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Just because chilly winds are blowing and frost is still a hazard doesn’t mean you can’t start your garden. You just have to use the right techniques – like starting your veggies by seed indoors. Planting indoors is a good way to extend the season in cold climates and allows earlier harvests than waiting to plant outdoors in the soil.
 Start plants indoors to get a jump on the season. Use peat pots, as shown here, or plant in flats or divided cell trays. Once your seedlings emerge, place them in a warm, well-lit spot out of direct sunlight. Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
When starting seed, be sure to choose vegetables suited to transplanting and sow them 3-6 weeks ahead of your expected planting time in the garden. Because tender seedlings are protected from frost, pests and fungal disease while they’re young, they’ll have a greater success rate in the garden after transplanting. Just gather your bedding trays, potting soil, tools and seed, then take the steps shown in the following photographs and described in their captions.
Using early-start techniques can add more than 6 weeks to the growing season in climates where long winters and cool springs and falls are the norm. Combined with protection for your vegetables in autumn by use of covers during frosty evenings, you can wind up with as much as two extra months to produce a bevy of veggies – even the slow-to-mature varieties.
Seed Starting - Step 1 To start your veggies indoors, check the planting depth for the vegetable variety (as indicated on the seed packet), then fill your bedding tray with potting soil, allowing ample room to add soil after the seed is sown. Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Seed Starting - Step 2 Gently compact the potting soil by pressing down on it with a flat board or by using your open palms. Add more soil as needed to fill to the proper depth. Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Seed Starting - Step 3 Sow seed pairs about 3 inches apart to make sure there’s room for transplanting and good germination. (Some trays are subdivided to facilitate spacing.) Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Seed Starting - Step 4 Sift soil over the seed, covering to the depth recommended on the seed package. Firm the soil to assure good soil-to-seed contact. Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Seed Starting - Step 5 Use a misting sprayer to apply water to the bedding tray until it’s damp. Loosely cover the tray with clear plastic, then allow the seed to germinate in a warm spot with indirect sunlight. Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Seed Starting - Step 6 Seedlings should emerge in a few days. Keep them evenly moist for a few days more, then remove the cover. When each plant grows two true leaves, thin the weakest of each pair of seedlings with a pair of scissors. (Pulling may uproot the other plants.) Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
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| Tips |
- You can also start your plants early outdoors in a cold frame. These open-bottomed boxes are buried deeply within the soil, sometimes within a layer of straw that helps hold their heat. Oftentimes, cold frames are placed over a bed of green manure, which generates warmth as it decomposes. The top is made of glass or plastic to allow light in and trap the sun’s heat. It also opens so you can care for your plants. Greenhouses are another option for starting your plants early. They’re similar to cold frames, but aren’t as well insulated.
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| Faqs |
- Q: Does it matter if the plant cover touches the foliage?
A: Yes – make sure that any protection you use is suspended away from your plants. Condensation can form on the inside and gather on your leaves, leading to fungal infection.
- Q: Do you have any suggestions for quick plant protection in case of an unexpected cold snap?
A: Install tomato cages wrapped in sheet plastic, and leave 1 inch of space between the bottom of the plastic and the soil. Remove the cover during the day, when the sun is out and the threat of frost has passed. Replace in the evening, if necessary.
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| Resources |
- Want to watch planting seeds in action? Learn2Grow has a short video on starting seeds, including a few extra tips to help you get growing in the right direction.
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