Seed Starting

It is really hard to start thinking about Spring and warm weather when the thermometer outside doesn’t even register zero degrees. Brrr its cold, little too cold for even me.  So I decided to jump right in and start figuring out my exact dates for seed starting and  approximate outdoor planning time.

So first off I had to decide what the hardiness of each plant I wanted to seed was.  So here is my brief chart:

HARDY:
Broccoli
Lettuce
Onions
Spinach

SEMI-HARDY (PLANT 1-2 WEEKS BEFORE AVERAGE LAST FROST)
Cauliflower
Potatoes
Zucchini

TENDER ( PLANT ON OR JUST AFTER AVERAGE LAST FROST DATE)
Beans
Corn
Tomatoes

VERY TENDER ( PLANT 1-2 WEEKS AFTER LAST AVERAGE FROST DATE)
Cucumbers
Peppers
Pumpkins
Squash-Summer

If you are like me I had no clue as to what my zone was.  So trying to find out the Frost Free Date was next to impossible. So guess what I did, Yup I googled.  Actually I used my swagbucks search and found the link that could help me out here.

OK so now I know my Zone and can find out what my Frost Free Dates are.

Here is a chart that gives you an idea of when to start you seeds indoors. This chart is courtesy of North Carolina State University Extension. 

I hope this helps you feel good about starting your seeds at home.

Plant	Approximate Number of Weeks Before Last Frost Date to Start Seeds Indoors	Time Seeds Take to Germinate (Days)	Temp. (oF)	Light/Dark Requirement
Ageratum	8	5 to 10	70	Light
Alyssum	8	5 to 10	70	Either
Aster	6	5 to 10	70	Either
Balsam	6	5 to 10	70	Either
Begonia	12 or more	10 to 15	70	Light
Broccoli	8	5 to 10	70	Either
Browallia	12 or more	15 to 20	70	Light
Cabbage	8	5 to 10	70	Either
Cauliflower	8	5 to 10	70	Either
Celosia	8	5 to 10	70	Either
Centurea	6	5 to 10	65	Dark
Coleus	8	5 to 10	65	Light
Columbine	8	20 - 25	70	Light
Cosmos	4 or less	5 to 10	70	Either
Cucumber	4 or less	5 to 10	85	Either
Dahlia	8	5 to 10	70	Either
Dianthus	10	5 to 10	70	Either
Eggplant	8	5 to 10	70	Either
Geranium	12 or more	10 to 20	70	Light
Impatiens	10	15 to 20	70	Light
Larkspur	12 or more	5 to 10	55	Dark
Lettuce	8	5 to 10	70	Light
Marigold	6	5 to 10	70	Either
Muskmelon	4 or less	5 to 10	85	Either
Nicotiana	8	10 to 15	70	Light
Pansy (Viola)	12 or more	5 to 10	65	Dark
Pepper	8	5 to 10	80	Either
Petunia	10	5 to 10	70	Light
Phlox	8	5 to 10	65	Dark
Portulaca	10	5 to 10	70	Dark
Snapdragon	10	5 to 10	65	Light
Squash	4 or less	5 to 10	85	Either
Stock	10	10 to 15	70	Either
Tomato	6	5 to 10	80	Either
Verbena	10	15 to 20	65	Dark
Vinca	12 or more	10 to 15	70	Either
Watermelon	4 or less	5 to 10	85	Either
Zinnia	6	5 to 10	70	Either