When is the time to sow?You can get abundant crops by keeping the right month

According to the requirements for the content of nutrients in the soil, vegetables are divided into those grown in the first, second and third track. This tool will especially help beginning gardeners in choosing suitable crops and preparing the soil.

Simply put, the first line includes the most demanding crops, mainly fruit vegetables or some legumes, celery, leeks or potatoes. You should enrich the soil with organic fertilizers already in autumn. Include root vegetables in the second track, such as lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard. All you have to do is add compost to the bed in the spring before planting. Before sowing peas or lentils, vegetables of the third line, the flower bed does not need to be fertilized. After growing legumes, the soil will have even better properties than before. Bacteria work on the roots of these crops, which provide the plants with nitrogen from the air.

The basis of a good harvest is the annual rotation of crops on the beds according to the mentioned tracks. In the bed where you grow the vegetables of the first line one year, you will plant the vegetables of the second line the next year and then the third line. This measure will also reduce the occurrence of diseases, pests and weeds. Among the diseases and pests, spread by one-sided loading of the habitat, are, for example, cancerous growths, falling of key plants, sclerotinia rot or nematodes.

Draw your plan

Once you have compiled your own list of crops you want to grow this year, the next step is to create a planting plan. Squared paper is great for redrawing the flower beds on a smaller scale to get a realistic idea of ​​where and in what quantity to plant the given crop and how much area it will take up. It is a good idea to choose a flower bed according to the requirements of each plant, be it for light, orientation to the side of the world, type of soil, amount of moisture, or fertilization. Take into account whether the garden is situated on the north, south, east or west side and how many hours of sunlight the plants will enjoy. The half-tone testifies to spinach, for example.

What should not be missing in the garden? Get inspired by outdoor lights:

Think about it and especially mark in the plan which types of vegetables can be together in one bed: radishes with salads or with celery, carrots with leeks or parsley, beetroot with black radish, salad with kohlrabi or spinach. Potatoes do well near kohlrabi, corn or spinach, but celery, cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage do not suit them. Beans thrive with potatoes, kohlrabi or cucumbers. Tomatoes are undemanding to their neighbors, only potatoes, garlic, peas, corn and carrots do not suit them. Carrots and onions protect each other from pests. Garlic is a very strong plant, repels insects, acts against fungi, bacteria and mice, therefore it is a good neighbor for almost all plants – strawberries, spinach, potatoes or lettuce, it even improves the taste of strawberries.

Just scatter dill or coriander seeds between the vegetable beds. Together with vegetables, you can also grow herbs or marigolds or Africans. Marjoram repels ants and slugs, so it goes well with carrots and onions.

When painting the gardening plan, think about the second sowing as well. For example, you will harvest radishes or spring lettuce and the beds will be empty. You can still sow beetroot or carrots for storage in June or July. Therefore, do not despair if you do not have enough space in the garden, and change the crops throughout the year. Some plants take quite a long time to grow to full size, so add others with a short growing season. Hokkaido pumpkin neighborhood will witness early carrots. Growing vegetables is a long shot. It may take you several years to find the best seeding system that will suit your vegetables and herbs. The plan that works for you can then be used over and over again, with only variations as you wish.

Vegetables according to tracks

According to the requirements for nutrient content in the soil, vegetables are divided into those grown in the first, second and third tracks.

Crops of the first line: Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, pumpkins, squashes, cabbage, curly and Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, early potatoes, peppers, sweet corn or celery can tolerate or directly they require fertilization with organic fertilizers such as compost, green manure and farmyard manure. At the beginning of vegetation, they require loosening and weeding. You still have to fertilize them with industrial fertilizers during the growing season. They are also demanding on moisture.

Second track crops: Carrots, parsley, radishes, beets, radishes, chard, parsnips, black root, leeks, chives, garlic, onions or shallots have high demands on the humus content of the soil, but do not tolerate direct fertilization with organic fertilizers. Therefore, plant them in the beds only the second year after fertilizing. Most types of vegetables of the second line are demanding on irrigation, especially in the first half of the vegetation. Frequent weeding, early consolidation and loosening of the soil are important.

Crops of the third line: This includes beans, peas, broad beans, spinach or lettuce. These crops do not tolerate direct fertilization with farmyard manure and do not like high nitrogen content in the soil. Place them in beds two years after direct fertilization. Where there is good soil, bulbs can also be included in the third line.

Perennial vegetables: Where to grow asparagus, horseradish, rhubarb, Jerusalem artichoke? "Together with aromatic and medicinal plants, place them rather in a separate track. Although these types of vegetables can be grown for several years in the same location, it is more advantageous to replace them after a certain period of time," recommends Jana Polcarová. You can keep asparagus in the same place for the longest time.

Purchasing and sowing seeds

Don't delay in getting seeds for the new gardening season, because the end of February and March are ideal months for pre-growing seedlings in the beds and in the greenhouse.

Choosing from a huge selection of seeds is not easy. When buying, it is worthwhile to go for a variety that you have already tasted, for example at your friends. You can get a lot of information before buying directly on the websites of seed breeders. Overviews of sowing, planting or harvesting dates are also useful. “If you buy an early carrot variety, you will harvest it in about 90 days from sowing. But it will be late in 180 days," Jana Polcarová gives a specific example.

Sowing calendar January: You check the supply of seeds and the condition of gardening tools. February: The pre-growing of seedlings begins. You sow celery, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli or eggplant in flower beds. March: Sow carrots, parsley, spinach, lettuce, dill, carrots, radishes. You plant herbs and onion seedlings. You transplant sprouted seedlings (peppers, tomatoes, etc.). April: Sow vegetables (carrots, salads, beetroot, black radish, peas) on the flower beds. You plant aromatic herbs (thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary...). May: After they have frozen, you plant cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants on the beds. For a late harvest, you sow carrots, salads, beetroot. June: For a late harvest, you can sow carrots, black radish, beetroot, kohlrabi, cabbage or Brussels sprouts. July: You can sow Beijing or Chinese cabbage, spinach and lettuce. It is time to harvest the fruits of the garden. August: You sow leafy vegetables (cornel, arugula, spinach), possibly radishes and black root for next year's harvest. September: You sow leafy vegetables (cornel, arugula, spinach). You harvest and store or freeze vegetables. October: You harvest late vegetables, prepare flower beds. You harvest and store or freeze vegetables. You fertilize and dig the beds. November: You plant garlic. You fertilize and dig the beds. Can be sown in winter for a spring harvest (carrots, parsley, onions, lettuce...). December: You can grow watercress, arugula or other herbs that are a source of vitamin C at home on the windowsill.

Study the information on the bag of seeds carefully, in addition to a brief description of the color or taste, you will learn how tall the plant will reach, when and where to sow, and when to expect a harvest. "When purchasing, also observe the expiration date and do not buy old seed. If the seeds are old, it affects their germination," advises David Benda. "To ensure a good harvest, buy new, fresh and proven seeds every year. The stated weight in grams or their number can be used for comparison." It is also important to look for the BIO quality seal if you prefer this type of farming. You can get seeds not only in gardening centers, you can also get them in so-called seed shops, where they are borrowed and shared.

You must start growing seedlings from the seeds of slow-growing and heat-loving types of vegetables, as well as herbs and flowers with a long growing season, already in February. Sow peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, early lettuce, broccoli, parsley, basil, lobelias, verbenas, horseradish or starlings. There are jiffy peat tablets available from gardening supplies to help you grow - you put the seed in the depression in the tablet and keep it moist. When it's time to transplant, simply plant them all in a larger pot. Growing pots made of white peat can be a handy helper. As soon as the roots have penetrated through the walls of the flowerpot, the plant and the flowerpot are planted in the soil. Paper egg wrappers will also work just as well.

Seedlings can be easily grown in a light substrate, which is intended directly for sowing. Garden soil, for example from molehills, which you lighten with perlite or vermiculite, will do you an equally good service. The substrate can be poured into plastic planters, which is a plateau with individual chambers. Describe the sowing, many seedlings are difficult to distinguish in the first phase of growth.

When at least two true leaves are formed, or when the plants start to crowd, it is time to transplant into larger containers, which requires skill. Peel the seedlings from the substrate using the opposite end of a teaspoon or a children's cutlery knife. Never take them for a fragile vulnerable stem. Grab them by the root ball and, if necessary, by the leaves. A torn leaf is easily replaced by plants, a damaged stem destroys them. Insert the seedling as deeply as possible into the prepared root hole, water it and place it in a cooler but bright location. You will continue to care for the seedlings by watering and fertilizing until the moment when you transplant the healthy and strong plants to the beds in May. They can go to the greenhouse earlier.

February in the garden

Sow the seeds of rock plants and perennials, such as oleander, anemone, sedge or pea, which need to freeze in order to germinate, in ceramic flower pots embedded directly in the flower bed. Without the cold so-called stratification - a drop in temperature, usually below 4 °C - the seeds would not wake up in the spring. You have to sow the seeds of longer-growing annuals, primarily fialas, sedges, sages or sedges, in bowls.

The winterized geraniums already require your care, which need to be transplanted and shortened. Place the pots in a warm, bright place for the plants to sprout. Check the beds for hardy vegetables (brussels sprouts and kale or leeks) and harvest as needed.

For shrubs that flower in early spring, remove dry, broken or overgrown branches; but with a deeper cut, wait until they bloom. Rejuvenation will need overgrown broadleaf hedges. Check the gooseberries. If you discover the whitish ends of the shoots attacked by American powdery mildew, you must cut them off. You can also start fertilizing under fruit trees and shrubs, but only at the end of the month.