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When should you start planting seeds?

When to Start Seeds. As a general rule, seeds need to be started four to six weeks before the date of the last frost. Seed starting times are calculated by taking the date of the last frost and subtracting the days until transplant.

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Spring has sprung — or nearly — and it’s time to start your garden. When to start seeds though? The answer depends upon your zone. Zones are determined by the United States Department of Agriculture. They separate the zones according to temperature. It’s important to know the proper times for starting plants from seed. This will enhance germination and help ensure healthy, vigorous plants. Keep reading for some seed starting tips.

Starting Plants from Seed

Some plants are best started indoors and grown for transplant and some can be sown directly outside. Most transplanted seeds grow faster and produce more quickly than those directly sown outside. For the most part, the early fall crops are suited to direct sowing, while the summer crops or those requiring a long growing season should be sown indoors. Seed starting times need to take into consideration maturity, length of growth season, variety, zone, and time of last expected frost.

When to Start Seeds

As a general rule, seeds need to be started four to six weeks before the date of the last frost. Seed starting times are calculated by taking the date of the last frost and subtracting the days until transplant. The seed packet will tell you how many weeks. The best time to start seeds is usually late March to late May. Only the southern zones are suitable for starting plants from seed in the earlier months. Give the plant enough time to germinate and grow to an appropriate transplant size.

Seed Starting Times for Different Seeds

The plants that should be started the earliest are broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and head lettuce. Sow seeds for these indoors 10 weeks before the date of the last frost. The warm season plants such as tomato, peppers, and eggplant require seven weeks. The best time to start seeds such as cucurbits and melons is four weeks ahead of last frost. Once your seeds have germinated and grown the appropriate amount of time, harden them off before full transplant. This means gradually acclimating the new plants to outdoor conditions for longer and longer periods of time. This reduces shock and ensures healthier transplants.

How to Sow Seeds Indoors

Use a quality seed starter mix or compost. Any container that has good drainage is appropriate, but even just a flat will work since seedlings need little root space. Sow the seeds according to the planting depth recommended by the seed packet. Some seeds recommend just a dusting of soil over the seeds, while others need more submersion. You can enhance germination by soaking larger seeds in water or wrapping them overnight in a damp paper towel. Put the containers in a warm location. Most seeds need temperatures around 60 degrees F. (16 C.) for best germination.

Move the containers to a well lit area after they have germinated.

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Can you grow vegetables in a potting shed?

It features all of the benefits of a traditional shed and with one important addition – it's a great place to nurture plants. If you grow your own fruit and veg, or enjoy admiring nature's most beautiful flowers, then a potting shed should be your go-to garden building.

10’ x 11’ Rowlinson Wooden Corner Garden Potting Storage Shed

When most people picture a potting shed, this is probably what it looks like. The large bay window with pots and seed trays on the ledge, the adjoining garden storage area, the wooden cladding and the apex roof – they’re all hallmarks of a traditional potting shed. Furthermore, if it’s designed and built by Rowlinson, you know it’s going to be good. To prove the point, this corner potting shed is made from premium 12mm tongue and groove cladding, and that includes the floor, while the roof is solid sheet and comes with a mineral felt covering to keep out the rain. Enjoying plenty of natural light, this premium potting shed has 7 windows and glazed roof panels, which are all made from unbreakable styrene. Three of the windows open, helping you regulate the temperature inside for the benefit of your plants. The wide double doors offer easy access to the garden storage area, where there’s room for a wheelbarrow, garden tools, fertiliser and more. These doors can be secured by a padlock, so your valuable gardening equipment, and invaluable plants, will remain safe and secure. If this isn’t enough to tempt you, all of the potting benches are included, as is an excellent 10-year anti-rot guarantee, so you’re all ready to move in the plants and confidently get to work. At its best when positioned in a corner of the garden, this potting shed is a gardener’s dream.

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