Garden Advice

Basics: When to Start Seeds

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A common question we get is, “I live [insert your state here}; when should I plant [insert variety here]?” As a small organization, we would need more time to answer all of these, and we’d like to enable folks to determine all their planting dates. Here’s what you need to do to determine when to start seeds, no matter where you live. 

Find Your Zone

Knowing your zone will help determine your first and last estimated frost dates and average winter lows. Armed with this information, you can make better choices about starting seeds and what varieties of annuals and perennials are best suited to your climate. 

Find your zone by using the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

Get Local Recommendations

If you can read this blog on a phone or computer, you can also access many personal planting charts available. Our gardener planner app provides planting dates based on your zip code. You can also find free planting dates by zip code on the Farmer’s Almanac website. 

If you like books, we also recommend grabbing a local gardening guide. These typically include much more than just planting dates and can provide other handy advice for dealing with your local climate, pest issues, and soil conditions. 

Most extension agencies also offer planting dates. In many cases you can get a planting calendar for your state, regions, or possibly even county from your local extension agency. They often have good advice for what varieties thrive in your area too. 

Pick Your Own offers a list of agencies if you need help finding yours. 

Brassica seedlingsStarting Indoors: The Basics

We recommend starting most of your seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before you expect to transplant them. This amount of time works well for tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants, collards, cabbages, broccoli, and other brassicas. Some crops like onions, hot peppers, celery, and celeriac are slower to get started, and you should start them indoors about 8-10 weeks before you want to transplant them.

Winter is tough on gardeners, and it can be tempting to begin sowing seeds indoors extra early. Unfortunately, giving the plants extra time indoors can be detrimental. If seedlings get too large, they can experience greater transplant shock and suffer damage.

Direct Sowing: The Basics

Direct sowing dates vary widely with crop type. Hardy, cool weather-loving crops like peas and spinach can be direct sown months before the heat-loving stars of summer like squash and watermelons. Some flowers are delicate and can only be direct sown after all chance of frost has passed, while some can be direct sown in the fall to overwinter and get an early spring start. 

Read about your chosen varieties and look at your area’s estimated last frost date. For future years, keeping a garden journal about what you planted, when, and how it faired can be helpful.

Knowing when to start seeds doesn’t need to be guesswork. You can use these resources to start seeds at appropriate times and grow a bountiful garden. 

Garden Advice

Basics: Seed Starting Supplies

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Depending on your USDA Hardiness Zone, you’ll want to start seeds indoors soon! In zone 7a in Virginia, we begin by starting onions, and by the end of January are sowing celery, celeriac, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Come February, we’ll be starting trays of tomatoes, artichokes, and more at the beginning of March. Starting transplants from seed is fun and allows you to access more varieties, but you need a few seed starting supplies. 

Seed Starting Supplies You Need

Containers

What you use for containers is mainly personal preference, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First, your containers should offer good drainage. Seedlings don’t do well if they’re soggy. 

Flats

One of the most common choices is plastic flats. These are easy to use, and if you buy decent ones can be used for several years. Their uniformity allows you to organize your seedlings easily.

UpCycled

Especially if you’re only starting a few seedlings, you may want to upcycle containers. Yogurt cups are a common choice; just make sure to poke holes in the bottoms for drainage and find trays to place beneath them. 

Soil Blocks

Soil blocks are wonderful because they’re easy to transplant, and they “air prune” the plants’ roots. This means that soil-block plants won’t become root-bound like in typical pots where the roots grow around the inside of the pot because the roots won’t grow out into the open air. To use this method, you’ll need a small tool called a soil blocker and trays to place the blocks in. 

Additionally, they’re an excellent option for transplanting crops that don’t like their roots disturbed. You won’t have to fight to get them out of a tray and potentially damage the roots. 

Compostable Pots

There are also compostable pots like peat pots, or you can make compostable pots from newspapers. These make transplanting easy, but it can be pricey if you have to buy a lot of peat pots. When translating, ensure you don’t leave part of the pot sticking above the soil; it can wick moisture away from the roots. Tear the tops off before transplanting if needed.

Depending on the size of your containers and how long your seedlings need to grow indoors, you may need to pot up your seedlings. Plants like tomatoes thrive when potted up. 

Seed Starting Mix

Many gardeners and farmers use a seed starting mix to sow seeds indoors. Seed-starting mixes have the advantage of being sterile, meaning your seedlings will be exposed to fewer bacterial and fungal issues while they’re first getting started. Seed-starting mixes also hold adequate moisture for seeds without getting soggy. 

If you don’t want to purchase a seed starting mix, you can make your own or use finished compost. Most ordinary garden soil isn’t a good option because it doesn’t drain well. 

If you’re looking for something organic, you want to look for a seed-starting mix or ingredients with the OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) label. You can find comprehensive lists of certified products on the OMRI website if you want to browse different brands. 

Lights

A common mistake among beginner gardeners is to plop seedlings in front of a window and not provide any additional supplemental light thinking they’ll grow like houseplants. Unfortunately, most houseplants can tolerate partial shade. In contrast, most vegetable crops, herbs, and garden flowers require full sun, which they won’t receive in a window, particularly in winter. If your seedlings don’t receive supplemental light, they’ll probably become “leggy” or tall and spindly as they reach for the light. 

A quick Google search will turn up several options available for supplemental lights. One of the most affordable options is to use simple shop lights. LED bulbs are the most efficient, but you can use fluorescent 

The lights should be about 2 to 4 inches from the top of your seedlings. It’s best to have a setup that allows your lights to be easily adjusted as the plants grow. If your plants look leggy, they need to be closer but don’t move them too close, or it can burn them. 

Most seedlings do well with 12-18 hours of supplemental light daily. If you can get one, a timer will make managing this much easier. 

Seed Starting Surface

You’ll need a place to put all of your precious seedlings! This is another choice that’s mainly up to personal preference. Some people use work benches or old tables. Large wire shelves, like those meant for storing tools, are one of my favorites. You can easily hang and adjust lights from each shelf.

Optional Seed Starting Supplies

Heat Mat

Your house may feel warm, but many crops benefit from extra heat. Tomatoes, for example, require soil temperature in the range of 75-85 degrees F for good germination. Heat mats can improve the quality of tomatoes and other heat-loving seedlings like peppers and eggplants. 

Fertilizer

Most seed-starting mixes are designed to get plants started, not provide them nutrients long-term. If they’re in a container for a long time, you may need to give your seedlings a little boost. You can do this with liquid fertilizer. A bit of liquid kelp or compost tea, a tablespoon or two, added to a gallon of water is a good option. 

Coldframe or Hoophouse

If it’s an option for you, building a coldframe, hoop house, or setting up some other form of season extension can help you harden off seedlings and provide extra space. 

Buying transplants isn’t as satisfying as watching your own begin from seed long before spring arrives. Gather these seed starting supplies for success with growing transplants. 



Garden Advice

What Does Organic Mean?

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There’s a lot of vocabulary in the gardening world these days! As you dive into gardening, you’ll hear folks talking about regenerative agriculture, biological farming, heirlooms, open-pollinated crops, permaculture, and more. Especially if you’re new to gardening, all this jargon can get a bit confusing, so today, I thought we’d cover one of the big ones: “organic.” You’ve probably seen this word in various contexts, from food and seeds to methods or maybe even your chemistry class. So what does organic mean?

For our purposes, we’ll be focusing on the agricultural use of the word organic. 

Certified Organic

When we’re talking about gardening, whether it’s seeds, plants, vegetables, herbs, or livestock, you’ll want to focus on USDA-certified organic.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): “Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.”

Farms that aren’t organic are generally referred to as conventional. If a conventional farm wanted to become certified organic, its fields would need to be free of non-organic products like fertilizer for three years before getting their certification. 

The Organic Materials Review Institute

Does that mean organic farmers don’t use fertilizers or pesticides? No, they may still use products that have been certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute. You may see the OMRI label on seed starting mixes, fertilizers, and even certain organic pesticides like neem oil. 

As we’ve discussed in previous posts, it’s important to remember that when using these products, organic doesn’t necessarily mean harmless or safe. While generally less harmful than chemical pesticides, organic pesticides may still affect beneficial insects as well as pests. Organic fertilizers can still cause dangerous algae looms if allowed to run off into waterways. They can still cause adverse effects in humans too. Use caution when applying them to avoid breathing them in or getting them on your skin or eyes.

We recommend using these products sparingly and instead turning to other practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, and attracting beneficial insects whenever possible.

Are Conventional Farms Bad?

The short answer is no; it depends on the farm. Buying local food and getting to know your farmers is an excellent way to ensure their practices align with your beliefs. 

Not all farms opt to receive an organic certification, which can be a significant expense for small operations. Even those farms which don’t have an organic certification may still practice sustainable agriculture and may even largely or entirely follow organic practices.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Some farms, particularly large-scale industrial farms, may have practices that follow organic regulations but don’t necessarily align with your values. Sadly, an organic certification does not necessarily guarantee food that is good for you or good for the planet.

SESE Organic Seeds

Many of our customers are interested in organic seeds, and we offer them whenever possible. Look for the “OG” symbol next to a variety’s name.

 

There’s a lot to learn about agricultural practices and terminology. Understanding what organic means can help you make appropriate choices for your garden and table. 



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