The soil must be prepared before seeds are planted. The prepared soil is called a seed bed.
A vegetable seedbed should be:
- level
- well drained – therefore it is dug to loosten the soil & break up the pan which would stop water percolating through the soil easily
- made up of fine particles
- even – the same all over, & to a depth of 2 or 3 inches
rake seed bed
rake soil
- Use a rake to get an even depth of fine soil so that the seeds can be planted shallow.
- Stand on a board, placed over the adjacent ground, to protect the soil from being trampled down.
firm soil down
Preparing a seedbed is a huge investment into the plant’s future.