As in the last few years, we will not understand how quickly spring has come this year, and how the year has passed. Field and garden owners are preparing for soil care, growing seedlings indoors and spring planting during this time. We have listed a few important points below for those who are just starting out or want to refresh their memory.
Determine the Area
Beginners should choose a place that will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight during the day, if possible. It is important that your area is not heavily weed-free and close to the water source.
Fluff & Aerate the Soil
Remove weeds or vegetation from the previous season and fluff the soil, aerate and level with a rake and crumble large chunks (clods).
Determine & Improve Soil Structure:
If the soil is sandy or clayey, increase the amount of organic matter with plenty of sheep manure and compost. Healthy soil is soft and dark tones. Even if your soil is in ideal condition, fertilizing is essential to replace the energy lost from the previous season. This will also increase the activity of the ideal vegetable garden's best friend, earthworms. Let the soil rest for at least a week before planting. Create your agricultural calendar for the crops you will grow throughout the year.
Prepare Your Seedlings
You can grow your seedlings yourself by planting seeds in viols with drainage holes (you can try it in a paper towel roll, paper cup, even in citrus peel), or you can buy ready-made from seedling producers you trust. Remember, getting good yields is only possible with healthy seedlings.
You will grow your seedlings yourself, the environment and materials you need; viol, germination soil (disinfected garden soil, peat, sand, fertilizer, perlite and vermiculite mixture), drainage tray and a sun-drenched glass front. Make sure that your garden soil is free of harmful organisms at this stage, if you are not sure, keeping the soil in a 200 degree oven for 20-30 minutes will be sufficient for sterilization. Put the soil mixture you prepared in the viols you provide and 3-4 seeds in each section, place them on the tray and take care to keep it moist. Do not plant your seeds deeper than 3 times the seed diameter. Although it varies according to the seed, the germination period can vary between 5 days-28 days. The fact that the irrigation water is not too cold is another important factor for rapid development.
In the purchase of ready seedlings, choose healthy seedlings by observing the characteristics such as color, vitality and root health of the seedling, and more importantly, buy from suppliers you trust.
Transfer your seedlings to your garden with the right planning: Your seedlings will be ready to be transferred to your garden or larger pots about 6 weeks after germination. While doing this, taller stems and climbing plants (tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, etc.) and more average-sized plants (pepper, etc.) plan to plant the plants in the front row. If using drip irrigation, plant along the drip line. At this stage, be careful not to disturb the plant roots too much during the transfer of the seedlings from the viols. After planting the seedlings in the places you have determined, add some sheep manure around the root and mix it with the soil, then press it lightly and tighten it. However, it is necessary not to apply enough pressure to compress the roots.
Water it, and if possible, cover the soil with mulch (straw-grass residue): After planting, watering should be done with enough water to make sure that it penetrates the roots. As plant growth increases in summer, watering twice a week will often be sufficient. Excessive irrigation should be avoided as it will damage the plant roots. Mulching at this stage is an excellent method to conserve soil moisture and warmth, keep the organic structure strong, and prevent weeds from encroaching on the vegetable garden. Grain straw, straw, sawdust, bark, grass and pruning scraps, and even shredded cardboard and paper can be laid on the ground as mulch.