{"id":9865,"date":"2020-01-16T06:48:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T20:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardens.theownerbuildernetwork.co\/?p=9865"},"modified":"2025-10-30T21:18:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T11:18:22","slug":"great-gardening-tip-start-seeds-indoors-in-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/2020\/01\/16\/great-gardening-tip-start-seeds-indoors-in-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Gardening Tip: Start Seeds Indoors in Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"
Even while the ground is covered in snow, you can start seeds indoors.
(Photo: Dwight Sipler\/Flickr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Winter does not have to mean a complete halt to your\ngardening activities. Even while the ground is covered in snow, you can start\nseeds indoors. This will give your plants a head-start and ensure they reach\ntheir full potential during the growing season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting seeds indoors – where the environment is a good\ndeal more welcoming than the wintry landscape outside – is a good way to get\nyour plants ready for the outdoors. Some plants should even be started as early\nas February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The secret to starting seeds indoors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The key to starting seeds indoors lies in choosing the right\nseeds in the first place. In general, perennials can prove fussy. Annuals are\nless demanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marigolds, peppers, sunflowers, lettuces, tomatoes, chives, and basil are some of the best candidates. Study the seed packet. That little envelope is your manual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The packet will tell you when to start seeds inside. Once\nyou’re ready to move the plants outside, the packet will provide information on\nsun requirements, spacing, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The key to starting seeds indoors lies in choosing the right seeds.
(Photo: Parenting Patch\/Wikimedia Commons) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Use a seed-starting mix<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re growing sunflowers, peppers, or other plants,\nit\u2019s best to use a new seed-starting mix from your local garden center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seed-starting mixes are mainly made up of peat moss and\nvermiculite. This mix retains water longer than soil from the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A starting mix is weed-free. That means you\u2019ll be sure that the tiny plants that emerge from it are actually what you intended to cultivate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"
Seed-starting mixes are mainly made up of peat moss and vermiculite.
(Photo: Doublejworks\/Flickr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Provide proper lighting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most seedlings like the same temperature we do. That is, between\n65\u00b0F and 72\u00b0F. But young plants crave sunlight. They will typically require 12\nto 14 hours a day during the darkest time of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can satisfy this requirement with an inexpensive fluorescent shop light. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Young
Young plants require sunlight. In winter, you can satisfy this requirement with an inexpensive fluorescent shop light. (Photo: The Chili Life\/Flickr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Give your plants room to grow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When your plants reach an inch tall, thin them by snipping\nthe seedlings at the soil line. Do not pull them out. This step is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overcrowding leads to fragile stems and sparse leaves. Your\nseedlings need space to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
When your plants reach an inch tall, thin them by snipping the seedlings at the soil line. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t overwater<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When the seedlings are small, they won\u2019t need as much\nmoisture. Once they are larger, water as the soil mix dries. Transplant larger\nseedlings into bigger pots as they grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"When
When the seedlings are small, they won\u2019t need as much moisture. (Photo: Marco Verch\/Flickr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Transitioning to the outdoors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As winter draws to a close, acclimate your plants to the outdoors bit by bit. A week or so before the last frost, place the tray of seedlings outside for a few hours in the afternoon, bringing them back indoors overnight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repeat this process \u2013 gradually increasing the time the\nplants stay out – until all the danger of frost has passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"As
As winter draws to a close, acclimate your plants to the outdoors bit by bit.
(Photo: Tomwsulcer\/Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An extended sense of achievement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are several reasons for raising plants from seed\nrather than buying them ready for planting. You save money, enjoy a much wider\nchoice of varieties, and realize the extended sense of achievement that comes from\ngrowing plants from seeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gardeners buy millions of seed packets every year. These packets yield a substantial amount of success and satisfaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are new to gardening<\/a>, don’t be too ambitious. Start small and allocate your time to the seeds appropriately.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter does not have to mean a complete halt to your gardening activities. Even while the ground is covered in snow, you can start seeds indoors. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13557,"featured_media":9866,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Get a head start on spring by starting seeds indoors this winter. Learn when to begin, what supplies you need, and how to grow strong seedlings.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sma_last_campaign_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[155,182],"tags":[51,241,209,246],"class_list":["post-9865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indoor-gardens","category-tips-and-tricks","tag-gardening","tag-gardening-in-winter","tag-gardening-tips","tag-starting-seeds"],"modified_by":"Freddie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13557"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theownerbuildernetwork.co\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}