Seeds to Start Early for Your Summer Garden
Suzanne Fellows
Seed starting is just around the corner for some folks. If you are unsure of when to start your seeds indoors or when to direct seed, try our Seed Planting Calculator. Go to the top of our site and click Resource Center, that will take you to our Organic Gardening Resource Center. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the Seed Planting Calculator. The calculator will determine spring or fall planting times based on either your last or first frost of the season. If you are unsure of your frost dates follow the directions on how to get your last and first frost dates. We have a helpful blog on how to use the Seed Starting Calculator. Planting dates given for spring or fall planting dates are estimates only. For more information about growing conditions needed for seed germination and growing, such as soil temperature, check the back of your seed packs. Some seeds are slower growing and should be started ahead of the faster growing ones. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are slower to get growing than seeds from cucumbers, melons or squash. You can start them at least 8-10 weeks before your last frost date. The basic things seeds need to get started is heat, light and moisture. We have a wide range of seed starting systems that will get you growing over the late winter. We also have Growing Guides that will provide helpful information on growing vegetables and herbs from seed.
