Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Staggered planting follows the same rules and techniques as any other type of planting, except that
you make a conscious effort to sow a succession of seeds weekly, so your harvest is spread out. It does
require a little planning in terms of how you use your space—as one square is starting to sprout, others
may be empty or just germinating with new seeds.
Good Crops for Staggered Plantings
Beans (bush)
Beets
Carrots
Lettuce
Peas
Radishes
Spinach
Swiss chard
DEALING WITH ROOT-BOUND PLANTS
Matted roots around the outside of the root ball mean the plant has become root-bound, due to the con-
straints of growing in a pot. Not to worry—the roots can be loosened by teasing them gently out of their
circling pattern. Tug just the outer roots and leave the core ones intact. It's okay if there's a little pop or
crack (you're not traumatizing the plant, but encouraging its roots to grow outward). If the roots can't
be loosened easily, run a knife along the exterior or bottom of the root ball wherever the matting has oc-
curred, or gently (
gently!
) “crack” the bottom of the root ball by pulling it apart until you hear the roots
breaking apart.
HOW TO WATER PROPERLY
Teaching new gardeners how to water properly is another essential
task—maybe one of the
most
es-
sential. And here's an observation from the garden trenches: there are people who love to water—
love
to water—and they will happily stand around spraying everything they can reach. We've actually had
to ask some people to not water other peoples' gardens (I personally hate watering and would welcome
this!) because the gardeners wanted to do it themselves—and rightly so, understanding the importance
of watering to a successful garden.
Watering during the seed germination period is really important. If you're lucky, it rains and nature
does the work for you. If not, then you'll need to make sure your soil stays moist in order for the seeds
to germinate. This might mean watering every day if the weather is dry. You don't need to soak the
soil—just keep it damp by using a watering can with a rose (a round disk perforated with tiny holes that
screws onto the watering can stem), a spray bottle that mists, or the fan or mist setting on your hose's
spray nozzle (staying aware that if you use a forceful setting, you might end up washing all the seeds
into a corner—
oops
!).
Continue watering every day after the seeds have sprouted, since they don't have an established root
system yet and can dry out quickly. At this point, you can start watering gently around the base of the
