After deciding whether to use containers or a raised bed and gathering supplies, it’s time to make some additional decisions about in what form you’ll be planting edibles; seeds or starters. There are advantages to each and for the lazy gardener some combination of both may end up being the best possible option depending on which edibles you want to grow.
Being brand new to the world of edible gardening, the thought of growing plants from seed can be rather intimidating. At the local nursery you’ll see all kinds of additional supplies for sprouting seeds indoors and don’t get me started on seed packets. There’s so much information crammed on to these little envelopes it almost makes you want to throw up your hands and quit before ever getting started. Based on my own experience many of the rules provided on these packets are meant to be bent – especially those about spacing.
These rules are not written for the lazy gardener or anyone gardening with limited space. A few things which are important to look for on the seed packet besides a current packed-for-date are;
The advantages of growing edibles from seed is mostly going to be centered around cost – you’ll end up paying the same price for 500 seeds of lettuce as you would for a couple of starters. Furthermore, there are some edibles which are just about as easy to grow from seed as they are from starters. The ones I’ve had consistent success with are lettuce, kale, mustard greens, Asian greens, herbs, carrots, radishes, and pumpkins.
Watch a step by step video of how to plant carrot seeds in a raised bed.
Watch a step by step video of how to plant carrot seeds in a raised bed. Played to the music of "Good To Go" by Josh Woodward.
Starters are fairly straightforward and will set you up for success with hardy plants grown from seed in the best possible conditions by professionals. For the lazy gardener or for those with high expectations of their edible garden, plants like tomatoes and peppers are much easier to grow from starters than from seed.
For a step-by-step guide on how to plant starters, make sure to watch the video in Chapter 4 where I walk you through planting a kitchen herb garden in a container. The key thing to remember when planting your starters is to always be gentle - whether squeezing the plant out of the container or removing the survival root of the bottom.
Unlike containers, planting in raised beds can require a bit more forethought, specifically in terms of the layout. As far as plotting your spacing goes, the square foot method is an easy one to start with and it will help you maximize space. This is the method I use to formulate my planting plan each season in my three raised beds. To plot this out, I like to make a chart based of the spacing needed for each plant. Another popular method is to use stakes and twine to map out each square foot in the raised bed.
View a sample of a square foot raised bed planting plan for one 4' by 8' bed.
A sample of a square foot raised bed planting plan for one 4' by 8' bed.
To get an idea of how much space your edibles will need, read the seed packet or check the tag on the starter. In terms of seeds, you can always plant them closer together to ensure good coverage and after they've sprouted you can thin them out.
Rolf Hokannson explains two different ways to plant your edibles in raised beds.
Rolf Hokannson explains two different ways to plant your edibles in raised beds.
An example of raised rows.
An example of raised rows.
If a drip or soaker hose system is part of your irrigation plan, make sure to set that out in the bed strategically before planting the edibles. Otherwise you may find it difficult to space it out after the edibles have grown larger or the seeds have sprouted underneath the hose line!
Another thing to consider while planting a raised bed is that some plants don’t like to be planted near each other. A couple of examples include;
A good way to avoid this issue is to just keep the same families together and you’ll avoid having to memorize those ones that dislike each other. For example, I’ll grow my root vegetables like carrots, beets, and radishes all together in a raised bed.
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After you make it through the planting stage, most of the work is behind you and all the benefits in front. That being said, there are still a few things to do to keep your edibles happy as they grow towards maturity.