Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society
Plant and Grow - Gardening for Children

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Things to do in the spring – March to May

Sowing Seeds

What do we need to start?

- A packet of seeds – try lettuce, beans, sweet peas, sunflowers, tomatoes – all quite easy to grow

- Pots/trays with drainage holes

- Compost or mixture of soil and compost

- Polythene bags to cover pots/trays

- Hand Trowel (Rake and marking line if sowing outside into open ground)

- Labels and Pen/pencil

- Work area and newspaper to prevent a mess

- Time – 30 to 60 minutes

Follow the instructions:

                        Sowing Seeds into Pots and Trays

1. Seeds will not germinate and can die if conditions are cold and wet. When sowing early in the season (February/March) use a warm room or heated greenhouse that has plenty of light and good ventilation; the windowsill is also a good place. The seeds will germinate and produce strong healthy plants that can be planted into the garden at a later date when the weather improves.

2. Fill a pot or seed tray with moist (not wet) compost or a mixture of soil and compost. Level and firm the surface to approx. 2cm from the top before you sow the seeds.

3. Sow seeds thinly over the surface of the compost. Most seeds need a small covering of compost over them – see what the seed packet instructions say.

4. Stand the pot or tray in water until the compost surface becomes moist. Drain well and label each pot/tray with the name of the seeds and the date. Cover each pot/tray with a polythene bag to prevent the compost from drying out. Remove the polythene cover when the seeds begin to germinate - after 10 to 20 days depending on the conditions and the type of seed.

5. When the seedlings are strong enough they can be transplanted (pricking-out) into larger trays/pots about 5cm apart (one seedling per small pot). Seedling plants are very delicate and must be handled with care. Hold them by the leaf and tease individuals apart with a pencil or pen. Make a small hole and place the plant into it so the root is covered. The seedlings can be grown-on and then planted into their final growing pots or outside into the garden when big enough. Before putting young plants outside in the spring they will need a period of time to become acclimatised (hardened-off). Young plants need protection from the frost and cold wet weather. A small packet of seeds will produce a lot of plants for your garden.


Sowing Seeds in the Garden

6. Sowing seeds directly into the garden is quick and easy but seeds will only grow if the conditions are not wet and cold. The best time for sowing outdoors is generally in late April or May when the weather is getting warmer and conditions are improving for growing plants.

7. The procedure is similar to sowing into pots/trays. Prepare the seedbed ground by digging and raking the soil to produce a fine, crumbly surface, removing any weeds and stones as you go.

8. Once the ground is prepared you can mark out the area where the seeds are to be sown. This can be in lines or beds for vegetables, or in patterns for border flowers etc. The area to be planted can be marked using some sand or a string line. Do not sow seeds too thickly or too deep; scatter them over the surface and lightly sprinkle or rake soil over them. Instructions are given on the seed packet to help you get the best results.