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Starting Seeds, Planting Seeds, How to Start Seeds for Your Vegetable Garden


Starting seeds

Easy tips for starting seeds for your vegetable garden. Growing seedlings is a great way to get an early start on your garden and save money too!

Have you decided starting some seeds for your own vegetable garden might be the way to go?

With the high cost of vegetables today and the ease of making a garden, this can be a great choice.

Design Your Own Vegetable Garden Layout Using our Free "Vegetable Garden Planner" Software!

Before starting, select the area you will be planting and figure out much of each vegetable you want to grow.

Whether starting a container garden, or in-ground vegetable garden, your available space will determine how many seeds you will want to start or plant.

Download Free Garden Planning Worksheets, Garden Diary, Zone Chart, Or Planting Guide

The wonderful part of this project is the end result. You get to eat what you grow!

Planting Seeds Directly in the Ground

Starting Seeds

  • Some of the most common vegetable seeds planted directly in the ground are lettuce, onions ,carrots, corn, green beans, and cucumbers.

  • Tomatoes, and peppers are often sown indoors before planting time to give them a "head start" in cooler climates.

  • Cucumbers and zucchini can also be started indoors, or planted directly in the ground.

  • In our area, (Pacific Northwest) tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, parsley and several other kitchen herbs can be purchased as small plants at your local garden center.

  • The only drawback to transplanting small plants in your garden is that they have to be handled very carefully.

  • If their delicate roots are broken or disturbed, it can kill them (yikes!) or cause them to languish and get off to a slow start.

    • Starting Seeds Indoors

    USDA Zone Chart

    Download zone chart here!

    When choosing what you will plant in your garden, remember some garden seeds may be started indoors first and then transferred outdoors as seedlings or small plants when the weather permits. Use our zone chart and planting guide to calculate outdoor planting dates in your area.

  • The seeds you will want to start indoors early are tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli and green peppers.

  • These seeds can be started in small pots or containers as early as March and transferred by the end of May or beginning of June, depending on when your region if frost free.

    • How to Start Seeds for a Small Garden

    Great Way to Recycle Yogurt Containers...

  • Many gardeners save their small yogurt or cottage cheese containers during the year, and recycle them for starting seeds. This can save you money, as you will not need to purchase containers.

  • All you need for starting seeds are some containers, a bag of potting soil, and of course, the seeds.

  • Locate your containers near a good source of sunlight, or use a grow light if necessary.

    • Choose Fresh Seeds

    Starting Seeds

  • When you purchase the seeds you will be using for your garden make sure they are from the current year.

  • The bottom or the back of the package will have a date stamped on it and this is how you can determine if the seeds are fresh. (There is nothing more frustrating than trying to start seeds that do not want to sprout!)

    • Starting Seeds Directly in the Ground

    When all danger of frost is past in your area, you can begin starting your vegetable seeds directly in the ground.

    This is easier than starting seeds indoors and transplanting them later.

    There is also less danger of damaging the roots which can happen during transplanting.

    Starting Seeds Early for Cooler Climates

    To get a head start on your garden if you live in a cooler climate, you may need to rely on planting seeds indoors to allow your vegetables to mature in a shorter growing season.

    How Many Garden Seeds to Start?

    Starting Seeds

    If the space you will be using for a garden is not large, you will want to make the most of it by planting as much as possible.

  • Lettuce, green onions, radishes and carrots all require small amounts of space.

  • Cherry tomatoes are also a good choice because they grow up on a vine that does not require a lot of room. They can be staked for support, and will not take a lot of ground space.

  • If you are not sure how much space a certain vegetable will require, read the label on the seed package. It will tell you the amount of space needed for that vegetable, and the growing time required.

  • Pole beans, cucumbers and peas are all climbing plants which means they can be grown "upward" on a trellis or other support to take up less space.

    • Starting seeds for these plants can begin indoors fairly early. The sooner you get your vegetables started, the sooner you will be enjoying them!


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