Manual Labor

We finally began building up the beds and planting our seeds. But before that, we had to learn a little bit about transplanting versus direct seeding. Direct seeding involves planting a seed directly into the ground where it will go through its complete life cycle. Advantages of this are that it is cheaper to obtain large amounts of seed and the plant is immediately exposed to the outside elements. Disadvantages are that some seeds are not guaranteed to germinate and some seeds may grow into weak plants that will not survive.

Transplanting is when a seed is first grown in a controlled environment and then moved to a permanent location. Pros are that freshly germinated plants avoid unfavorable weather, weak plants can be eliminated, and transplanting extends the growing season. Cons are that it is more expensive and the shock of moving to the external environment could reduce yield.

After learning this information, we get to the fun part: the garden itself. A couple of hours of manual labor had to be done building up the beds so that the danger of collapse is reduced.

I was unable to do any planting Monday, so I returned the next day near noon to lay my seeds. Making sure that the seeds were not too deep or shallow, I planted okra, squash, parsley, beet, the three types of beans, and cilantro. It was surprisingly laborious, having to squat and stand repeatedly. But I cannot wait for the payoff.