Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Seed Starting: A Handy Chart for Knowing when to Plant

This arrived in my inbox this morning and I thought I would pass it along to all of you. With our particularly short growing season and with (what seems like) everlasting winter, seed starting indoors might be the answer to growing those new varieties and beat the winter blues. Is anyone growing unique heirloom varieties this season? What are your tips to beginner seed starters?
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Timing is everything. To start your seeds on time, you need to know when in relation to the frost-free date in spring to plant them. If you need help determining your spring frost-free date, call your county extension agent who can tell you for certain.

Creating Your Seed-Starting Plan
  • Print the seed starting chart below.
  • Write your frost-free date in the blank space at the top of the chart.
  • Get a calendar and add or subtract the number of weeks in the "Safe to Set Out Time" column. This is the "Setting Out Date" when you can safely plant the crop to the garden. Write it in the last column.
  • Take each date from Column 5 ("Setting Out Date"), subtract the number of weeks shown for that crop in column 3 ("Weeks from Sowing") and record that date in column 2 ("When to Start Inside").
  • For our Moose Jaw region, I filled in the dates according to the last frost date: May 20th.

YOUR SEED-STARTING PLAN
The Spring Frost-Free Date in My Garden is: May 20 (Moose Jaw)
CROPWHEN TO
START INSIDE  
WEEKS
FROM SOWING
SAFE TO SET OUT TIME (RELATIVE TO FROST-FREE DATE)SETTING OUT DATE
Basil
Apr 15
6
1 week after
May 27
Beets*
March 25-Apr 8
4-6
2 weeks before
May 6
Broccoli
March 25-Apr 8
4-6
2 weeks before
May 6
Cabbage
March 11-March 25
4-6
4 weeks before
April 22
Cauliflower
March 25-Apr 8
4-6
2 weeks before
May 6
Collards
March 11-March 25
4-6
4 weeks before
April 22
Corn*
Btwn Apr 22 - May 20
2-4
0 to 2 weeks after
May 20-June 3
Cucumber
Btwn Apr 29-May 13
3-4
1 to 2 weeks after
May 27-June 3
Eggplant
Btwn March 25-Apr 15
8-10
2 to 3 weeks after
June 3-June 10
Kale
March 11-March 25
4-6
4 weeks before
April 22
Kohlrabi*
March 11-March 25
4-6
4 weeks before
April 22
Lettuce
Btwn March 18-Apr 1
4-5
3 to 4 weeks before
Apr 22-Apr 29
Melons
May 6-May 13
3-4
2 weeks after
June 3
Mustard*
March 11-March 25
4-6
4 weeks before
April 22
Okra*
Btwn Apr 22-May 13
4-6
2 to 4 weeks after
June 3-June 10
Onions
Feb 25-March 11
6-8
4 weeks before
April 22
Parsley
Btwn Feb 18- March 4
9-10
2 to 3 weeks before
Apr 29-May 6
Peas*
Btwn Feb 25-March 18
3-4
6 to 8 weeks before
March 25-Apr 8
Peppers
Feb 25-Apr 22
6-14
2 weeks after
June 3
Pumpkins
May 6-May 13
3-4
2 weeks after
June 3
Spinach
Btwn Feb 25-Apr 1
4-6
3 to 6 weeks before
Apr 8-Apr 29
Squash
May 6-May 13
3-4
2 weeks after
June 3
Swiss chard
March 25-Apr 8
4-6
2 weeks before
May 6
Tomatoes
Btwn Apr 1-Apr 22
6-8
1 to 2 weeks after
May 27-June 3

* These crops are usually direct-seeded outdoors, but they can be started inside.



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