When can I start planting my garden?

This segment is part of a recurring WKBN+ exclusive show, “Let’s Grow There.” For directions on how to download the free streaming app, click here.

BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) — Despite the return of snow and cold this week, it’s the perfect time to start seedlings indoors so they’re ready to plant once the risk of frost has passed.

Chevy Motswaledi is the Mahoning County OSU extension educator for agriculture and natural resources. She sat down for a “Let’s Grow There” segment, talking about growing zones, and gave a demonstration on how to start your seeds.

You can catch the full interview streaming on WKBN+ Thursday, March 19, at 12:30 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m.

How to start seeds indoors

Motswaledi says you can use basically anything to start your seeds — egg cartons, pots, plastic containers — as long as they are sterile. It’s a good idea to start plants with a longer growing season to get a jump start on them, like tomatoes, since they take time to mature.

“Make sure your container is sterile, especially if you are using an old container. You need water and bleach to clean it out because we don’t want disease from previous plants to get in,” Motswaledi said. “You need a clean, fresh supply.”

Once you have your container, you need a potting mix. There are particular mixes designed for seed-starting that include fertilizer, but you can always add your own fertilizer if you have another type of soil on hand.

“We don’t want soil from outside because that can also bring [diseases] or affect our seedlings with disease or pests that have been outside,” Motswaledi said.

Once you pick out the seeds you want to plant, it’s important to read the directions on the back, which will tell you how long you need to have the plant indoors before transplanting it outside. It also tells you if you need to start indoors, or if you can direct-sow it straight into your garden. Other important tidbits include planting depth, the amount of light needed and how far apart your seeds should be planted to allow room for eventual plant growth.

“In Mahoning [County], I would say our frost-free date is May 15. So I would take May 15 on my calendar and then count backward,” Motswaledi said. “Now this is very important, because you don’t want to start too early and then have overgrown transplants.”

It’s important to note that different varieties of plants have different growing times, so the ideal planting dates for each plant may be different. That’s why it’s important to plan out what you want to grow ahead of time.

You want to put the seeds in a starter mix that is moist but not overly saturated with water. Using a spray bottle or mister is helpful in this case.

“I would recommend bottom watering, it strengthens the roots, [they] go down in search for water, it makes them stronger,” Motswaledi said.

Seeds need a light source to sprout, which can either be a very sunny spot inside or a grow light if your house doesn’t get much natural light. They also need a humid environment while still allowing some airflow to prevent mold. Motswaledi also says you can invest in a heat mat to help seeds germinate.

“It depends on your budget, but we don’t have to make this expensive,” Motswaledi said. “This is very cost-effective; it’s cheaper than going to buy transplants out at nurseries. There are a lot of seeds in this packet, and it’s fun, and it’s rewarding.”

While you can put several seeds in each starter pot, if they all do germinate, you will want to thin them out so they don’t compete for resources. You can also remove the cover once they germinate.

How to transplant your seed starts outside

Once your seeds germinate indoors, you’ll want to harden them off to the outside conditions slowly, or else they will get transplant shock and die. You do this by leaving your seedlings outdoors for increasing hours each day over about a week or two until they’re acclimated to the temperature difference.

Before you even get to planting, it’s a good idea to do a soil test to be sure your garden beds have enough nutrients to provide for the plant so it can grow and produce abundantly. The OSU extension offers soil testing for $20 per sample and takes about two weeks.

“You want to make sure that if nutrients are lacking, you have enough time to amend the soil,” Motswaledi said. “It takes time, it’s not just an instant thing.”

Once your soil is squared away, it’s a good idea to check the weather forecast before you start transplanting.

“You want to make sure you’re transplanting on a cool, cloudy day — not too hot, not too dry,” Motswaledi said.

When it comes time to transplant your starts, you want to gently loosen the root ball from the shape it has taken in the pot. Once in the ground, you want to make sure you keep the plants properly watered while they take root.

After that, it becomes a job of vigilance.

“Make sure that every day when you’re out there, you’re scouting, checking — are there any pests on my plants, are there any diseases? We call that integrated pest management because we want to control that disease or pest before it becomes a problem,” Motswaledi said.

If you do have a pest or disease issue and need some help with it, you can reach out to the experts at the extension office.

“I’m not going to say, ‘Oh, make sure you buy a chemical to kill them,’ because that’s the least, that’s the last option that we would recommend,” Motswaledi said. “We want to start with the least toxic methods and work our way to the toxic methods.”

While seed starting indoors and transplanting later is common, it doesn’t work for every plant. Some plants that prefer direct sowing include peas, beans, corn and root vegetables.

For more local gardening tips, visit our “Let’s Grow There” webpage.

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