Planting Your Caritas Seeds
How to make an eco paper pot
This is a simple way to make a plant pot, all you need is a container the same size you need for a pot, so a bottle, jam jar or tin can and some newspaper. The pot will be strong enough to last until you plant out or need to move to a bigger pot. When you plant out you can just put the whole thing in the ground – just make sure the paper is damp first so the roots can grow through easily.
Wild Flowers
Each envelope has enough seeds for 2-3 square metres of ground. You can sow the seeds in March-May or September. They prefer open ground in full sun.
To prepare the ground, clear away existing plants and grass including any vigorous perennial weeds such as nettles and brambles.
Dig over the soil, firm down well and rake to create a level seed bed. there is no need to incorporate any compost or fertilizers. If you have time to let the bed settle (about 6 weeks) this allows the germination of any unwanted seeds which can then be removed before sowing – but this is not essential.
Evenly spread the seed across the prepared area at about 2-3g per square metre. Once sown, rake the soil lightly and cover to protect from birds and cats. Keep the ground moist to support good germination.
Carrots
The carrot seeds are the Early Nantes variety
Sow the seeds direct to where you want to grow them, this can be in the ground, raised bed or deep pot. They don’t like to be disturbed once planted.
prepare the ground by removing weeds and raking ground to remove lumps or soil or large stones.
Seeds can be scattered over an area and raked in , or put in rows about 0.5cm deep. Don’t sow too thickly as too many plants will lead to them competing for nutrients and water resulting in smaller carrots.
Keep the ground moist they germinate and form young plants.
Thin (remove some of the plants) if they are crowded, but do this carefully as the scent of the pulled carrots can attract the carrot fly that will then attack your crop.
You can harvest carrots 2-3 months after sowing.
Sunflowers
You can sow your sunflowers straight into the ground in the spring once the soil has warmed or into a pot.
To plant into the ground, make sure the area is in full sun and weed free. Plant the seed about 45cm apart and 1cm deep. Keep the ground watered as the seed germinates.
In a pot, plant the seed about 1-2 cm deep, keep compost moist to help with germination.
Seeds should germinate around 10-16 days depending on how warm it is. Once the roots have filed the pot, plant into its final growing place.
Watch out for slugs and snails! You can protect your seedlings by placing broken eggshells around the plants or covering with a plastic bottle (but this can heat up fast so make sure any hot air can escape).
Your seed pack will have tall and dwarf varieties, the taller plants might need some additional support as they grow.