By Cynthia Averett, VINES Urban Farm Manager
1/15/21
It’s time to think about ordering seeds and planning your garden for Spring! It’s always good to order seeds before the season starts. Prices might be cheaper, and you will get a good idea of what you want to grow.
Starting seedlings indoors can be tricky for a beginner, especially if you don’t have the best lighting or materials., It’s a good idea to plan to get some plants as transplants. Transplants are baby plants that have been started inside, and will be ready to plant when you buy them. There are many places to buy transplants in our area, including nurseries and farmers markets. Some places in our area to get seedlings include Agway, Nanticoke Gardens, the Broome County Farmers’ Market, and the Vestal Farmers’ Market. You can also contact VINES to request free seedlings.
Some plants you might want to transplant are lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and herbs. Don’t worry about buying them now: you’ll want to wait until late spring for these!
Many seeds, however, can be direct seeded (planted right into your garden). In early spring, you can direct seed the following:
Early Spring – Direct Seed
-Carrots
-Beets
-Spinach
-Peas
Early Spring- Transplant
-Broccoli
-Cabbage
-Cauliflower
-Lettuce
Late Spring- Direct Seed
-Squash
-Beans
Late Spring – Transplant
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
You can buy seeds in many places, like local home goods stores (Agway, Tractor Supply, Lowes), or order them online from places like Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Seed Saver’s Exchange, Truelove Seeds, or Burpee.
So, make a plan! Which crops do you plan to order seeds for? Which crops do you want to buy as transplants?
VINES does try to offer free seeds and seedlings IF & WHEN they become available from donors. If you would like to request free seeds or seedlings, please complete a seedling request form.
Happy Gardening!