Get ready, get set, start your seeds!
Aug 16
Now that it is late summer (mid-August to mid-September) it is time to start thinking about winter veggies and spring perennials. Now is the best time to start cool-season veggies that take 90 days or more to mature. For instance, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts and more. Other cool season veggies like lettuce should not be started yet since they can mature in 45-60 days, depending on the variety. You want to get them started while the weather is warm to encourage germination but so that the weather is cool by the time they are harvested. Most winter veggies are sweeter if kissed by light frost. You can also start them in intervals for contiued harvest, usually 2 weeks apart all they way until last harvest in spring.
For perennials and biennials, it is best to start them the previous fall in order for them to bloom the first summer. In case you don’t know, perennials and biennials started from seed or purchased as small plants in the spring will not bloom that year since they still have to mature. If you start them the previous fall, you can cheat a whole year of growing and have blooms the following summer! It is never too early to start perennials and biennials in the summer, they just need to be established in the ground before the first hard frost. In our area this can be as early as November (rare instances in October) or as late as January, but I wouldn’t bet on January since it is better to be safe than sorry.
Why start perennials, biennials and veggies from seed? There can be many reasons. The main reason I do it is because I am looking for different types of perennials that are not always found as plants. Believe me, it is a lot of work starting plants from seed so I do buy as many started plants as I can! As for veggies, sometimes it is more economical to start them from seed, especially if you plant a large crop or have severall successive crops planned.
Whatever you decide to start from seed, make sure to do it right! I recommend Gardner & Bloome Seed Starting Mix and an all -purpose liquid fertilizer like Dr. Earth Liquid Food. There are also seed starting kits available with soil or with peat pellets for easier transplanting.
For a complete list of plants to start from seed and the recommended times from Botanical Interests Seeds click here.
Hope this helps you have a great winter veggie season!
-Adria
