Plant by 'seed' or by 'start'

First of all, study the plants you are undertaking to grow. Find out the best way of planting them - whether by seed or start. Find out how large to expect them to grow so that you leave enough space between plants to accommodate them well.

There are two ways of planting a food - or even a flower - garden. By "seed" or by "start". Many people like to :start their seeds indoors before the garden season is even upon them. This gives them a chance to garden early and also can produce plants with far more likelihood of survival.

By Seed

We refer to simply tossing seeds into the ground at a depth (hopefully) we know is the proper depth for planting. Since not all depths of seeding take place on the same level, I would hope some research into the particular plant you desire has been done. In fact, some research was always required for those who have not yet grown a particular species before.

Generally, when put into the ground, a seed is watered and continues to be watered until such time as it pops up its little head and begins its life outside of the ground. Consistent watering is a must, at any rate, for all young plants but especially these new guys. Forgetting to water for a few days is like stopping the entire process. The plant will die without the ever-present need for water. Nor does this mean over watering might keep you going for longer. In fact, over watering is also a direct route to plant mortality.

By Starts

Planting by "starts" means you begin your garden plant's life indoors or inside a "cold frame"/greenhouse-like structure where they are protected from the weather and nurtured into small plants in ideal conditions, essentially indoors. Naturally, many people also begin plants in their kitchens and basement windows, thus all the egg cartons with small amounts of soil which later become a fuzzy green riot of fledgling garden plants. In any case, what is accomplished here is that the plants get an earlier beginning and get planted in a garden with up to a 3 week head start over seeding. The down side would be if one got too early of a start and shoved them in their plant holes only to catch a late frost.