To facilitate drainage, beds are often raised by furrowing or erecting side boards. Conifers require shading in their first growing season which can be provided by ereting side boards and covering with snowfence. Deciduous trees and shrubs generally do not require shading. The size of the bed will vary but generally a 1 m x 3 m bed will be adequate for approximately 1,500 seedlings. Conifer seed can either be broadcast or sown in rows.
Rows are easier to maintain.
If sowing by hand, shallow trenches 2 cm wide and 15 cm apart are made. The seed is sown at approximately 150 seeds per metre and covered to a depth two to three times the diameter of the seed with fine sand or soil. After sowing, shading is required and the seedbed should be kept moist until germination occurs. Seedlings are usually left in the seedbed for two years before being transplanted to a larger area. Deciduous seed can be sown in rows or broadcast.