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Step 1
Before we rush headlong into selecting seeds for your family garden there is a very important pre-step. Deciding what you want to eat of course! For example, tomatoes grow well nearly everywhere but are you truly prepared to deal with 100 pounds of them?
Examine your family's eating habits, be they current or hopeful, to determine what sorts of things should be planted. -
Step 2
Decide what to plant and whether to plant them all at once or staggered for continuous harvest. If you particularly enjoy something and wish to have some available for every week you may wish to stagger the plantings so they mature throughout the entire harvest period.
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Step 3
Visit the USDA's Plant Hardiness Map, which is also useful for Canada and Mexico. You can choose your state and county and get very specific information for your area. This will influence both your sowing and harvesting times.
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Step 4
Refine your selections by speaking with members of your local chapter of the National Grange about your area and what varieties of plants you wish to grow are especially suitable to your weather and soil conditions.
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Step 5
Contact a nearby university and inquire about their Extension Office. Most universities, especially somewhat rural ones, will have Agricultural Extension departments who unload vast amounts of knowledge and exist solely to do so.
They can take you from selecting seeds for your family garden to preparing meals with your produce, canning your excess, even assistance programs for urban farming. -
Step 6
Contact a Master Gardener in your area. The American Horticultural Society's Master Gardener program trains gardeners who then respond in kind by becoming trainers themselves. This is a huge resource and should be explored fully.
Ask them anything about how to select seeds for your family garden, how to harvest and protect your garden, even questions regarding insects and composting. -
Step 7
Finalize your choices and purchase your seeds! Seeds may be purchased at many retailers but for specific varietals and the best quality a seed catalog from a reputable seller is the best choice. Ask any of the people you contact in the previous steps for their suggestions and they will be delighted to weigh in on the matter.
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Step 8
Revisit each of the resources you have garnered throughout the growing and harvest seasons. Share your trials and successes and they will do the same, perhaps even imparting a bit of knowledge along the way.
