Beginner Gardening: Can anyone offer some advice?, 1 by HoneybeeNC

HoneybeeNC wrote:
Personally, I always put some organic fertilizer in the hole/trench when I sow seeds or set out transplants. Then I mix it thoroughly with the surrounding soil. My melons were started indoors under lights this year, and they did not suffer transplant shock when I put them out. Each seed was set in it's own 3 oz pot.

I don't mulch my plants until they are well-established because I find slugs will hide in the mulch. If you saw my garden now, you would see bare soil around the newly sprouting seeds. Later, as the weather gets hot, they will have mulch, mulch and more mulch!