How to Plant Seeds
It’s not too late to seed warm weather plants.
As a general guideline, plants that have larger seeds, such as beans, pumpkins, corn, and squash, are good choices for direct-seeding.
FLOWER SEEDS TO PLANT IN LATE MAY AND JUNE: zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, celosia, four-o’clock, moonflower, morning glory, tithonia (Mexican sunflower).
VEGETABLE PLANTING GUIDE
Soil temperatures need to be warm enough for germination, and seeds should be planted about twice as deep as their size, in moist garden soil. If your soil has dried out after the rains, moisten it well before planting.
When they first emerge, seedlings have a single rootlet, so keeping the growing area moist without drowning them is critical. This may mean gentle watering more than once a day, and potentially also protection from the harsh sun and wind until they’ve grown a bit and won’t dry out as easily.
Also, there are many insects that love the taste of tender new seedlings, so be sure to research how to protect your seedlings from any potential predators before you start. Avoid mulching directly near the seeds until they are established.
There’s lots of new life in the garden if you watch for it. Nancy Donner discovered these Monarch chrysalids, an exciting adventure to watch as they emerge—if you’re there at the right time!
In Marble Falls, Kate Marr discovers new lessons all the time in her dear mother in law, Rhonda Marr’s garden. Kate claims that she’s an amateur but has found a great mentor to teach her and hopefully also pass along family plants!
In Waco this spring, Sheila Smith’s columbines lined both sides of her pathway beyond her rose arbor. Once columbines bloom out, let the seeds dry, then collect or leave a little longer, to scatter themselves. After seed heads are completely dry, cut the stems down to the rosette.
In College Station, Keisha and David Lamb participated in Texas A&M’s Big Event. Since its introduction in 1982, The Big Event has become the largest, one-day, student-run service project in the nation. Each spring, tens of thousands of Texas A&M students come together to say “Thank You” to the residents of Bryan and College Station. For the past 38 years, Aggie students have participated in this annual event to show their appreciation to the surrounding community, completing service projects such as yard work, window washing, and painting for residents of the community. Although The Big Event has grown over the years, the message and mission remains the same – to simply say “Thank You.” Keisha and David’s team was the group “Society for Conservation Biology”, where students had a great time working in their garden and identifying every bug, worm, and frog they came across. Their Lynx spider on a David Austin ‘Prince’ rose was a big hit! Thank you for sharing, Keisha and David!
