By late winter, most gardeners are eagerly looking forward to planting their gardens and helping them grow. Yet, with every species having slightly different requirements, we are left wondering at times: should I start this seed indoors ahead of time, or sow it directly in the garden? And if yes to either, when? How? Seed starting is the best method for growing seeds if you have a short growing season, want to grow something that requires more time than your season allows, or the seed requires a controlled growing environment for success. Lets dive into all of this and more!
One of the easiest ways to extend your growing season is to start your seeds indoors. In zones 6 and below, the growing season can be frightfully short, and gardeners can literally add weeks to it by starting seeds indoors before the frost date has passed. The University of Minnesota Extension notes that gardeners can “gain several weeks of growing time” before outdoor conditions are favorable. Those extra weeks often translate into larger plants and bigger, earlier harvests.
By getting your seeds growing earlier in the season, you are directly impacting their ability to yield a harvest (or flower, if that’s the goal) earlier in the year! Depending on the plant, this can mean multiple harvests, larger harvests, a longer harvest window, or all of the above! Instead of waiting around for the soil to warm up or for struggling young seedlings to recover from too-cool conditions, you can transplant actively growing plants directly into warm soil at the optimal time. With this proactive step, you can harvest tomatoes weeks earlier. Or, allow cool-season plants, such as lettuce and kale, to mature before the heat of the summer sets in. Starting flower seeds indoors allows you to enjoy beautiful blooms when others’ gardens are barely more than dirt and mulch.
While it is beneficial for most plants to be started indoors, there is a category of plants that require an indoor head start to have a productive harvest at all, especially in cooler zones (2-6). The Penn State Extension emphasizes that warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers often require an indoor head start to achieve a productive harvest. Any plant whose days to maturity (DTM) or growing season is longer than your typical growing season must be started indoors ahead of time.
Whether a specific species requires seed starting indoors ahead of time, many seeds benefit from germinating in warm, controlled conditions. Germinating outdoors often results in poor germination rates and wasted money each season. Outdoor temperatures fluctuate rapidly in early spring, and seeds and seedlings do not do well in those conditions. Indoors, a gardener can control soil temperature, moisture levels, light exposure, and air circulation, optimizing each for the specific seed. This often results in much higher, more uniform germination rates, rather than leaving your poor seedlings exposed to the whims of nature. Instead of losing seed to poor weather or soil conditions, you can create the ideal conditions from day one and then prepare them for transplanting when the time is right and they are strong enough.
Plants are at their most vulnerable to pests and diseases in their earliest stages. Seeds started outdoors too early are much more likely to fall prey to cutworms, slugs, birds, heavy rainfall, and a host of soil-borne diseases. Starting indoors allows you to protect your plants during their most delicate growth phases, then gradually acclimate them to the outdoors when they are strong enough to withstand environmental pressures. These stronger seedlings will have higher overall survival rates and more predictable results, therefore saving you time and money in the long run.
In summary, the benefits of starting seeds ahead of time are that it:
If those things seem like something that you want to benefit from, take action today! True Leaf Market offers comprehensive indoor seed-starting kits and a wealth of knowledge on how to use them properly. From thousands of seed options to heating mats and supplemental lighting, True Leaf Market has everything you need to get your garden started as early as possible each spring.
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, broccoli, cabbage, and many herbs perform best when started indoors. Any plant whose days to maturity (DTM) or growing season is longer than your typical growing season must be started indoors ahead of time.
It should give specific guidance on the seed packet, but most warm-season crops should be started 6-10 weeks before your average last frost date.
Fast-growing, cool-weather crops and those that don’t transplant well can be started directly in the garden, such as carrots, beets, radishes, beans, and corn.
While a bright south-facing window can work, grow lights significantly improve seedling strength and prevent leggy growth.
Absolutely. Even small-space gardeners benefit from earlier harvests, healthier plants, and greater variety options.
1 comment
You might consider adding a “share” button so we “old Timers” can easily share with our grand children. Even the ones who couldn’t be bothered when they were younger….