Sowing Seeds Directly in the Garden Bed Part 1

Before planting anything in the garden, you will need a planting plan. This plan should take into account:

• the amount of space allocated for gardening
• the amount of sun the area gets
• height of plants and the amount of spacing between plants
• how to partner plants together for maximum area usage

The keys to successfully sowing seeds directly into the garden bed are

• planting at the appropriate time of the season 
• keeping the seeds moist until they germinate 
• planting at the appropriate depth
• sowing more than one seed per hole

The best time to sow seeds directly into the garden in the low desert area is in late March to early April. However, this time can be stretched through April as long as you are prepared to keep a close eye to watch your seedlings for signs of stress. I sow 2 - 3 seeds per hole with the expectation that I will need to thin the seedlings when they are 2 - 3 inches in height.
Sowing seeds directly into the garden bed also prevents one of the challenges I face, over-watering, since the garden bed drains off excess water. Since my goal is to establish an environmentally friendly garden I don't want to run the sprinkler system twice a day. Typically I run my sprinkler system on an as needed basis, every two to three days. Therefore, I use my watering can twice a day to keep the seeds moist on non sprinkler watering days, once in the early am, (usually before 7 AM) and again around 1 PM. On sprinkler days I use my watering can just for the afternoon watering. It's not hard, it just takes dedication. But be of good cheer, if you are consistent with it, all seeds should germinate within the package germination time listed on the packaging. Once this happens you will be able to cut back to using the water can to once a day on non sprinkler days until a firm root system is established, usually one - two weeks after seed germination.