.g., sweet corn and sunflower) will need to be buried properly. Plant two to three seeds per pot. You can thin them to a single seedling per pot once they sprout. When sown in the garden, you'll need to ensure proper spacing according to what's recommended for the variety.
Once you've planted the seeds, they'll need warmth for speedy germination. Different seeds have different preferred germination temperatures, but generally, 64°F is good. Place them over a heat mat set at a suitable temperature or over the refrigerator for a warm environment.
As soon as they sprout, seedlings will need light. If they don't get enough light, their development will be leggy and weak. A south-facing window with full sun is best for your seedlings. If you don't have a bright window that gets lots of sunlight, place pots under artificial lighting. Place them a few inches above the seedlings, keeping them on for 15 hours every day.
Maintain consistent moisture throughout the germination phase and the development of seedlings. Frequently spray the surface with a mister and prevent the soil surface from drying out. A dry surface will make it harder for the new sprouts to emerge from the soil.
Seed starting mixes and potting mixes are generally low on nutrients and will only manage to keep the seeds nourished for the first few weeks. Start feeding with fish fertilizer at the recommended rates every few weeks until the seedlings are ready to go in the garden.
Don't move the seedlings from a controlled indoor directly to the garden. The sudden change of sunlight, wind, and other elements can cause transplant shock in the young plants. Instead, take about a week to gradually transition them into the changed environment before setting them out permanently.
Start hardening off new plants by placing them outdoors in a partly shaded location for a few hours, bringing them inside for the night. Increase the number of hours spent outdoors and the exposure to wind and sunlight gradually until they are ready to be transplanted into the garden.
With this seed germination guide, you are ready to sow seeds in soil. Pick your favorite vegetables for the season and start an exciting gardening expedition!
]]>Meta Description: Your spring garden should start with the best soil! Read this post to learn how to prepare your soil with organic fertilizer before planting seeds or transplants.
Spring is here! Spring is a busy time for gardeners since this is the perfect time of the year for planting so many different kinds of flowers and vegetables. Make sure you give them a great start with the right soil so you can have a successful growing season ahead.
Soil is where plants get all their nutrients from. The roots also absorb air and water from the soil. For this reason, healthy soil is the key to achieving healthy, productive plants. Continue reading, and you'll learn how to prepare a great mix where you can plant seeds and seedlings, knowing that it will start a beautiful garden.
Most gardeners recommend using packaged potting soil in containers and raised beds. Your garden soil is too dense for container-grown plants, and it can introduce weeds and diseases into your crops. If you want to keep your garden weed-free and eliminate the chances of diseases, grab a bag or two of potting soil from a garden center.
However, using potting soil isn't practical if you have several large containers to fill or a small- to medium-sized garden to prepare. A cheaper alternative will be to screen your garden's topsoil or purchase a truckload of screened topsoil. The price of screened topsoil ranges between $2 to $5 per 40-pound bag.
You can save some money by using your own garden soil. Screening the topsoil simply means subjecting it through a screening mesh to remove stones and debris. If a mesh isn't available, you can prepare the soil by digging up the earth and loosening the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. Break the soil with your spade and remove any stones, sticks, clumps, or other large material that you find in the process. Now, this soil that you just prepared is ready for amendments.
Whether it's potting soil, screened topsoil, or your own tilled garden soil, it's not ready just yet without some organic amendments. The right amendments will not only nourish the soil with the required nutrients to boost the health of your plants, but they will also improve the structure of the soil. Soil can be sandy, clayey, or loamy. What we are aiming for with the addition of amendments is a healthy loam.
Loamy soil is a good balance of sand, silt, and clay that can hold nutrients for plants, retain enough water for root development and is light and friable to prevent any hindrance to the growth of roots. At the same time, it is well-draining, which means it allows water to gradually flow away from the root, preventing them from sitting in water and rotting.
Before adding in amendments, it's important to figure out exactly how much soil you need to make to fill into the pots or garden bed. After all, each of the ingredients has its own price, and you wouldn't want to end up wasting it or running short of soil when you still have some empty pots to fill.
Here are some standard sizes of pots or beds along with the amount of soil required to fill them:
Using the recipe you’ll learn next, you can prepare the right amount of soil that you’ll need to fill your planting spot.
To the garden soil you just prepared, it's time to add amendments. Here's the ultimate soil recipe you can prepare and fill in containers, garden beds, or raised beds:
Compost and BushBoy’s organic fertilizer improve the structure of the soil and enrich it with nutrients, while sand or perlite improve its drainage.
Many gardeners choose to skip soil altogether when growing a container garden. Instead, they grow their plants entirely in a mix of organic materials for healthy growth. The absence of soil reduces the threat of pests and eliminates the possibility of many soil-borne diseases.
Here’s a standard soilless mix for filling containers:
Fertilization is even more important for soilless mixes since they have very little natural fertility. Besides the starter fertilizer you include in the mix, regular additions of liquid fertilizers will be required throughout the growing season. A convenient and cost-effective option is to get a complete package, like BushBoy’s Bloom & Flower. This fertilizer package includes all-in-one fertilizer for mixing into the soil, fish fertilizer for regular applications during the season, together with kelp and Bat Guano to favor flower and fruit development.
Now that you know how to create the perfect blend for planting seeds or seedlings for your favorite plants for the season, it's time to get to work. Order all the material in time to get the soil ready and plant your crops for a flourishing spring garden! Soon, all the hard work you put in will pay off with a burst of beautiful blooms and fruits in your yard.
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How is Hydrolyzed Fish Fertilizer made?
Honestly, it's quite simple. It's a mixture of various fish parts and water fermented into a liquid with lactobacilli bacteria, similarly to making sauerkraut, kimchi, or yogurt. During the fermentation period, nutrients from the bones, meaty portion, skin etc., are turned into a biologically available form of plant nutrients and provide a rich source of food for soil microorganisms.
What do you mean by "providing a rich source of food for soil microorganism? "
Simply put, the fish fertilizer provides nutrients to beneficial soil microorganisms such as rhizobia, mycorrhizal fungi, actinomycetes, and diazotrophic bacteria. As a good source of energy, these organisms consume the natural fish fertilizer and proliferate. Conversely, anything that eats produces waste; but this waste from these organisms is not toxic but dedicated plant nutrients. (a process called mineralization, among several others). Releasing the "digested" fish nutrients to the plant's roots for absorption, that plants then provide sugar to the organism for energy— a symbiotic trade-off. In the end, you have larger beneficial colonies providing nutrients to your plants, but even more, these organisms release plant growth hormones and are antagonists (fight off) to plant pests, parasites, or diseases (biocontrol agents).
Asides from feeding the soil, how does Fish Fertilizer provide nutrients straight to the plant roots?
Potting/garden "soil" comes in so many different forms, and fertilizers may act very differently depending on the soil's organics matter. In soilless media such as coco and peat-base mixes or in poor soils, beneficial microorganism counts are much smaller than in quality composted organics potting/gardening mixes. Note: There are other advantages of soilless mediums but to be discussed in future articles. Because of a the reduced organisms in your soil mix that are capable of transferring nutrients, you must use fertilizers that are more directly available to the plant roots. Tip: Add a little regular topsoil to your coco or peat mix and take advantage of the beneficial microorganisms!
As mentioned above, hydrolyzed fish fertilizer is produced by simple fermentation processes where the organic matter (fish parts) mixed with water and Lactobacilli microbes breakdown and release the "locked" nutrients contained in the fish. As the fish liquifies from the lactobacilli action, essential plant nutrients and new beneficial microorganisms (ex. bacillus subtilis) are produced, which again accelerate recycling and degradation of the organic matter. At the end of this fermentation process, phytohormones (tells the plant how to grow) such as auxin and cytokinin, organic acids (used for photosynthesis), plus macro and micronutrients are all present in the liquid organic fertilizers, which can all directly feed the plants.
Where does the smell go?
The microorganisms in your growing media quickly consumes the fish fertilizer and extinguishes the smell, typically within 24 hours.
Tips and Tricks with Bushboy Organics Fish Fertilizer:
The Bushboy organics fish has a great combination of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium 3-2-5. You will get everything you need for entire grows. If your soil is in bad shape, a smaller continuous dose is advisable to allow a more thorough fertilizer breakdown as the beneficial microbes proliferate. To spice it up, add fresh high organic potting/topsoil to your planters or garden. This combination of Bushboy Fish Fertilizer and a little new soil is all you need. Do not spend hundreds on replacing all your soil!
Blog Question and Comments:
" How many tablesppons per Gallon?"- 2 Tablespoons per gallon for younger vegetables ( 3-6 weeks) or flowers (any stage). 4 tablespoons for more mature (7-12 weeks) or larger, heavier-feeding vegetables ( ex. Tomatoes)
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Leonardite is organic plant and animal matter that has become compressed over millions of years. It hasn’t quite reached the state of coal and so is of no use as a fuel. The way that it becomes packed tight together means Leonardite is very rich in humic acids. To understand the cycle, imagine plants growing in a prehistoric peat bog. Insects feed on the plants, then die and fall to the bottom of the bog. Micro-organisms feed on the insects, depositing high concentrations of organic matter. Over time these become compressed into layers. In parallel, plant and animal matter decays to produce humic matter.
Humic acid is full of essential nutrients, trace minerals and vitamins, making it an ideal biostimulant for plant growth. It also has a high oxygen content, which helps increase soil fertility, and it’s not consumed as quickly as compost, peat or manure. Humic acid binds well to soil and is very resistant to microorganisms. Indeed, adding humic acid to soil will increase its mineralization rate. Most benefits are seen in light and sandy soils already deficient in humus.
Humic acids reduce abiotic (physical) stress in plants caused by excessive salt, drought or temperature extremes. For reasons not yet understood, soils rich in humic acid tend to be well buffered against changes in pH. Keeping soil pH stable is important for nutrient uptake by plants. Stable pH also helps prevent plant uptake of undesirable minerals like aluminium.
The organic matter in your soil is made up of a heterogeneous mix of plant, animal and microbial matter in varying states of decomposition. The biggest and most stable component of soil organic matter is humic acid, which acts by combining with insoluble metals and oxides in the soil. The nutrient compounds formed are released gradually, allowing more efficient take-up by plants. These nutrients also improve the water-holding capability of the soil and help it to crumble, improving aeration. Roots breathe better through increased development. The result is not only up to 70% more yield, but reduced watering and fertilizer use. Increased yields and quality have been observed in many important agronomic crops, such as wheat, rice, maize and soybean. Vegetable crops like tomato, potato, cucumber and pepper have seen similar increases in yield; even some citrus fruits too. Most studies so far have looked at hydroponic methods, with increased root development the most common outcome. But benefits have also been observed in field studies and on plants grown in greenhouses. In one study a preparation of humic acids increased the nitrogen content of wine grapes, and led to a higher tasting score (Morard et al, 2011).
Using humic acid is kind to the environment too. It encourages root system development, helping reduce nitrates and pesticides entering the groundwater. Humic acid use also avoids the high salt concentrations often found in the soil after fertilizer use. These can lead to NH4 toxicities and excessive root burning.
Unfortunately, humic acids must be replenished on a regular basis to maintain soil fertility. They are removed from soil by wind and water erosion and water leaching. This is why neglecting to top up your soil with humic acid can have a deleterious effect on your crop. Potted plants, small gardens and hydroponic growing need not worry as these stresses are generally controlled.
Of course, recycling your old crop remains helps to put much needed humic acids back into your soil. Sometimes, though, this isn’t enough; so it’s a good idea to add some extra humic-acid rich plant matter to your soil. Composts and mulches can help, but a simple and more efficient way is to spray humic acid direct on your soil. Bushboy Organics retails a biostimulant called Release, which is 100% soluble humic acid for increased yield. A 1kg pack produces 3,600 litres of solution for use in combination with fertilizer. By mixing the solution yourself, you’re in control how much you need to apply, reducing costly wastage.
It’s small wonder that the use of biostimulants in horticulture, of which humic acid is a major player, is today a multi-billion dollar industry. Most growers agree that growing any crop with humic acid improves crop yield and quality..
References: As supplied by the client
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If growing plants is your passion you’ll want to ensure you give your crops the best nourishment available. Sure, fertilizers provide that all-important N-P-K factor. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are essential macronutrients your plants need for healthy growth. But if you don’t add a great biostimulant to your soil to enrich it with essential micronutrients, you’re not giving your plants the best start in life.
Organic kelp fertilizer is one of the best biostimulants on the market bar none. You’d be hard-pressed to find an alternative that has such an impressive range of benefits. Kelps are large brown seaweeds which grow in shallow oceans up to 50m in length. Their voracious growth rate means kelp is superabundant. This means it can be sustainably harvested without harming its marine environment. Kelp is packed with over 70 vitamins, trace minerals, enzymes and growth hormones. Many of these trace minerals are not found anywhere else but the ocean. Kelp is 100% natural and contains no harmful chemicals, which means you can use it without fear of harming the planet.
The most effective way to apply liquid kelp to your plants is by foliar feeding. It still works great if you water it onto your soil, but spraying it onto your leaves can offer up to 20% more benefit. You may find it helps to deter greenfly too when applied in this way.
Plant growers who use soilless methods (hydroponics) are finding it invaluable as an addition to their nutrients mix. With hydroponics, the mineral nutrients solution is the growing medium. Vegetables often grown wholesale without soil include tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Using liquid kelp increases size, yield and richness of colour. Root systems love it!
Before we get on to the amazing benefits kelp brings to plants, let’s first look at how it promotes soil health. After all, your crops will only be as good as the soil you grow them in. Kelp contains some very interesting starches called alginates. These react with the metals found in the soil to form long cross-polymers, which act to trap the moisture in the soil. They also help to aerate the soil, improving its crumbliness. But that’s not all. These alginates are full of carbohydrates on which microorganisms that are great for your soil love to feed on. These microorganisms proliferate, multiplying the available nutrients in your soil.
Now, here’s a list of reasons why kelp is so good for your plants:
As you can see, there simply isn’t any reason not to use liquid kelp or add kelp to your fertilizer. 100% natural, it’s one of the best organic biostimulants around and completely safe to use however you apply it. The Bushboy Organics range includes Revive, 100% soluble kelp in powder form. A 1 kg packet of Revive produces over 3,600 litres of liquid kelp at less than 5 cents a litre! Note: WE SHIP TO THE USA
Kelp is also added to the Bushboy Organics All-In-One organic fertilizer. All-In-One is a premium plant fuel biologically engineered to turbocharge your soil. All-In-One can be used indoors and outdoors on vegetables, house plants, even marijuana.
If you’re passionate about growing plants, you should seriously consider using kelp as a natural biostimulant. Easy to apply and very cost-effective, once you’ve seen for yourself what kelp can do for your crop you won’t want to do without it ever again.
References
What is Kelp Meal: Tips For Using Kelp Seaweed Fertilizer On Plants, by Amy Grant
The Many Benefits of Liquid Kelp Fertilizer – Epic Gardening, updated Jan 18, 2019
The Benefits of Liquid Seaweed Fertilizer, by Cindy Lawson, updated May 09, 2019
Liquid Seaweed Fertilizer – Grow Great Vegetables
Why Kelp Can Be a Hydroponic Grower’s Best Friend – Advanced Nutrients, Mar 27, 2014
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If you live in a cold climate with a short outdoor growing season, and you want to grow year-round vegetables, you’ll need an indoor grow room. In my case, I call it a “growing chamber”. It uses very bright, complete spectrum LED lights with automated water, light and fan systems.
As anyone who has gardened with soil can attest, there’s nothing tastier than garden fresh vegetables grown in fertile soil. The hydroponic vegetables that you get at the supermarket don’t even compare; the difference in taste is night and day. I can guarantee we’d triple the popularity of vegetables if they were grown in soil, rather than water (ie, hydroponically). That’s a future discussion! Needless to say, I use soil to grow my vegetables.
As my personal custom soils improved, I started testing them and making fertilizers in order to fill the Macro and Micronutrient gaps. Have a look at the report below. This is a detailed analysis of a common soil that you can buy at a greenhouse.
Without going into the finer details of the report, can you spot the problem with this soil?
The first three rows all rate as “deficient”. Surprisingly, these are the three most crucial elements required for healthy growth and development: Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium, better known as NPK. With this soil, although the texture and micronutrients were very good, any plant requiring of a lot of nutrients would not thrive very long. Seeing these poor results, a newcomer to gardening might assume they just don’t have a green thumb, but in fact, it could just have been the soil.
After doing multiple tests on multiple soils, I quickly realized there were huge variances in nutrient content. For your everyday consumer, choosing a soil essentially becomes a crapshoot. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. To mitigate this problem, the birth of the All-In-One fertilizer began.
While testing is the ideal way to create a specific formulation, it is also time-consuming and expensive. In order to balance this out, I took sample testing from various sources and found consistent qualities and consistent deficiencies. I would then create the mix and observe the progress of my own plants and gather data from other third party growers using my mix.
Little by little, I tweaked and fine-tuned the recipe. There were some big fails, some moderate fails, some moderate outcomes and finally after a while, some continuous positive outcomes. One of the key tests that I do is to container grow a vegetable (eg., Tomatoes) to a substantial size with only the nutrients from the soil (tested soil with known nutrient values). This is an excellent way of narrowing down your variables such as lighting, temperature, watering because all those are already in check to grow the plant to a regular size. By reducing these parameters, you know it’s not those external variables causing the problem but what’s in the soil.
After a period, the plant starts showing noticeable signs of nutrient deficiencies: stunted growth, leaves changes colour, drooping, flowers dry up and fall off, tomatoes don’t ripen, wilting, molds may appear, etc. From there, you apply your fertilizer (top dressing) then wait and observe…this is where patience is of great value.
Leaning entirely on the organic side, I’ve toyed with a wide variety of fertilizers and soil amendment strategies geared towards increasing available plant nutrients and absorption. Some take more time than others to react, some don’t seem to react at all, some produce mold type reactions, some smell, some absorb quickly etc.
The bottom line when using fertilizer is observing what happens to the plant. The first thing to look for is whether there is new growth and how long it took to start growing. The second is, how long that new growth lasts and how much fertilizer did you need to use?” Once these are successfully established on a consistent basis, you have an excellent base to work with and explore further. Below is the results of this type of testing:
Success- Single potted cherry tomato plant- eventually produced over 400 cherry tomatoes.
The example above was one of my controlled experiments. Grown in a 10-gallon container, the soil contained enough nutrients to be grown into a mid-sized cherry tomato plant. After 10 weeks, it completely absorbed all the available nutrients and started to dwindle. I revived it with my All-In-One, and it went on to produce enormously. The All-In-One takes exactly 10 days when top-dressed into the soil with (in this case) with 4 heaping tablespoons. It will last up to 4 weeks with one treatment, but we recommend a treatment every two weeks to keep the nutrient level high so that vigorous growth continues pace. Lastly, if you’re close to harvest time, reduce the amount or stop top dressing altogether 2-3 weeks before. If applied as directed, your last dose should be enough as the long-acting fertilizer would have accumulated during the grow and will have effect until the end. The key is observation.
I settled on seven organically sourced plants fertilizers. They vary from the old school types like fish bone meal, hen manure and kelp to the newer ones such as feather meal, mined potassium sulphate, mycorrhizal fungi and humic acids. These seven fertilizers cover the larger ranges of potential nutrient deficiencies and promote their release without risking burning the plants- the dreaded overfertilizing. Believe me, overfertilizing is a real thing and quite tricky to reverse. When it comes to overfertilization, soils are quite forgiving at buffering toxicity compared to hydroponics but like everything, it has a tipping point.
In conclusion, it’s my pleasure to introduce and share my All-In-One fertilizer with everyone. There have been countless hours of observation and testing on my end but I’d like to hear how it worked for you. It is a passion for me to see these wonderful plants grow and help those who are aspiring to do the same. Please add your name and email if you’re interested in hearing more about plants, growing and all the science and techniques behind it. I’ll be adding many more products soon, as my testing continues.
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