Cotton is a versatile plant used for making textiles, oil, animal feed and fertilizer, to name a few things. Cotton grows in tropical and subtropical climates, and needs a lot of preparation to set up a crop. Here's what to do if you want to plant cotton seeds:
- Plant your cotton in a healthy, deep, well-drained soil bed. Red soils usually get warm sooner than other soils, so it might be a good idea to start there. Don't plant your cotton in badly eroded or sandy soils [source: Edmisten].
- Make furrows in the soil by dragging a garden hoe from one end of the plot to the other. The furrows should be 30 inches (75 centimeters) apart [source: Edmisten].
- Keep the soil well moistened while waiting for the right temperature for planting your cotton [source: Edmisten].
- Plant your cotton seeds when the soil temperature 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) deep, at 10 o'clock in the morning, measures at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) for three consecutive days [source: Faircloth].
- Plant the cottonseeds in groups of three, for every foot (30.5 centimeters) of row you have prepared [source: Faircloth].
- Plant the seeds 3/4 inch (2 centimeters) into the soil, so the seedlings can emerge with as little effort as possible. In hot and dry conditions, or when you have light soil, plant the seeds 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) deep in the soil to keep them moist and protect them from the sun [source: Faircloth].
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