So you're tired of endless supermarket trips, or pulling 'fresh' herbs out of your fridge and finding them wilted, soggy, and smelly... Thankfully, there's a tasty alternative, and while gardening is admittedly a bit more time-consuming to start than turning on your car to go to the store, the benefits of homegrown food can last all year long.

At the most basic high school biology level, the requirements of plants can be condensed into four main elements to successfully grow abundant harvests:

There are a multitude of other variables which can complicate gardening, like pH levels, germination temperatures, determinate vs. interdeterminate plants, pest eradication, fertilization, pollination, etc. etc. etc... But our mission is to simplify and demystify gardening so you can enjoy your own homegrown food. So, let's keep it simple:

This old adage is certainly a helpful reminder that the Spring is an ideal time for much of the country to plant a garden, but it's a general guideline, and does more harm than good in setting the misguided notion that you can only sow seeds in the Spring. For southern states you can sow seeds as early as December or January, and for colder northern climates you might not even start until late May! 

Additionally, most beginning gardeners don't realize that the Spring is just one of the many seasons where you can start a garden. If you've ever purchased a CSA, or shopped at a Farmers' Market you've seen different fruits, vegetables, and herbs sold at different times of the year. This is because agriculture is seasonal, and different plant varieties flourish during different times of the year, in different climates. 

To maximize your homegrown bounty, and ensure that your grocery runs are limited to the items prohibitively difficult to grow in your backyard (like bacon and toilet paper), you'll need to know what to plant when. There are 5 main types of plants which you can grow, with an infinite of sub-varieties beneath them, but to generalize they are broken up by: Leafy Greens, Root Vegetables, Fruiting Vegetables, Herb, and Flowers. 

Plants require sunlight to photosynthesize, by which the plant synthesizes food from carbon dioxide and water. The general rule of thumb is to plant gardens in south-facing locations that receive at least 8 hours of direct sunlight each day. Many customers ask if they can grow Seedsheets indoors, and the short answer is, probably not :) Seedsheets were meant to be grown outdoors. Unless you have a greenhouse with plenty of natural light, of course.

Some plant varieties like leafy greens and herbs can tolerate partial sun (4-6 hours of direct sunlight per day), but their growth will be slower than if they were planted in a south-facing location. 

If you notice your plants starting to get 'leggy', where the seedlings are growing tall and spindley, that is a sign of insufficient sunlight and you should immediately move your plants to a sunnier south-facing location, or invest in a grow light. Additionally, make sure that you fill your gardening container to the brim with soil before planting! If your soil depth is below the walls of your gardening bag/container your plants will be shaded out!

Seeds need to be in constant contact with moisture to stimulate the germination process, which is why our Seed Pods include coco coir which does a phenomenal job of wicking and holding moisture down to the seeds. You should water newly-planted seeds at least once daily until you begin to see sprouts emerging through the soil. 

As your plants mature and become more established you will need to apply more water, since bigger plants need more food! Additionally, after your third week of growth you can begin to add a liquid fertilizer to your watering can once per week with your normal watering process. We recommend watering with a garden hose equipped with a fine misting head so you can apply water less forcibly to delicate plants.

Plants take time to grow, and while you can speed up their progress with fertilizer and good nutrient-rich soil, you have to remind yourself that patience is a virtue! Seedsheets come with a scannable QR code on each row of plants. These QR codes will take you to web pages where we note each plant's DTM (days to maturity). This will help you contain your excitement, and prevent you from harvesting a carrot too early and be dismayed by a tiny (albeit cute) snack. (And if you can't figure out the QR codes, we include printed instructions with each order too)!

We love seeing new gardeners feasting on their fresh homegrown produce, and relishing in the experience and gratification of nurturing a plant from seed to supper. We try our hardest to demystify gardening and empower anyone to be successful, which is why we offer our Greenthumb Guarantee, where we will send free seed pod replacements in the event any pods fail to sprout. Just click the Greenthumb Guarantee link at the bottom of this page and fill out the form.