Posts Tagged ‘growing spinach from seed’

Arugula from Seed

This week, I finally did a little planting in the vegetable garden.  It’s been snowing so much this spring… there have been very few opportunities.  I planted some Buttercrunch and Red Sails Lettuce seeds.  And Spinach and Arugula from seed as well.

These plants could not be easier to grow from seed.  Plus starting from seed always saves lots of money.  One little seed packet costs about $2 for more seeds than we can eat in a year!

I sow my seeds around the outside edge of my raised cedar garden boxes.  That way I can still plant my tomatoes or peppers in the center of the boxes without getting in the way.  By the time my tomatoes are big, the spinach has been eaten.  Plus they look so pretty planted that way.

My favorite trick is to succession plant.  That means I try to plant the amount of lettuce or spinach I think we will eat in a one to two week period, then I plant a small strip of seed, usually about two feet.  In a week or two I’ll plant another strip.  It’s smart to place plant markers at the beginning and end of the strip you’ve planted.  That way you know where to start the next strip if the first hasn’t germinated yet.

Yes, in reality I always plant more than we can really eat, but it’s a technique that greatly reduces waste in my garden and keeps us in good supply of the delicious plants that we love… and won’t keep.

In my area I can succession plant these cold loving crops for about 2 months.  Typically I am planting my first crops in late March and ending in late May.

One other smart planting tip:  Try to crop rotate.  I planted lettuce in the same bed for a few years and noticed a sharp upsurge in pests.  If you keep your plantings on the move each year, you can keep the pests confused.  This is especially helpful if you are trying to grow an organic vegetable garden like I am.

I hope a few of these tips are helpful.  Happy planting!