1. Review Last Season’s Records
Note which varieties, sowing dates, irrigation practices, and pest-management steps worked in your conditions. Use those observations to plan changes rather than assuming one method fits every garden.
2. Check Your Growing Zone and Local Frost Dates
Use climate information as a starting point, then account for elevation, exposure, microclimates, and current weather. A planting calendar is guidance, not a guarantee.
3. Inventory and Test Stored Seed
Check packet dates and storage conditions. If viability is uncertain, germinate a counted sample on a moist medium and record the percentage before relying on the lot.
4. Order Seed and Verify Labels
Compare days to maturity, resistance traits, growth habit, and treatment status. If certified organic seed matters, verify the current listing; organic is a regulated production and handling claim, not a chemical-free or performance claim.
Browse organic seeds and vegetable seeds.
5. Clean and Inspect Tools and Trays
Remove soil and debris, replace damaged containers, and follow appropriate sanitation guidance. Store pesticides, fertilizers, and treated seed in their original labeled containers.
6. Plan Crop Rotation
Move crop families when space allows and keep records. Rotation can help manage some soilborne problems, but it does not prevent every pest or disease.
7. Review Soil-Test Results
Do not add lime, sulfur, phosphorus, or other corrective inputs solely by habit. Use a current soil test and follow the product label and any certified-organic requirements.
8. Manage Compost
Balance moisture, aeration, and suitable materials. Use finished compost appropriately and keep animal waste, pet waste, and diseased material out of a home pile unless an applicable process specifically addresses them.
9. Plan Integrated Pest Management
Identify likely pests, monitor before treating, and prioritize cultural or physical controls. “Organic” pesticides can still present hazards. Choose any pesticide by the crop, target pest, label directions, and risk—not by a broad natural-versus-synthetic assumption.
10. Prepare a Seed-Starting Schedule
Work backward from a realistic transplant window. Group crops by germination temperature and time, confirm light capacity, and avoid starting seedlings so early that they become crowded or root-bound.
Use seed-starting supplies to compare current trays, media, heat, and lighting options.