Sowing

Seeds should be sown in firm but not hard soil. The beds should be prepared in fine weather when the soil is dry and crumbly. Begin by forking over the bed to a depth of about 3 in (76 mm) breaking up the soil to eliminate solid lumps. Then tread the land over to make it firm. Rake the top inch of surface soil backwards and forwards until every particle is fine and the surface is level.

Bare in mind the eventual size of the vegetable, the space that it will require to grow and develop properly, and then you will have some idea of the necessity to be prudent. To illustrate this point consider for instance that in just 1/4 oz, of parsley, there are about 4,000 seeds; one seed can grow to 1 ft. accross so in fact 1/4 oz of seed could sow a row of plants that would strecth 4,000 ft. long.

Keeping down the weeds is extremely important when growing vegetables; this is more easily achieved when the plants are grown in rows. It allows easy access between the plants when using a hoe, which is probably the best method to dislodge the weeds.

by: mrsgreenfinger.co.uk