Trying to figure out what to plant and when is determined but a number of factors. The most important one is location, both in the country and also your garden. You can find a general map on the back of nearly every seed package to get a sense of what zone you live in. (Did you know those maps were just rewritten to account for rising temperature trends…hmmm.) Once you figure out a general time to plant, you also need to decide if you want to get ahead of the game and start your own seeds indoors.
Growing from seed allows for two key things, choosing organic or heirloom seeds and a also major cost savings. One seed packet vs a flat of seedlings will always be a more economical option. However, some things just don’t start well from seeds. A little trial and error comes into play here.
Take inventory of any past packets of seeds before you go shopping. It’s easy to forget you still have spinach seeds from last year and they are still good a year later. This chart is handy for determining how long you can hold on to your seeds.
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| Source: You Grow Girl |
Seed planting guides are easily found from searching online. The one above is from a favorite site of mine, You Grow Girl. You download the chart from the site and then enter your last frost date into Excel. It then gives a personalized list of dates of what to plant and when. The site has lots of handy tips for beginner gardening and beyond.
Next up will be some seed starting indoors, how I use window boxes for my greens and our plan to get a raised bed installed. And check out Fresh Food from Small Spaces
Check out Part 1 in the Gardening Series: Getting Organized for Early Season Plantings.
What are you planting this year? New to gardening or do you have a green thumb and can share some tips?
