Jump-Start Your Veggies Indoors

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Robert Dolezal

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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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Come to The Garden Party and share your food garden accomplishments with the rest of the Learn2Grow community! Join the 4 Step Food Garden Group and/or the Growing, Grilling and Eating Group and post some pictures of your productive garden, create a blog, share a recipe, or ask our experts or other home gardeners for any help you may need along your growing way!

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Growing Veggies From Seed
Planting vegetables from seed is great way to grow! Not only is it more economical than buying transplants, you have more crop options. If you’re looking for a way to save money and eat healthy, learn how to sow veggie seed – and yield a successful harvest!
From Pot to Plot – Veggie Seedlings, Make Your Move!
Spring (or fall) into a productive food-growing season by properly planting veggies into their beds. Learn the simple way to harden seedlings (whether homegrown or store-bought) and then transplant vegetables successfully for a bountiful harvest later!
Frost Protection: Saving Your Early Season Vegetables
Spring’s unpredictable weather means protecting vegetables from frost. Learn how to set up proper covers and mulch to keep your newly planted veggies growing green even when temps dip unexpectedly.

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