It's a great time to get a head start on spring with Seeds! Gardening from seed offers many advantages - you save money, you have a bigger selection to grow several varieties, and it is quite rewarding to see your success! Akin's is here to help get you stared with our line of seeds, seed starting containers and soils. We also offer great advice from our on-staff horticulturists.
Things to know:
Our Average Last Frost Date. In our region, our average last frost date is March 14th. The guides below (and the very informative seed packets in store) tell you when to sow your seeds based on our average last frost date.
Indoors or Outdoors. Some seeds do best to wait and direct sow outdoors, others enjoy the controlled climate of indoors. From our friends at Botanical Interests: "Large-seeded crops such as beans, corn, and squash germinate quickly when sown directly into warm soil, often within a few days. Root crops such as carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes should always be sown where they are going to grow so their roots develop undisturbed. The advantage of starting certain seeds indoors is that you get a head start on the season, and you have more control over the growing conditions. For crops like tomatoes and peppers that take a long time to produce fruit, starting indoors is usually preferred. Also, annual flowers started indoors will flower earlier in the season, and perennial flowers may flower in their first year. Many varieties need warm soil temperature to germinate, so if you don’t start them inside, you may have to wait to sow outdoors until 2 to 4 weeks after your average last frost date. "
Stratification and Scarification. These special instructions are easier than you think. Just read the seed packet and follow the suggestions based on what seeds you are planting.
Seed Depth. In general, seeds are planted 2x the width of the seed. Our seed packets give you guidance on seed depth and spacing.
Soil Temperatures. One of the most challenging things about growing from seed is getting the soil temperatures right. Indoors it should be monitored. 70 degrees is ideal for most seed germination - although some prefer even warmer. Waiting on soil temperatures is also why you wait several weeks after the last average frost before planting.
Start small! You can always start with just a few seeds and grow your selection every year. Another tip is just sow outside. "If you don’t already have grow lights and an indoor growing space, then start with seeds you can sow directly outdoors. The outdoors is a seed’s natural habitat, making sowing simple, and in many cases it is the best option for the plant."
Let's Get Growing!