Great Gardening Tip: Start Seeds Indoors in Winter

Winter does not have to mean a complete halt to your gardening activities. Even while the ground is covered in snow, you can start seeds indoors. This will give your plants a head-start and ensure they reach their full potential during the growing season.

Starting seeds indoors – where the environment is a good deal more welcoming than the wintry landscape outside – is a good way to get your plants ready for the outdoors. Some plants should even be started as early as February.

The secret to starting seeds indoors

The key to starting seeds indoors lies in choosing the right seeds in the first place. In general, perennials can prove fussy. Annuals are less demanding.

Marigolds, peppers, sunflowers, lettuces, tomatoes, chives, and basil are some of the best candidates. Study the seed packet. That little envelope is your manual.

The packet will tell you when to start seeds inside. Once you’re ready to move the plants outside, the packet will provide information on sun requirements, spacing, and more.

Use a seed-starting mix

Whether you’re growing sunflowers, peppers, or other plants, it’s best to use a new seed-starting mix from your local garden center.

Seed-starting mixes are mainly made up of peat moss and vermiculite. This mix retains water longer than soil from the garden.

A starting mix is weed-free. That means you’ll be sure that the tiny plants that emerge from it are actually what you intended to cultivate.

Provide proper lighting

Most seedlings like the same temperature we do. That is, between 65°F and 72°F. But young plants crave sunlight. They will typically require 12 to 14 hours a day during the darkest time of the year.

You can satisfy this requirement with an inexpensive fluorescent shop light.

Give your plants room to grow

When your plants reach an inch tall, thin them by snipping the seedlings at the soil line. Do not pull them out. This step is crucial.

Overcrowding leads to fragile stems and sparse leaves. Your seedlings need space to grow.

Don’t overwater

When the seedlings are small, they won’t need as much moisture. Once they are larger, water as the soil mix dries. Transplant larger seedlings into bigger pots as they grow.

Transitioning to the outdoors

As winter draws to a close, acclimate your plants to the outdoors bit by bit. A week or so before the last frost, place the tray of seedlings outside for a few hours in the afternoon, bringing them back indoors overnight.

Repeat this process – gradually increasing the time the plants stay out – until all the danger of frost has passed.

An extended sense of achievement

There are several reasons for raising plants from seed rather than buying them ready for planting. You save money, enjoy a much wider choice of varieties, and realize the extended sense of achievement that comes from growing plants from seeds.

Gardeners buy millions of seed packets every year. These packets yield a substantial amount of success and satisfaction.

If you are new to gardening, don’t be too ambitious. Start small and allocate your time to the seeds appropriately.