Sowing Seeds or Planting Transplants: How to Get Started

Assuming that you have thoughtfully selected your fence plants, it’s time to learn how to start your fence garden. In this chapter, we’ll cover two main ways that you can begin growing plants near your fence, either from seed or by purchasing transplants.
Growing Fence Plants from Seeds
Starting your fence plants from seeds is the first way that you can get your garden started, but it is not the most common way. Instead, starting from seed is only a common practice when growing vegetables. Other plants, including most ornamental species, typically go into the ground as transplants, a process we’ll address shortly.
However, if your goal is to create an edible fence garden full of vegetable plants that will provide you a harvest throughout the growing season, you have at least a general idea of how the seed-sowing process works. Here is a quick overview of how to plant seeds:
  • Fill a container with nutrient-rich soil
  • Plant your seeds at the proper depth (varies depending on species)
  • Keep your seedlings in a warm location
  • Keep the soil consistently moist at least until the seed germinates
  • Transplant your germinated seed outside when it is ready
The process for sowing seeds will vary somewhat depending on the types of plants you grow. However, the list above gives you a good idea of the steps you need to complete to start a plant from seed.
Purchasing Transplants for Your Fence Garden
Now that we’ve got the seed-sowing process out of the way, let’s talk about the more likely way that you’ll get your fence plants in the ground. Purchasing and planting transplants is the primary way that most gardeners add ornamental trees, shrubs, and perennials to their gardens.
Planting a purchased transplant is relatively easy to do, but there are a few insights you should know before you get started. Here is a step-by-step breakdown of how to plant a transplant, regardless of what species it is:
  • Remove your transplant from its existing container
  • Dig a hole that is as deep as the root mass is tall and at least twice as wide as the root mass
  • Loosen the soil and roots on the sides of the root mass
  • Loosen the inner sides of your planting hole
  • Place the plant in the hole, ensuring the roots are just below the soil’s surface
  • Backfill with healthy soil
  • Water generously for the first few weeks
  • Cover the soil with mulch
Follow those steps for each purchased transplant, and your fence garden will be off to an excellent start.