Making a seed bed

Seed beds are garden beds you intend to grow seeds from. They can be either in the open ground or in raised gardens. Raised gardens are usually more free draining, and sometimes a bit more protected from some pests such as rabbits, rats, and snails. However this depends on their location, how they are built and what they are made from. 

Start by clearing any old plants or previous crops. Look out of any pests and remove them as best you can. Be careful when removing weeds, as some multiply when they are removed. 

You may need to treat your soil if it isn't ready for planting. For example, if it is sandy soil, you may need to add some compost, if it is clay soil you could add some gypsum. 

Add some home compost or well rotted manure to give the soil some new nutrients. I usually dig it in and over at least once, and if I have time, I will do it a few more times allowing the bed to rest between digs. This also makes the soil light and fluffy so new plants can easily penetrate with their new roots. If the soil is to hard, then the plant will not be able to have deep roots which could make the plant week. Alow the bed to rest a week or so if you can before planting. 

Sow your seeds in good weather and not when it is raining heavily. While this might be a good water saving idea, if it rains too much, your seeds or young seedlings could rot, or worse still float away. It looks a bit funny having all your plants grow in one corner. If you water your new bed yourself at time of planing, you can control how much water the bed will get. A sunny day will also help germinate your seeds and keep the bed warm.