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In my neck of the woods, the approximate date to set crops is May 4. It is common to have snowfall in March so it’s rather a must to start our seeds indoors. Starting seeds indoors gives us that little leg up needed for our moderate length growing season of about 150 days.
What do I start indoors? It really depends on what I have saved seed-wise from the year before, what my sister and I have swapped, and what I may have gotten at the seed library (nothing this year! Covid!).
Over the years I’ve also found that some things do just fine started as soon as possible outside. This would include greens, radishes, green onions, snap peas and even green beans.
Indoors we start squash, corn, leeks, peppers, and any other more heat loving crops, including tender basil and cilantro. Oh, and because I adore flowers I generally start several types of annuals and, on occasion, some perennials like hollyhocks.
My Indoor Seed Starting Plan
I used to start the seeds under a propagating lamp and mat but in the interest of saving energy, I now take over my dining table and an area near corner picture windows all of which have excellent light.
This means that no one eats at the dining table and accessing the windows is quite a chore. But, in the interest of fresh veggies, I feel it’s a small price to pay.
As temperatures warm during the day (they may still be close to freezing at night) I gradually set my babies outside. The previous owners of our home laid down rubber mulch which I detest, but I find that it does a terrific job of warming the seedlings.
This year I plan to mimic last year’s planting plan. It worked last year so why mess with a good thing? I did read about starting seeds early in plastic milk jugs outdoors which act as mini-greenhouses. I may try this since my significant other is like an eight year old boy and drinks gallons of milk per week. No shortage of mini-greenhouses here!
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