Question for those who enjoy gardening/have green thumbs

[BreezeOnTheLake]

I don't have a garden and I'm clueless, so please be gentle with what may seem like a very silly, "gardening 101" newbie question! :)

How do you avoid disturbing dormant roots/seeds under the soil if you want to turn over the topsoil a bit in preparation to sow some new seeds?

There's a little bit of neglected flower-bed in a public footpath, that I know already sprouts some lovely wildflowers, poppies and such, when the Springtime and summer arrive. But right now during winter, these are not evident; there's nothing above ground, just the soil and a few weeds, but I know the flowering things must be down in the soil dormant and waiting to come up again.

So if I want to freshen up, turn over a bit and water the soil so that I can put some seeds there for even more stuff to grow (I have seeds for more poppies and bee-friendly wildflowers), how do I know I'm not digging up and disturbing the nice things that are already in this spot but under the soil at the moment?

I'll be doing this not just yet but closer to spring. Any help with how not to disturb what's already there if I can't see it yet? 🌱🌱🌱

[mytutuscloset]

you don't!

you have to hand weed what you do not want to grow.  should you want to add new seeds, there are a few things to consider. you probably do not want to add seeds that will compete with what is already growing.  you may want to use seeds that can be top seeded or individually poked in the soil. you may want to top prep the bed with compost.

you may want to wait to see what comes up and you know what is growing where.  depending on your growing season you can always add seeds after what's there has sprouted.

[BreezeOnTheLake]

Thanks, mytutuscloset! I may wait to see where the growing things come up - it's a sparse bed so it will be good to see just what are the bare spots.

The seeds I have seem like they might be compatible with what already grows there, as I have a wildflower mix that includes some of the same things I've seen there in the summer, such as poppies mainly, so I'm hoping that will be okay; I just want to increase the growing as I noticed it's just a few sparse ones and it would be nice to get the bed fuller for the bees.

I think the seed packet says they can indeed be top-sprinkled or poked in - I will do that; the top seeding instructions says to put a bit of compost and also to wet down so that the seeds don't blow away, so I'll do that as you mention (have some compost I can use).

I wanted to hand-turn a bit of the top because it's hard and dryish at the moment - so maybe if I just don't actually dig about too much but just try to loosen up and wet the topsoil?

[mytutuscloset]

breeze, not sure if this will nest or look dumb.  (i guess we'll find out!)

if you are seeding california poppies they top seed really well.  i have some in the back yard already leafing out.

if you're working in a small area using a chop stick to just poke holes in the dirt can help break up the hard pack.

don't worry too much.  

enjoy.

[JMOldeVintage]

Here in the US many States have web sites usually run by a State University (especially if they offer any horticultural programs). They offer tons of publications & practical tips. Here in Florida, being a "tropical" environment, the UF/IFAS web site is a time saver & keeps the frustration level down - just because something says it will grow in zone 9 does not equal the plant loving extreme humidity. 

There are also native plant societies etc. with lots of info.

And will pass on a hand weeding anecdote - I swear some weeds pull out easier if soil is dry, while others more willing to be pulled out if the soil is wet.

Good luck in the garden! 

[BreezeOnTheLake]

Thanks for the hand-weeding tip, JM!

I've looked around on the web for gardening tips, but I couldn't find any info on very basic questions like mine, it all seemed to be more advanced advice for people who are beyond my level of ignorance, lol! ;)

[StarrFoxDesigns]

My suggestion would be either to push the seeds in where you want them to grow, or you could sprinkle them around and put a thin layer of topsoil over them (however it may hamper the seeds that are already there from sprouting successfully, as the extra soil may make it harder for them to come up. :)

Another alternative would be to start the seeds off in your house (you can sprout them in egg shells or push newpaper into cups, fill with soil and start them off that way) and plant them out once they are big enough. Then you could put them exactly where you want them. The benefit to using eggshells or newpaper is you can take the whole thing and plant it so you don't damage or kill your seedlings :)

[BreezeOnTheLake]

That's a good idea about starting them off at home, Starr, thank you!

I don't have much faith in my ability to get something to grow - although somehow I felt like it would have a better chance out there 'in the wild' lol!

But I might just try that, and you're right, I would have something already grown by the time the bed itself has sprouted what's already there, and I can pop them into the empty places knowing I haven't stopped something coming up.

I may try this.

[StarrFoxDesigns]

You can do it Breeze, I believe in you! :D

[mytutuscloset]

breeze, 

what starrfox said!  don't over think it.  have fun.  

[Teddyrose54]

@BreezeOnTheLake if you have a half way decent garden centre near you, they will be happy to help. And they love people just learning.

Best advice mine gave was decades ago, when I asked the difference between a weed and a flower. Answer was " A weed is something you don't like, and a flower is something you do. Tear out the ones you don't like"

I've applied that to several areas of my life. It's always worked for me.

Good luck, it's a really relaxing and lovely hobby to have. Art in it's best form.

[maidmariondesign]

"I've applied that to several areas of my life"--- I love that....

Much of life can be compared to gardening...

[BreezeOnTheLake]

That is great advice for life too, yes, lol! And decluttering, hahaha!

[MiladysSewingBasket]

The plants are asleep underground.  Anyhoo...Pull up the weeds gently.  Buy your seeds, check carefully the recommended settings and growing season (in particular) on the back and then sow.  Choose hardy plants (ones that dont die easy or sprout easy) as it is a public wayfare and germinating seed isnt as easy as it looks.

[BreezeOnTheLake]

Thanks for this, Milady. Yes, I have a feeling it may not be easy to grow-from-seed for someone with my inexperience in this. I've chosen a wildflower mix that matches what I've seen growing there during the summer months, so these should be compatible with the existing plants and with the location.

I'm thinking I will try to start the seeds at home, as per Starr's suggestion, then transfer into the flower bed (if anything grows in the home experiment, lol!)

Originally, I was going to do a very light raking over / shallow breaking up of the top soil of the flower bed, by hand, then scatter a light layer of compost, wet down a bit and sprinkle the seeds into that, all "in the field," but I think I will try the home-start instead. 

I will post back on how I get on and if I get anything to grow; thanks all of you for helping me out with this!

[mytutuscloset]

california poppy does not like to be transplanted.  the egg shell is the way to go for them.

[KittyKittySockDesign]

Poppy seeds germiante really well and they self seed too. the seeds are so tiny they're like dust. the thing is at this point if there is stuff there already I wouldn't mess around with it too much. Adding more stuff to the growing space can have adverse affects aswell, you don't want the roots fighting for nutrients and the plants fighting each other for sun and space. I would leave it alone and maybe plants the new stuff elsewhere were it me.

there is a tool however that works well for weeding without disturbing too many other things. its called the bandit weeder. I know they sell it at Veseys but not if/where in the UK

[BreezeOnTheLake]

Thanks KittyKitty - that's interesting what you say about not overcrowding the spot; I'll take that onboard and consider another place to put my seedlings if they grow -- just yesterday I seeded some compost at home.

My thinking regarding the spot I had in mind was that although some wildflowers including a poppy plant comes up during the summer, I notice that they are sparse and there could be scope to seed the bed a little more to get a fuller flowering for the bees. The sparseness has persisted over several years watching this spot, so I thought it could use some help maybe.

[BreezeOnTheLake]

Update!

Yesterday I put some compost into eggshells in an egg carton, sprinkled the seeds, and gently watered with a spray bottle. The seeds are a "wildflower mix" including poppies, and all said to be encouraging of bees -- we have a bee crisis and are being encouraged to help bees have more meadow flowers to visit.

They are on my kitchen window sill to catch the morning sun. I'm not an experienced person with this kind of thing, so who knows if anything will sprout at all! I'm prepared for failure but interested to see if something grows after all.

Fingers crossed!

[KittyKittySockDesign]

you can mix some soil in with the compost to stretch it out further aswell if you don't have much. sometimes the compost just stright can be too much for just the seeds. I ahve heard that at least I don't know how true it is. if you really want to get in composting though I HIGHLY reccomend looking into worm composting. worms will eat just about anything you give them (except meat and oily things - dont feed them that) and they poop out compost that is like gold for your garden. I believe they have one in the UK called the worm inn or something. its a tiered stacking system where you add food to the top level and when it gets full you put that one the bottom and start a new layer. by the time you fill your tower with worm poop the bottom layer is ready for harveting and the best part is since the worms migrate to where the fresh food is you don't have to pick through the compost like a traditional worm composter becausde your worms are all at the top ayer eating the new food. keep an eye for worm eggs though. that sounds super gross but pick them out adn toss them back in the composter so they can hatch in there and not in the garden.

[BreezeOnTheLake]

Another update in the form of a correction:

Why have I been calling it compost? I meant to say peat! Oops!

I've used a nice earthy potting peat for the seeds. I don't know why I called it compost!

[mytutuscloset]

you still may want to add a bit of dirt with your next batch of seedlings.

my self seeding poppies are already leafing out and appear to be doing fine with our interesting weather.

[KittyKittySockDesign]

well get composting then if you want a garden LOL

[BreezeOnTheLake]

Lol, I also need to get names of things right if I want a garden! 🤣 🤣 🤣