The first thing you’ll want to do when preparing to plant your vegetable seeds is prepare the soil. Get some garden compost, making sure to remove pebbles and such. Next, fill a seed tray with the compost. Create a nice flat surface on top, though don’t make it hard by flattening it too much. You will need to water this before placing the seeds in it, as it will need to be moist. You are now ready to place the vegetable seeds in the compost.

Place the seeds on top of the compost. Don’t worry about precise placement. If you wish, you can save some seeds for a second planting. Now, you can cover the seeds with another layer of compost, about a quarter of an inch.

After making sure you have a good compost cover, gently water over it. Afterwards, if you have a propagator, you can place the seed tray in it until the seeds have germinated. You can then move the seed tray to a greenhouse area, or the closest thing you have to a greenhouse.

Starting vegetables Starting seeds and seedlings

Vegetable seeds can be started inside or out. If you start inside, you can eventually move them to an outside garden later. Both options are viable, and many gardeners use both methods.

Some things to consider:

Depending on where you live, starting your seeds and seedlings indoors can give them an advantage. You can plant them at the ideal time outdoors. However, some plants do not like to be transplanted, such as many root vegetables such as beets and carrots. However, many of the root crops can be sown directly outdoors anyway, due to their cold hardy nature. Other vegetables like beans and corn do best when they are sown directly outside and not transplanted.

It is much easier to start the seeds inside than outside. You can create the ideal conditions indoors for them. Just keep in mind that some do not like to be transplanted.

It is often best to plant some seeds directly in the garden, unless the region you live in has an extremely short summer. Some fast-growing vegetables do not grow well if left in a container for just a day or two longer than necessary. Just make sure if you plant directly outside that the soil is warm enough for your seeds.