There’s a bit of magical faith in planting a seed. It’s a simple and fairly reliable way to grow a plant, but every time a little stem and those first cotyledons or “seed leaves” push through the soil, I think “Wow! I can’t believe that worked!”

If you requested seeds through our Annual Garden Survey, you’ve received an envelope of organic veggie, herb, and flower seeds to plant. We also included Planting Calendars to help you make a planting plan/generally know when to plant.

*Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good – get those seeds planted!*

Here are a few simple steps for planting seeds in containers or raised-bed gardens.

1. Gather tools and seeds: you’ll want to use garden gloves, a small trowel, and your seeds. If you don’t have gloves and a towels, a stick will do.
2. Turn the soil! Break up the soil and mix it around. If you have some compost to add, mix that in.
3. Make some furrows in the soil. Check your seed packet to see how far apart your furrows should be. Use your trowel, gloved hand, or stick to make a few straight lines in the soil where you’ll plant your seeds.
4. Plant your seeds a few inches apart by sprinkling them in the furrows or tapping them out of your seed packet.

5. Cover your seed! A good rule of thumb is to plant the big seeds a little deeper than the tiny seeds so that they get enough moisture to grow. In other words, a Sugar Snap Pea should be planted about an inch down in the soil whereas a tiny Marigold seed barely needs to be covered.

6. Water your seeds. If possible, seeds should be watered nearly everyday when they’re first planted.

Good job! Keep an eye out for the next gardening post on thinning out your newly sprouted seeds a couple weeks after planting.