PLANT HARDENING

When your plants arrive at your home, your first step is to open the box and get your plantlings some water. Stand your plants upright in their plastic tray and add 1/4" of water. Place the plant tray in the sun for 1-3 days, always having 1/4" of water inside the tray. This process is called hardening.

Because our plants are grown in a greenhouse in southern California, your plants are not used to the climate of your backyard garden. Hardening allows for your plants to adjust to their environment so that they do not go into shock when they are planted. Once you have put your plants in the sun and watered them for 1-3 days, they are ready to be planted in soil. 

SUN

The best place for your plants is a spot in your yard that gets sun for most of the day. Put your pots or build your garden in this sunny area for best results. Your plants need the sun to grow strong and healthy, just like humans! 

WATER

Your plants should always have damp soil-- not too dry, not too wet. Be sure you plant where you have irrigation or where you’ll remember to water often to keep the soil moist. Forgetting to water for a few too many days is the #1 reason we see plants not make it. If you want to make it easier on yourself (or lucky enough to already have it) a drip irrigation system can take the work out of watering buy automating it for you. You can click HERE to see some great starter kits and other watering tools. HERE is a guide on setting up drip irrigation.

Methods of Planting

GROUND

If you are planting directly into the ground, we recommend adding nutrient-rich soil to your dirt and fertilizer to give your plants a jumpstart. You will always want your soil to be loose and loamy. This means the dirt is not compacted or hard to the touch. If your soil is compacted, the roots of your plants will not be able to grow strong. You typically are looking for a soil that is dark in color.

PLANTER BOXES

Raised beds are great for gardening. They help raise your plants off the ground  and help keep pests and weeds out. Planter boxes look great, and can be a wonderful option for your garden. 

If you like DIY projects, you can also make some wonderful planter boxes using recycled wood, stone, brick, or a variety of other materials. HERE is a link on how to build a wooden planter box yourself. Remember that you'll want to fill these with good soil.

POTS

Pots are similar to planter boxes, except that you normally put fewer plants into a pot than you do a planter box. They can be really beautiful items to have sprinkled around your garden or in your kitchen windowsill. They are great for herb gardens.

If you're planting in pots, make sure they have a hole in the bottom of them (good drainage). This is important to make sure the pots don't fill with water and accidentally drown your plant roots. You'll also want to be careful not to over-water in pots. 

NOW THAT YOU FOUND YOUR GARDENING SPOT, IT'S TIME TO PREPARE YOUR SOIL.

GOOD SOIL

Good soil is full of nutrients with proper drainage. Adding nutrients to your soil before planting each box is a great practice. We recommend adding in compost or fertilizer into your soil to give your plants an extra boost. We recommend loose, loamy soil when planting your gardens. This means that your soil has proper drainage, and is loose to allow the roots of your plants to grow. If you are planting in an old garden, add top soil and till your garden to loosen up compacted dirt.

WEEDS

When weeds are not removed from your garden, they will steal the nutrients and space from your herb and veggie plants.

Because of this, you will want to pull weeds from your soil when you see them pop up.  We don't recommend using weed killer on weeds that are in the same garden space as your plants. This is becuase it can ruin the soil, hurt your herb and veggie plants, or make your harvest unsafe to eat.

HOW TO PLANT?

Now that you know where you're going to plant and have the soil ready, it's time to get your plantlings in the ground. If you haven't already, subscribe now so that you can be sure to get the right plants delivered at the perfect times for your #EasiestGardenEver.

PLANT SPACING

Plants come in all shapes and sizes. Think about how much bigger an oak tree is compared to a rose plant. It's the same with veggies and herbs. They all look similar now, but pretty soon, they'll be all different shapes and sizes!

To make it easy for you, we've divided them into four sizes- small, medium, large, extra large. These sizes are written on the packages, on the quick start guide with an example layout, and in the zines. The zines have even more detailed info on how to space if you really want to optimize your garden.

We recommend that you lay out all your plantlings on the surface of the area where you're planning on putting them, according to the spacing they need. That way, you can make sure you have the layout you want before you actually start planting.

Don't worry if it's not perfect-- the plants will still grow if they're too close together. But it will be like being in coach in an airplane. We want to help your plants sit in first class, with the perfect amount of space to move around and enjoy growing! To do this, follow the spacing guides as best you can.

PLANTING STEPS

• Find your spot
• Layout your plants
• Make sure they're properly spaced
• Dig a hole and put your plant in
• Compact the soil around your plant
• Add water
• Make sure the soil always stays moist
• Keep an eye out for pests

THE MAIN POINT

The goal is to find your plants some great soil, where they can get sun and water to grow you delicious food.

It might seem like a fair bit to think about, but just remember they key points-- your plants need water, sun, and food (soil). You can get as intricate or a simple as you like from there.

You'll only have to do the hardest work of figuring out where to plant and the initial preparation once. After that, each season it becomes easier and easier to grow your own delicious herbs and veggies at home!

Enjoy getting outdoors, touching nature, growing life, eating fresh, being healthy... We hope you love your #EasiestGardenEver!