How Do You Know When to Plant Seeds for the Garden? Knowing when to plant seeds indoors or directly in the garden comes with experience, and this information is often included on the back of seed packets also. But if you’re planning your garden before the seeds have been purchased, this information will help you determine when to plant seeds for your garden.

vegetable gardeners can begin to prepare for the gardening season and get a head start on spring by starting some crops early indoors.

Transplanting As the seedlings grow, they will require more space. Plants not seeded in individual containers must be transplanted. A common mistake is to leave the seedlings in the flat too long. The ideal time to transplant young seedlings is when the first true leaves appear, usually 2 to 3 weeks after seeding.

Containers should be economical, durable, and make efficient use of available space. Individual pots or plastic cell packs can be used.

Another possibility is compressed peat pellets which expand to form compact individual units when soaked in water. They waste no space, do not fall apart as easily as peat pots, and can be set out directly in the garden. If you wish to avoid transplanting seedlings altogether, compressed peat pellets are excellent for direct sowing.

Hardening Plants Hardening is the process of conditioning a plant for growth outdoors. If plants produced inside are planted outdoors without undergoing a hardening period, their growth could be severely limited. Hardening is most critical with early spring crops, when adverse climatic conditions can be expected.

If seeds are started indoors too soon, the little plants may outgrow their indoor growing space and become too leggy.

If they’re planted too late, the seedlings will not be large enough for transplanting in the garden when planting time comes round.

Other seeds can be direct-planted right in the garden

it’s important to know when to plant seeds indoors or in the garden. Brussels SproutsApril 15 th 1/4 -1/2 in. 21° C BroccoliApril 15 th lightly 24° C CauliflowerApril 15 th ¼ in. 24° C CabbageApril 15 th ¼ in.24° C CeleryMarch 15 th ¼ in.24° C CucumberMay 1 st ¼ in24° C EggplantMarch 15 th ¼ in.24° C LeekMarch 15 th ¼ in.24° C MelonsMay 1 st ¼ in 24° C Onions(Spanish)March 5 th ¼ in 24° C 6PeppersMarch 25 th ¼ in.24° C PumpkinMay 1 st ¼ in 24° C TomatoesApril 15 th ¼-1/2 in24°-27°C Suggested Dates for seeding Vegetables: Name Indoor sowing Seed depth Soil temp.

Plant Approximate Number of Weeks Before Last Frost Date to Start Seeds Indoors Time Seeds to Take to Germinate (Days)Temp (°F)Light / Dark Requirement Ageratum 85 to 1070Light Alyssum85 to 1070Either Aster65 to 1070Either Balsam65 to 1070Either Begonia12 or more10 to 1570Light Broccoli85 to 1070Either Browallia12 or more15 to 2070Light Cabbage85 to 1070Either Cauliflower85 to 1070Either Celosia85 to 1070Either Centurea65 to 1065Dark Coleus85 to 1065Light Columbine820 to 2570Light Cosmos4 or less5 to 1070Either Cucumber4 or less5 to 1085Either Dahlia85 to 1070Either Dianthus105 to 1070Either Eggplant85 to 1070Either Geranium12 or more10 to 2070Light Impatiens1015 to 2070Light

Impatiens1015 to 2070Light Larkspur12 or more5 to 1055Dark Lettuce85 to 1070Light Marigold65 to 1070Either Muskmelon4 or less5 to 1085Either Nicotiana810 to 1570Light Pansy (Viola)12 or more5 to 1065Dark Pepper85 to 1080Either Petunia105 to 1070Light Phlox85 to 1065Dark Portulaca105 to 1070Dark Snapdragon105 to 1065Light Squash4 or less5 to 1085Either Stock1010 to 1570Either Tomato65 to 1080Either Verbena1015 to 2065Dark Vinca12 or more10 to 1570Either Watermelon4 or less5 to 1085Either Zinnia65 to 1070Either

Tomatoes - Indeterminate & Determinate There are two basic groups of tomato plants: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate, also known as "bush types", set all their fruit in a shorter period of time, do not need to be pruned and grow well in a cage. No staking is required. Indeterminate tomato plants grow tall and are also referred to as “staking tomatoes”. They continue to grow and produce fruit all season long and should be pruned. Staking is required.

Planting When the soil in the garden has warmed, about a week after the last frost date, and once the plants have been hardened off, tomatoes can be planted in the ground, allowing about two feet between plants. Tomatoes have the unique ability to grow roots along their stem, so as much of the stem of the plant can be buried as possible, leaving the top two sets of leaves exposed above the ground. This may seem strange at first, but the plants will grow to be much sturdier than they would otherwise.

Days to Maturity – Time from plant set out to first ripe fruits is highly variable depending on many factors (temp., rainfall, soil, etc.), so a range is given. Very Early - 55 days or less Early days Mid - Midseason days Late - Usually over 85 days

Seed collecting- Tomatoes If you can grow vine ripened tomatoes you can grow tomato seed. To get the best seeds you should pick the fruit when it is somewhat overripe but not going bad. Mash it and put it in a small container of water and change water every day.

Stir, shake and drain every day; after a few days it will have fermented and the seeds will be clean. The good seeds will sink to the bottom, the pulp and immature seeds will float to the top, making for easy separation. At room temperature fermentation takes about three days, but this may vary depending on the temperature and the ripeness of the tomatoes.

The length of fermentation time is critical since too much fermentation will cause the seeds to sprout and not enough time will not clean the seeds properly. Spread the seeds on paper and air dry thoroughly. Store in a cool place and the seed will germinate well for at least five years.