QUESTION:

How does one know how to plant seeds and how to care for the plants until they are ready to harvest?

Look:

Lots of books and sites on the Internet provide such information, but the most accessible source for you may well be the information on the back of the seed packages you buy at the store. At the right you see a typical seed-package back. It describes the plant, how to sow the seeds (when, how deep in the soil, how far apart), gives watering information, and provides tips on harvesting the crop.

Someplace on the package the year in which the seeds should be sowed is given. On the package at the right, the "03" at the bottom, right indicates that the seeds would best be planted in 2003. Usually seeds that are two or three years old can be sowed, but new seeds perform the best, and some seeds just don't germinate if they are too old. Below is a close-up of the side of the seed package summing up the plant's needs.