Although there’s snow on the ground and likely more on the way, it’s still too early to start your seeds indoors.
“One of the best sources of information about timing your seeds indoors can be found right on the seed packet,” says Emma Erler, lead horticulturist at Kirkwood Gardens and host of Homegrown NH.
No matter which company your seed is from, you will find valuable information on the seed packet:
- days to germination and harvest
- depth to plant
- optimal soil temperature for germination
- seed spacing
- how many weeks before the last frost to start indoors
In Zone 5, where most New Hampshire residents live, the last frost is typically in late May. This means you can anticipate planting tender flowers and vegetables in the garden around Memorial Day. Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule and you should always pay attention to long-range forecasts.
How to use this information?
If you want to start tomatoes, for example, the package will direct you to start the seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost.
You can tentatively plan to transplant your flowers and vegetables into the garden on May 25, Memorial Day. So counting backwards six to eight weeks means your seeds should be started between March 30 and April 13.
Other vegetables, like cucumbers, can be started four to six weeks before the planting date. Peppers and eggplant may require at least 10 weeks of time indoors. “I usually start my peppers and eggplant by mid-March,” Erler says.
If you start plants indoors too early it means plants will likely be of poor health and quality, especially if you don’t have grow lights. “They tend to get “leggy,” says Erler, “and the stem gets stretched out reaching for light and ends up without much stability.”
“Instead of rushing to sow, get out your seed packets and make a garden plan,” says Erler. “I have an entire chart to work from with the dates to sow for each type of seed.”
Coming up in a future episode: how to take advantage of grow lights.
See you in the garden!
Homegrown New Hampshire is a collaboration between Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and NHPR.
