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Timing
Is Everything |
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Plan your planting timetable. If you live in a climate with
four seasons, check your area's frost-free date. Consult seed
packets, a seed catalog or the Internet to determine how many
weeks it will take for the seeds to grow into viable seedlings
ready for transplanting in the garden. Subtract this amount
of time from the frost-free date by counting backwards.
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I
use a chart, which I've adapted from www.organicgardening.com by adding
a column to keep track of when to harden off the seedlings.
Hardening off entails setting the plants outside in a protected
area before planting to acclimatize the indoor-grown seedlings
to the harsher outdoor conditions. They should be placed in
a shaded, protected area and gradually left out for longer periods
each day. Allow about two weeks for the hardening off process. |
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SEED
STARTING PLAN
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The
frost-free date in my garden is: May 19
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Crop
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When
to Start
Inside
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Weeks
from
sowing
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Safe to set out time (relative
to frost-free date)
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Hardening
off
date
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Trans-
planting
date
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Basil
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April
14
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6
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1
week after
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May
12
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May
26
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Pansies
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March
31
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4
- 6
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2
weeks before
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April
12
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May
5
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Sow your seeds with the assumption that weather conditions will
be favorable by the frost-free date and, if necessary, alter
your planting schedule. For example, the frost-free date where
I live is May 19, as stated in the chart above. If by that time
the weather is unstable and there's still some frost, I'll likely
wait an extra week or two before transplanting. Seedlings planted
in cold soil may not thrive; wait a few weeks and plant them
in warmer soil. |
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Remember, some cool-weather spring
annual seeds such as pansies and snapdragons can be started
early and transplanted two to four weeks before the frost-free
date (provided they have been hardened off properly). |
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