Start your spring garden early by planting seeds. But you need to do it now.

Kimberly Cataudella

We’re a couple of months out from getting our tomato and pepper seedlings in our backyard garden beds, but we can get a head start on our warm-weather gardens by pulling out our seed trays and heat lamps.

With the right materials, we can start our gardens as early as today.

The News & Observer spoke with Rich Woynicz, an NC State Extension Master Gardener who leads the Wake County Master Gardeners Community Garden, to learn how to prepare our warm-weather gardens by starting our seeds indoors. Here’s what he said.

When to start seeds for warm-weather gardens

Early February is ideal for plants that need a couple months to germinate (like tomatoes) to get outside at the very start of the planting season, but you can still start your seeds in late February or early spring, Woynicz said.

▪ Start now: Now’s the time to get started on many of your spring garden seedlings if you want to maximize the full planting season.

(Note: Warm-weather growing runs from April 15 to Oct. 31, so you can get started on seeds and plant them in your outdoor garden much later than now. If you want to maximize the growing season, now’s the time to start.)

▪ Give yourself enough time: Tomato plants, for example, need a full six to eight weeks indoors. If you want to move your seedlings to the garden bed by April 15, make sure you’re starting from seed no later than the first week of March.

But remember, you can transplant after April 15 too. Make sure you’re giving your plants all the time they need before moving them outside too quickly, which may shock the plants and stunt their development, if not kill them entirely.

Materials needed to start seeds indoors

You likely won’t be able to plop your seed tray in the living room. Seedlings need heat and light to germinate, which they’ll probably need to get artificially, Woynicz said.

Here’s what you need to start your seeds indoors:

▪ Your seeds: Pull out last year’s packets from your dark, dry cabinets (or even your fridge), or get brand new seeds this year.

You can participate in a seed swap (which you may be able to find on Meetup.com or through a neighborhood Facebook group), buy from a local gardening store or head to a big box store.

▪ Light and heat: Most homes don’t have enough light to let seedlings thrive. A grow light and heat pad are handy tools to make your indoor space plant perfect.

▪ The right soil: Fill your seed trays (or even recycled yogurt containers or egg cartons) with special soil. You’ll want to buy seed starting soil, avoiding using soil from your backyard.

When to move seedlings outdoors

Each plant has different rules. Check out the Common Crop Chart (found by visiting wake.ces.ncsu.edu and searching “Common Crop Chart”), or even the seed packet, to figure out how long seeds need before going in the ground.

Here’s a seed-starting timeline from the NC State Extension office:

▪ First two weeks: It takes about two weeks for seedlings to begin germinating indoors. You can then begin hardening them off by letting them spend incremental amounts of time outdoors.

▪ Weeks two through four: The first day, sit them in an outdoor, sheltered area for one or two hours. Each day, take them back outside to introduce them to more natural elements, like sun, wind and weather.

After two weeks of hardening off, the seedlings should be used to multiple hours of sunlight.

You can transplant them, moving them from their seed trays to your outdoor garden bed, on a shady day, and give them plenty of water. This will help avoid transplant shock.

NC gardeners who like to grow their own seedlings to transplant in summer gardens should start germinating seeds indoors in February. (Photo by MSU Extension/Gary Bachman)
NC gardeners who like to grow their own seedlings to transplant in summer gardens should start germinating seeds indoors in February. (Photo by MSU Extension/Gary Bachman)

FAQs about starting seeds indoors

Matt Jones, an NC State Extension horticulture agent, pointed The N&O to an FAQ the Extension office recently published. Here’s what it says:

▪ Do all seeds need to be started indoors? No.

Root vegetable crops, for example, need to be seeded directly outdoors. The transplanting process may interfere with root development.

▪ Do I need special indoor lights? Probably.

If you have a southern-facing, very sunny windowsill, that may be enough light for some crops. But you’ll be far more successful with artificial light.

▪ Do I need special pots? No.

You can reuse small plastic pots that other plants have arrived in, as long as you sanitize them to prevent disease. You can also use containers like yogurt cups, cottage cheese or sour cream containers. Just make sure to clean them and make holes in the bottom for excess water to easily drain out.

▪ Can I start seeds in garden soil? No.

It’s easiest to buy seed-starting and potting mixes, which are free of pests and diseases that can be found in garden soil. Plus, garden soil doesn’t drain well enough to be used in pots or containers.

▪ How deep do I plant my seeds? It depends.

In general, larger seeds should be planted deeper than smaller seeds. Some seeds will not germinate if they are covered with soil.

▪ How do I know if my seedlings are getting enough light? Your seedlings will tell you.

If your seedlings are getting tall and leggy, they need more light. If they are stocky and look healthy, they are getting enough light.

▪ How do I water seeds after I plant them? From the bottom.

The best way to water seeds is from the bottom. Pour water into the tray your pots are sitting in, and they will absorb the water they need up into the soil.

Source: chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/vegetable-seed-starting-faqs

Expert gardening advice in North Carolina

▪ Need help? NC State Extension’s Garden Help Directory can help you contact the best person for your needs. For more information, visit emgv.ces.ncsu.edu/need-gardening-help.

▪ To find your local program, visit emgv.ces.ncsu.edu/find-your-local-program.

▪ Almost all of your initial gardening questions can be answered via the NC Extension Gardener Handbook. Find the handbook at content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook.

Here are some NC State Extension guides that can be especially helpful at the beginning:

▪ If you’re interested in connecting with gardeners local to your area, you can visit the NC Community Garden Partners’ Garden Directory at nccgp.org/garden-directory.

▪ The Extension office holds intro to gardening classes, called Ready Garden Grow, at Wake Public Libraries. To find a program near you, visit wake.gov/events and search “Ready Garden Grow.”

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