I am indebted to so many gardeners who have shared their collective wisdom and experience with me over the years. They are family members, neighbors, master gardeners, garden writers, bloggers and gardeners on social media. Sharing this knowledge motivated me to begin my blog, ten years ago and now over 1300 posts later.

I’m offering occasional posts of garden hacks I use. Some I’ve learned from others. Some I’ve developed to solve a problem. Here are a few of my favorite garden hacks useful this time of year as seeds are planted for the cool season garden.

When I plant a scatter row of small seeds like lettuce or carrots, I lay down two boards to outline the area where I want to sow the seeds. Let’s say I like neat rows since my garden is about art too. See my About page for more on that. Wayward seeds can be brushed off the boards into the scatter row.

I cover most of my seeds with compost. For small seeds like carrot and lettuce I sift the compost to make it easier for seeds to emerge. They don’t have to push against small chunks of wood or soil and I suspect I have better germination.

Use whatever you have available—an old strainer or whatever does the job. I also sift my seed starting mix when covering small seeds planted for later transplant.

Lightly layer your sifted compost to cover seeds.to the appropriate depth. Then take one of the boards and lightly press over the seeds and sifted compost to make good contact between seed and soil.

Don’t forget to label the rows. Memory fades as you wait for seeds to emerge and you’ll want to distinguish errant weeds from your seedlings.

I usually cover my lettuce and greens bed with overturned nursery trays to give the seedlings a head start. It provides some shade too.. The trays prevent the birds from snacking on the newly emerged seedlings. They also break the spray as I water the bed. If you have neighborhood cats who like your freshly turned soil this will keep them at bay at least for awhile.

More tips coming soon for planting seeds in Garden Hacks—5.