Comment by jimmaswell | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jimmaswell | Hacker News Reader

Tangential: Last year I dug out a plot of soil, put a mesh fence around and under it to keep animals out, mixed in some fertilized dirt from the hardware store with the ground soil when I put it back in, and put some assorted seeds spaced around in it (tiny hole with a few seeds, I forget my exact spacing), all allegedly planted at an acceptable time and in the right climate zone. I watered it according to what the internet said was correct, a deep soaking every 4-5 days I think.

Nothing grew but the peas. Eating those few peas felt like the scene from that Disney movie where Donald Duck is slicing one bean into nearly invisible portions for everyone.

I don't know what I did wrong but all that physical exertion for nothing has soured me on gardening a bit. This year I just gave up and threw some pre-potted plants in the ground and they all thrived but it feels like cheating.

Can anyone weigh in? Is growing from seed just something best left to real farmers?

Most recreational gardeners I know that grow from seeds, including myself, start the seeds inside and then plant them outside. That doesn’t explain your initial lack of plant growth, but it is a useful technique.

4-5 days is not enough watering for outdoor vegetables. Seedlings need watering every day or better 2x a day. Use hose or sprinkler drip irrigation doesn’t work with seedlings

Also timing is critical you need to plant at the right time for your local area otherwise seeds will .

Light level is important too, full Sun IS best but requires constant irrigation for best results.

Research a lot ask your neighbors and keep trying

Try reading https://www.gardenmyths.com/. There are some decent YouTube channels like urban farmer curtis stone but YouTube is kind of a slow repository of info. You need to watch a lot of videos to learn bits

Well, growing seeds definitely requires more efforts and care, for instance I had 3 or 4 failed attempts with extremely vulnerable tobacco seed, which was very counter-intuitive since adult plants are quite sturdy. Pea seeds are ultra-sturdy, that's why you succeed.

BTW, seeds would like to have some assistance, like soaking them before planting, then planting them at fake soil (eg. wet cotton wool)

Also, I highly recommend peat bricks for seedlings like https://www.growbarato.net/24393-large_default/peat-foam-eco...

Pre soak is not nessisary or often helpful. I think https://www.gardenmyths.com/ had an article on that at some point

A lot of seeds don’t need frequent watering to germinate. One heavy water to start and then keep it damp, not wet. If the ground is too cold many seeds will just rot. Seed trays make it easier to manage the temperature and water. Beans in particular like one watering when planted and no more until they germinate.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com