For new gardeners, the hardest part of gardening is getting seeds to germinate, and grow.

Some varieties of seeds that require special treatment, such as chill periods and/or scarification, can be problematic for even the most experienced gardeners. But with correct care and attention, the majority of seeds are surprisingly easy to grow.

The most common seed-sowing mistakes are using unsuitable soil, sowing seeds too close together, sowing seeds too deep and overwatering.

Soil mix for seed sowing

A mixture comprising 50 percent sweet earth (as sold by nurseries), 25 percent river sand (not saltish sea sand) and 25 percent fully rotted down animal manure or organic compost should be passed through a soil sieve to remove any lumps and to get a fine, soft consistency.

With the right light, some simple equipment and lots of patience, watch your garden grow from seed to harvest

Seed trays/pots should have a layer of broken clay pot shards laid in their base to maximise drainage. The seed-sowing soil mix goes on top of this.

Sowing the seeds

Tiny seeds such as petunias should be thinly sprinkled on top of the soil mix, in seed trays/pots, and then have a very light covering of soil mix sieved on top. Tiny seeds do not have enough stored up energy to push through much soil. If sown too deep they will simply die.

It is easy to sow tiny seeds too close together which doesn’t allow them the space they need to grow. This means they have to fight with their neighbours to get a share of nutrients, water and sunlight. Overcrowded seedlings may grow rapidly as they struggle to outdo each other, but they become tall, very thin and rarely survive for long.

Well-spaced seedlings take their time, develop strong roots and leaves, and are happy to be transplanted into their final growing positions when the time comes.

Larger seeds, such as nasturtium seed for example, should be carefully inserted in the soil mix until they are covered by a layer of soil roughly equal to twice the size of the seed. If the seed measures about 2cm from top to bottom, it should be planted with 4cm of soil on top of it. It is easy to space out the seeds 2-3 inches apart in a seed tray/pot, and then at 8-12 inches when transplanted into the final growing position.

Watering seed trays/pots

Seed trays/pots must have excellent drainage. They should be watered very lightly or even sprayed with water each evening. They need to be kept just slightly moist, not wet, because overly wet soil causes seeds to rot away rather than grow.

When growing anything, it is important to work slowly, carefully, methodically and never run out of patience. One cannot and should not even attempt to hurry nature.

Seed sowing suggestions for August

The flower garden: Hollyhocks, sweet Williams, antirrhinums, petunias, dahlias, begonia, gazanias, salvia, carnations, pinks, gerbera, phlox, scabiosa, rudbeckia, geraniums/ pelargoniums and cineraria. Freesias, ranunculus and all types of iris are bulbs simple to grow from seed sown now.

All of the aforementioned are for flowers over late winter and early-to-mid-spring period, although the flowering bulbs may not burst into bloom in their first growing season.

The vegetable garden: Broccoli, calabrese, Brussel’s sprouts, cauliflower, cabbages of many kinds, collard greens, red Russian kale, Italian dinosaur kale, curly kale, giant kale and purple kale. Swiss chard/leaf beet, spinach, lettuce, baby leaf salads, mustard, mustard mizuna, giant red mustard, endive, bok choy, radicchio, mesclun mixes, Chinese cabbage and Japanese mustard greens. Onions, green onions and leeks, beetroot, carrots, turnips, swedes/rutabaga, radish, winter radish and celery. You can also sow more tomatoes, cherry tomatoes being best at this time of year and plant a potato barrel too.

The herb garden: Mint varieties, coriander, chives and garlic chives, borage, lovage, agastache, thyme, nasturtiums, calendulas, lemon balm, oregano, echinacea and monarda. You may like to try sowing some more varieties of basil too, in Karachi.

Fruit tree of the month: If you only have room for a single tree in your garden/courtyard, a lemon tree is highly recommended. Surprisingly easy to grow, a lemon tree, once established, will provide gloriously perfumed blossoms to delight the senses, and an endless supply of aromatic leaves to add zest to stir-fried and rice dishes.

The luscious and incredibly versatile fruits can be surprisingly expensive to purchase. A variety of lemon trees are sold as pot-grown plants all round the year and as bare-rooted saplings during the late winter months. Select a desi lemon tree if you can, as these are far more soil tolerant and climatically suitable — having developed in local conditions through centuries — than some of the newer imported varieties.

A Chinese lemon/lime may be more suitable to grow in a suitably large clay pot, as this often grows as a large bush rather than an actual tree, so requires less space. As with all members of the citrus family, lemons enjoy lots of sunshine. Soil should be moderately rich with lots of old, fully rotted down, manure/organic compost mixed in and good drainage is essential.

The trees need regular irrigation during hot, dry weather and should be fed organic liquid manure or compost tea, ideally every three to four months and especially so when the first blossom begins to appear.

A well-fed lemon tree is a beautiful sight, and it will regularly gift you with its bounty.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 7th, 2022