Spring Seed Planting for Summer Harvest

Supplies: Seeds, shovel optoonal: gloves

See videos below for instructions on how to "Clear and Amend " your garden and Plant Seeds

Clear and Amend

Supplies Needed:
Shovel, compost optional: gloves

Steps:

1. Gather your supplies.

2. If you do not have an area to garden, then you can just watch the video or practice digging and breaking up dirt in your backyard or the garden beds in the Arroyo garden next to school. Look over the your location to determine how much weeding and digging will be necessary. It may help to pre-water the area (but don’t make mud) so the soil can be worked.

3. Remove any dead plants and anything you no longer want in your garden bed.

4. Loosen the soil by digging and breaking up the soil.

5. Add soil/compost into the garden beds.

6. Mix and dig up the soil.

7. Remember to clean up the tools and return them to the proper place.

Planting Seeds

Supplies Needed:
Summer seeds or a seed substitute (bean, rice grain or pebble if you do not have seeds), a place to plant or pot or any used container hand shovel

Steps:

1. Gather your supplies.

2. You should only need to use your hands or small hand tools.

3. This lesson can be done whether you have a garden and seeds or not.

4. If you are planting in a dry area you will need to carefully water your seeds after planting. It may help to pre-water the area (but don’t make mud) so the soil can be worked. If you do not have a garden, then you can practice planting using a pot, plastic container (see video below on how to make a container ), or any area with dirt.

5. Hands are often the best tools when it comes to making holes for planting the seeds. Some of you may wish to use gloves.

6. Demonstration on how your seeds should be planted. If you do not have seeds, then you can still practice planting seeds by using rice grains, beans, or pebbles.

7. Remember that you shouldn’t dig a single hole and put all your seeds in it!

8. Many plants (e.g. cabbages, peas, broccoli, pansies) only like growing in cool temperatures while other plants (e.g. sunflowers, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, peppers, watermelon) like to grow in warm temperatures. Other plants are not so picky and can grow year-round. Gardeners learn to recognize this and plant at the right time of year.

9. You may use the popsicle sticks to mark locations of your seeds if you are planting in your garden.

10. Also always clean up your tools and return them to the proper place.

11. Remember to check up on the progress of your seeds as the weeks go by.