Tips and Tricks for Planting and Growing Your Own Fruits and Vegetables

Tip 1

Figure out which items you want to plant are cool-season plants and which are warm-season plants. This will really determine your success as trying to plant a warm-season plant in early spring or fall will result in failure no matter what you do! Check out our reference list below.

Tip 2

Decide if you want to plant from seed or transplant…

• Seed-there is WAY more choice out there if you plan to try to plant from seed than buy a plant already established, especially if you are looking for organic fruits and veggies. The best way to plant is to read the back of your seed packet it has a wealth of information about the plant. Be sure to follow instructions on seed depth and distance apart.
• Transplant- when selecting a plant at a store to transplant be sure to select young, stocky plants with lots of leaves but no flowers or fruit. Make sure the roots are white and do not contain the disease. Wait to plant until any danger of frost has passed. Get your plant familiar with its new surroundings by allowing it to be outside but not yet in the ground- expose it to increasing amounts of sun and water it.

Tip 3

Select plants that are right for your experience level! Do some research on what you select and it may be smart to do several small plantings instead of only one large planting. This way you can monitor your plants more efficiently.

Reference:MSU Smart Gardening