Lettuce seeds, such as Johnny's Selected Seed Skyphos, can be sown outdoors in early spring.
In the February 2010 issue of Angie’s List magazine, the Hoosier Gardener offers tips on starting a vegetable garden, including what vegetables to plant and how. Here’s an excerpt:
There are a few steps you can take when getting started to ensure your success.
- Start small. You can always add more space next year. The average size for experienced gardeners is about 600 square feet.
- Grow what your family likes to eat. If no one likes spinach or okra, don’t grow them.
- The site should get at least eight hours of direct sun a day. The soil should be well drained. Access to water is a plus. Take advantage of the sunny spots in your landscape with containers if ground space is limited.
- Consider a raised bed in urban areas, where yards are small, dense with tree roots and soil that is heavily compacted. Also, urban gardeners are encouraged to get their soil tested for lead contamination. Contact your local health department for details.
- Fill raised bed with 3 parts top soil and 1 part compost or rotted manure. These products come in 40-pound bags at garden centers. Planting mixes also are available in bulk from landscape supply centers.
- For an in-ground bed, dig 10- to 12-inches deep. Apply two or more inches of compost or rotted manure and work in the soil. Or, add a couple of inches of bulk planting mix to the soil surface and smooth off. Always avoid walking on garden beds, but especially new ones, so you don’t compact the soil.
- If possible, make the beds a few days before planting, preferably before a rain, to allow the soil to settle. If there’s no rain, water the bed.
- Once planted, keep the bed weeded.
By far, it’s easiest to buy transplants already growing at the garden center. This is also the most expensive way and the selection is limited, compared to the varieties available online or from mail order catalogs.
For beginners: buy tomatoes and peppers as transplants. Grow beans, corn, peas, lettuce, squash, melon and most other vegetables from seed, which can be sown directly in the soil once all danger of frost has passed. Check with your county extension office to get the exact frost-free dates for your area.