The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Countdown to starting vegetable seeds indoors
You many have seen the AP article by Jessica Damiano in the February 13 Daily Local News, titled, “When to start planting seeds indoors?” The article included tips on getting ready for seed starting. Today, I want to share some specifics on planting dates in the Delaware Valley, which vegetables to start indoors, and those that are easily started by direct sowing in the garden.
Heat-loving crops that require a long growing season — tomatoes, peppers, eggplants — benefit from the extended growing season you provide by starting them indoors. To determine when to start these seeds, we need to know the last frost date for our area, and we need to know — based on the growth rate of the plants — how many weeks ahead of that time to start. We want the plants to be of good size before setting them out, but don’t want them to get to the point where they’re suffering from inadequate light or from being rootbound. You’ll see in a moment that while there are some clear guidelines, this is not an exact science.
The general rule is to start tomato and eggplant seeds six to eight weeks before the last possible frost date. For peppers, it’s eight to ten weeks. That sounds straightforward, until you try to pin down the frost date. Depending on the source, that date can be anywhere from April 14 to May 15 for the Philadelphia area. I tend to calculate conservatively and use the May 15th date as my guide. This produces seed sowing dates as follows:
March 6 through March 20 for pepper seeds
March 20 through April 3 for tomato and eggplant seeds
Some gardeners enjoy starting other crops indoors as well; in particular, crops that require warmer soil temperatures for germination, but which prefer a cool growing climate. These are members of the cabbage family (Brassica), including broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts. These can also be planted in the summer for a fall crop.
Brussels sprouts seeds can be started now; for the others, we’re looking at the third week of March. All of these cold-tolerant plants may be transplanted into the garden around the middle of April, a full month before the last expected frost date.
At about the same time that you’re sowing these seeds indoors, you can plant other crops directly into the cold spring soil: beets, turnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, lettuce and other greens, Swiss chard, and kale.
Before planting, do this simple soil readiness test: take a handful and squeeze it. If it crumbles freely, the soil is ready to be worked. If the clump of soil sticks together, it is holding too much moisture. Depending on the results, this may be a good time to consider whether your soil could benefit from the addition of more organic material.
A couple of things to note
Reminder:
10 Ways to Feel Like a Successful Vegetable Gardener Presented by Pam Baxter Tuesday, March 8, 7-8:00 p.m. Via Zoom.
This program is virtual. Registration is necessary to receive the link for the meeting. Go to https://bit.ly/3sCeZVe, which will bring you to the Chester County Library events calendar. In the “Search for events box” (upper left part of the page) type “10 Ways.” Hit Enter. You’ll see the event listed as being at a number of different branch libraries, showing how many open spots are left in each library’s Zoom allotment. From there, registration is simple. I look forward to “seeing” you!
Correction to time and venue details: Beatrix Potter: From
A to Z — with Jaan Troltenier Wednesday, April 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (with intermission) At Immaculata University, Alumnae Hall Auditorium. Free.
No registration required. As of this date, masking is optional.
Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail.com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Share your gardening stories on Facebook at “Chester County Roots.” Pam’s nature-related books for children and families are available on Amazon, at Amazon.com/author/ pamelabaxter.