Essential Steps to Get Your Garden Ready for Growing Vegetables

As the weather begins to warm up, it’s the perfect time to start preparing your garden for a bountiful vegetable-growing season. Growing your own fruit and vegetables can provide a real sense of accomplishment, from sowing your first seed to watching them grow into a beautiful, delicious harvest.

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a first-time grower, Angharad James, product manager at Maxicrop, shares some top tips on how to prepare your garden to grow bigger, better and tastier vegetables.

1.    Clean up your garden space

Before planting, remove any old plants, weeds, or debris from the previous season. This clears the space for fresh crops and prevents diseases from lingering. Use a rake or hoe to carefully remove unwanted plants and weeds from the soil and wash out seed trays, pots and propagation items ready for sowing.

2.   Test your soil

Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving garden. Test your soil’s pH and nutrient levels to determine if it needs any amendments. You can easily purchase a soil testing kit from your local garden centre. Based on the results, add necessary fertilizers or soil conditioners like compost, lime, or organic matter. Seaweed-based products like Maxicrop’s All Purpose Growth Stimulant are an excellent way to restore and maintain soil health. Enriched with high-quality seaweed extract sourced from Norwegian waters, Maxicrop is a must-have for enhancing plant vitality from the ground up. This natural stimulant improves root development, making it easier for plants to absorb essential nutrients from the soil.  

3.   Improve drainage

Proper drainage is crucial for vegetable growth. If your soil tends to retain too much water, consider adding organic material such as compost or coarse sand to improve the soil's structure. Raised beds or containers with suitable drainage holes can also be a great solution if you have heavy or clay-like soil.

4.   Plan your layout

Carefully plan where you will plant your vegetables. Consider the amount of sunlight each plant needs and space requirements. Crop rotation is important to prevent soil depletion, so try not to plant the same family of vegetables in the same area every year.

5.   Sowing

The technique of sowing seeds depends on which vegetables you want to grow. Some vegetables, such as parsnips and carrots, are sown outdoors in their final positions. Others, like tomatoes, peppers, and herbs are sown under cover or indoors for potting on and planting out in spring.

Sowing seeds is a simple process. Start by filling seed trays or small pots with good quality, peat-free seed compost and lightly firm the surface. Place the seeds on top of the soil about one to two centimetres apart, and cover with a fine layer of compost or vermiculite. Water lightly and place in a warm, sunny position. Use cling film or half an upturned plastic bottle to cover the seed – this will help create a consistent temperature and level of moisture, just like a mini propagator!  

Within one or two weeks, the seed will begin to germinate and you should see a seedling sprout through the compost. Continue to water seedlings regularly, and as they establish they can be potted on into individual pots, so that each plant has its own space to grow. 

6.   Pot on your seedlings

If you have started your seedlings in trays indoors, you’ll need to transfer them to pots as soon as they’re large enough to handle, allowing them to grow and develop more easily. Gently hold the top leaves and carefully ease the seedlings out of the tray. Use a dibber to create a hole in the growing on pots. Carefully firm the compost around the roots, allowing the first leaves to sit just above the surface. Once potted water gently and place them in a warm spot indoors, protected from direct sunlight for the first four days. To support your crops further Maxicrop Vegetable Growth Stimulant and Feeder, provides the perfect level of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to help vegetables thrive. Just mix 20ml with 4.5 litres of water in a watering can and apply the solution around the base of plants every 7 to 14 days during the growing season.

7.   Watering and maintenance

Proper watering is crucial to the health of your plants. Water deeply but infrequently to encourage deep root growth. Installing a drip irrigation system or soaker hoses will deliver water directly to the roots, reducing the risk of fungal diseases, or you can simply use a watering can and apply water to the base of the plant. Keep an eye out for pests and diseases, and take action early to prevent major problems. Using a natural spray such Phostrogen Organic Fungus Plant Defence can help with this. 

These steps, when combined, will ensure a bountiful harvest in the months to come.

For more expert gardening advice and information about Maxicrop, visit www.seezon.co.uk  

Ends

Editors notes

Maxicrop® has been a trusted name in gardening for over 80 years, known and loved for its premium organic seaweed-based products that support plant growth and resilience.

Sustainably sourced from the pristine waters off the Norwegian coast, Maxicrop’s seaweed extract is rich in nutrients and antioxidants, offering a natural bio-stimulant to develop strong plant cells and boost root growth, while building resistance to disease, drought and cold.

Its hero product, the popular All Purpose Growth Stimulant, is a pure bio-stimulant with an enriched formula designed to enhance root development, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance in plants.

The wider range features products that carefully combine this high-quality, highly concentrated seaweed base with Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium to provide complete care for a variety of garden needs, including Vegetable Growth Stimulant and Feed, Tomato Growth Stimulant and Feed, Growth Stimulant and Sequestered Iron, and Moss Killer and Lawn Tonic.

Certified organic by the Soil Association, Maxicrop provides eco-conscious gardeners with effective, sustainable solutions for healthy, thriving plants.