How to Plant…

How to Plant Mandarin Oranges

1. Remove the seeds from the fruit. Rinse the seeds under lukewarm tap water. Rinse off
any juice and remove all fruit flesh from around the seeds. Any fruit left around the
seeds will rot when planted in the soil and could result in mold or fungus that might
destroy the seeds.
2. Place the seeds in a cup of lukewarm tap water and let them sit for 24 hours. Although
soaking the seeds in water before planting is not necessary for germination, it does
increase the chance of the seeds germinating successfully. Note: If you do not intend to
plant the seeds right away, dry them completely and then put them in an airtight
container. This prevents the growth of microorganisms. Storing them in cool or even
cold location until you're ready to plant is also essential to prevent seed destruction.
3. Plant each seed into a 3-inch pot. Plant the seed 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep into a rich but
well-drained potting soil with a neutral or slightly acidic pH balance. Water the soil of
the pot until it is soaked and let it drain.
4. Cut one or two small holes into a small transparent bag. Place the bag over the top of
the pot so that it acts as a barrier, keeping heat and moisture in over the surface of the
pot. Secure the bag in place, if necessary, with an elastic band around the base of the
bag and top rim of the pot.
5. Place the pot near a bright window or outside on a bright balcony where it will receive
a few hours of direct sunlight each day. Remove the bag to water whenever the surface
of the soil appears dry.
6. Remove the plastic bag after the seedling emerges and outgrows the space provided
within the bag. Water the seedling whenever the surface of the soil appears dry.
7. Transplant the small tree after roots appear around the drainage holes of the pot. The
Mandarin seedling can be planted in a larger pot for patio or even indoor growing, or
outside in an area of the yard where it will not be crowded or shaded from direct
sunlight.

Things You Will Need

o A glass of water
o Potting soil
o Pots
o Small transparent bags
o Elastic bands

How to Plant Lemon

Firstly you'll need

 An organic lemon since non-organic lemons often contain non-

germinating seeds
  Fertile potting soil, and natural fertilisers like compost
 A seedling pot that is about 24 inches wide by 12 inches deep
 A planting pot that is six inches wide and six inches deep (this comes in
handy further down the track)
 A sunny, indoor growing location

Directions

1. Moisten the potting soil so that it is damp, but not soaked, all the way
through.
2. Fill the smaller pot with soil, all the way up to an inch below the rim.
3. Cut open your lemon and remove a seed. Remove all of the pulp from
its surface. A good way to do this is to simply suck on it until it is clean.
4. Do not delay to plant. The seed must still be moist when it is buried into
the soil in the smaller pot. Plant the seed about half an inch deep in the
middle of the pot.
5. Spray the soil that is directly above the seed gently with water from a
spray bottle.
6. Cover the pot with clear plastic wrap, seal the edges with a good rubber
band, and poke small holes in the top with a pencil.
7. Place the pot in a warm, sunny location.
8. Spray on more water occasionally, not allowing the soil to dry out. Do
not cause water to puddle though. Just keep the soil somewhat moist.
9. After about two weeks, when the sproutling emerges, take the plastic
covering off. If you need additional light for your lemon plant, you can
use a grow light to supplement the sun's light.
10. Take care of the young plant by keeping the soil damp, by making
sure it gets at least eight full hours of light per day, and by giving it
moderate doses of organic fertiliser like compost.
11. Watch over your plant to ensure it is not attacked by bugs or
diseases. Prune off brown, dead leaves when necessary.
12. When the plant outgrows its small pot, put it in the larger pot. You
will go through much the same procedure when you re-plant it as when
you first planted. Younger plants need more water than older plants, but
they all do need adequate water. Don't starve your poor plant after all
that work of growing it!
How to Plant Calamansi
1. Place the seeds in a damp paper towel. Dampen a paper towel with a
few drops of water. Place the seeds in the center of the towel and fold it
so that the seeds are enveloped inside.[2]
Alternatively, you can place the seeds directly into damp potting soil,
just deep enough to be completely covered by the soil.[3]
2. Leave the seeds in a resealable plastic bag somewhere warm for 3
days. Place the seeds wrapped in paper towel into a resealable plastic
bag. Close the bag, but leave some air inside. Place the bag
somewhere warm, such as a windowsill that gets a lot of sunlight or on
top of a refrigerator.[4]
If you put the seeds directly into the soil, cover the pot with plastic wrap
to create a warm, humid environment.
3. Transplant any sprouted seeds into a small pot filled with soil. Check the
seeds after 3 days. Any seeds that have sprouted can be moved to a
small pot to continue growing. Fill the pot with potting soil and plant the
sprouted seeds just underneath the surface. Water the soil so that the
top 1 inch (2.5 cm) is damp.[5]
For seeds planted in a pot, remove the plastic wrap once the seeds
have sprouted.
You may need to wait an extra day or two for the seeds to sprout.
4. Move seedlings to individual pots once they have 2 large leaves. After
around 6 weeks, the seedlings will grow to be several inches tall and
start to sprout leaves. As soon as a seedling has 2 fully-grown leaves,
you can move it into its own pot. Gently remove it from the soil so that
you don't break the roots.[6]
5. Always water seedlings thoroughly, so that the potting soil is damp all
the way through, when you transplant them to a new pot. Young plants
need more water to grow than mature plants.
6. Transplant your calamansi every 2 months to give it more room to grow.
To transplant a calamansi plant, gently slide the soil and seedling out of
one pot and carefully break apart the roots to separate them. Place the
seedling in a larger pot and fill it in with well-draining soil. Water the
seedling so that the soil is damp all the way through.[7]
7. The seedling should be planted around 2 inches (5.1 cm) deep in the
soil.
8. Water the plant regularly and leave it in full sun. Calamansi plants need
to be watered whenever the top layer of soil dries completely out, which
could be daily or several times a week, depending on humidity levels.
 Calamansi also requires full sun for healthy growth, meaning it needs to
be exposed to sunlight for 6-10 hours a day.[8]
9. Use soil that drains well for calamansi, as this plant doesn't like having
damp roots.
10. If you can't expose your calamansi plant to full sun, you can use
grow lights indoors.
11. Plant the seedling outside once grown, if you live in a tropical
location.

How to grow patio tomatoes

Planting Instructions
1. Select a sunny site, away from trees and close to a water source if possible.
2. Prepare the garden by breaking up the existing soil (use a hoe, spade, or power tiller) to a
depth of 12-16” (30-40cm). Add organic matter such as manure, peat moss or garden
compost until the soil is loose and easy to work. Organic ingredients improve drainage, add
nutrients, and encourage earthworms and other organisms that help keep soil healthy. Give
plants an extra boost by adding a granulated fertilizer formulated for vegetables or and all-
purpose feed (such as a fertilizer labeled 5-10-5).
3. Plant two or three seeds in each small pot. Not every seed sprouts and it is easy enough to
thin out the pots later. Press each seed about 1/4 inch into the damp soil.
4. Cover the seed pots with plastic wrap or a plastic dome to keep in the moisture. Let them sit
in a warm spot out of direct sun for about a week to allow germination to begin.
5. Remove the plant from the container. If plants are in a pack, gently squeeze the outside of
the individual plant cell while tipping container to the side. If plant doesn't loosen, continue
pressing on the outside of the container while gently grasping the base of the plant and
tugging carefully so as not to crush or break the stem until the plant is released. If the plant
is in a pot, brace the base of the plant, tip it sideways and tap the outside of the pot to
loosen. Rotate the container and continue to tap, loosening the soil until the plant pulls
smoothly from the pot.
6. Dig the hole up to two times larger than the root ball and deep enough that the plant will be
at the same level in the ground as the soil level in the container. Grasping the plant at the
top of the root ball, use your finger to lightly rake apart the lower roots apart. This is
especially important if the roots are dense and have filled up the container. Set the plant in
the hole.
7. Check the plant label for suggested spacing and the mature height of the plant. Position
plants so that taller plants are in the center or background of the garden and shorter plants
in the foreground.
8. Plan ahead for plants that get tall and require staking or support cages. It's best to install
cages early in the spring, at planting time, before the foliage gets bushy. Vining vegetables
 can occupy a lot of space, so provide a trellis, fence, or other structure that allows the plant
to grow vertically to maximize garden space.

Watering Instructions
1. Ideally water should only be applied to the root zone - an area roughly 6-12” (15-30cm)
from the base of the plant, not the entire plant. A soaker hose is a great investment for
keeping plants healthy and reducing water lost through evaporation. Hand watering using a
watering wand with a sprinkler head attached is also a good way to control watering. If the
garden area is large, and a sprinkler is necessary, try to water in the morning so that plant
foliage has time to dry through the day. Moist foliage encourages disease and mold that can
weaken or damage plants.
2. Thoroughly soaking the ground every 2-3 days is better than watering a little bit daily. Deep
watering encourages roots to grow further into the ground resulting in a sturdier plant with
more drought tolerance. How often to water will depend on rainfall, temperature and how
quickly the soil drains.
3. To check for soil moisture use your finger or a small trowel to dig in and examine the soil. If
the first 2-4” (5-10cm) of soil is dry, it is time to water.

Fertilizing Instructions
1. A well prepared planting bed enriched with organic matter such as compost or manure and
a mild general-purpose, granulated fertilizer gets plants off to a good start. Give plants a
boost later in the season with a fertilizer formulated for vegetables.
2. Fertilizers are available in many forms: granulated, slow-release, liquid feeds, organic or
synthetic. Follow the package directions to determine how much, and how often, to feed.
3. Be sure to keep the garden well-weeded. Weeds take vital moisture and nutrients away
from the vegetable plants.

Pruning Instructions
1. There are several reasons to prune vegetable plants: to help contain a plant’s size, to
promote bushy compact growth, to remove dead or diseased stems, and to promote larger,
healthier fruit yields.
2. Flower buds can be pinched off to force the plant energy into fewer fruits that develop
faster.
3. Vining plants can become invasive in a confined garden space. If necessary, entire vines can
be removed down to the main stem to keep plants under control.
4. Never prune away more than 1/3 of the plant or it may become weak and unproductive.
5. Remove vegetables as soon as they mature. Leaving them on the plant any longer than
necessary can affect flavor and texture, and mature fruit steals energy from younger
developing fruits.