A few of us have been unboxing and potting our Woolworths Discovery Garden seed sets as soon as we return from the shops, only to make some pretty fundamental mistakes amongst our enthusiasm. So we’ve got some important tips for Discovery Garden growers on when to plant your seeds and how to nurture your seedlings that might make the whole experience a little more successful. After all, none of us want to fail at growing these simple, useful little seedlings when it looks so easy.
Firstly, be sure to look at the planting guide on the Woolworths website. They lay out each of the 24 types of seeds provided in the discovery garden program, and what the ideal time is to sow them. The website will also tell you what conditions they like to be raised in – whether that is sun or shade or a combination of both.
One community member reported “Don’t do what we did – which is get a mad rush of blood to the head and start planting every single seed as soon as you get them! All of the seeds have different growing seasons, and you’ll need to be patient before planting them.”
For example, the beetroot seeds we planted this week are for planting in late winter to autumn. Whereas, the kale seeds are meant to be for late summer to early winter.
Basil: Spring to summer
Beetroot: Late winter to autumn
Bok Choi: Spring to autumn
Cabbage: Summer to autumn
Carrot: All year round, except winter in cool areas
Chamomile: Spring to early summer
Chives: Spring to autumn
Coriander: Spring to summer
Cress: Any season
Dianthus: Spring and autumn
Dill: Spring to autumn
Kale: Late summer to winter
Lettuce: Late winter to autumn
Onion: Autumn to winter
Oregano: Spring to autumn
Parsley: Spring to autumn
Rocket: Any season
Spinach: Late summer to winter
Tomato: Early spring to summer
Sunflower: Spring to early summer
The cardboard name tags that come with your discovery garden pot will quickly deteriorate once they get a little wet, so find some paddle pop sticks around the house that you can write on with a felt tipped pen for labelling the seeds when you plant them. One person recommended using mini magnum sticks as per the picture.
Strawberry punnets and kiwi fruit punnets makes terrific greenhouses that will encourage little seeds to sprout. It’s a great idea that many a home-seed-raising gardener will tip you off with.
Images: @plasticfreebrisbane @mouthofmums