Garden Center at Anderson #1105

Celebrate Springtime Gardening
It's time to start thinking of spring. Sweep the gazebo to prepare for fragrant breezes, sprouts poking up out of the ground, and warmer temperatures. Planting seeds indoors with grow lights means you're ready to transplant spring annuals and young veggie plants when the ground thaws and the frosts are through. You might even want to plant seeds directly into the earth. What better way to start than by exploring your favorite local plant nursery?

Plant Hardiness Zones Explained
The first thing to know when planting spring flowers, vegetables, and other seeds is your planting zone. Every location in the United States and its territories is sorted into blocks by climate. Find your zone on the USDA zone map and learn when to plant flower bulbs and seeds.

For example, you could transplant bell peppers outdoors in mid-March in Zone 10, but not until the end of May in Zone 4. For best results, choose plants in your zone number or less. In other words, a Zone 7 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–7. You can plant seeds indoors roughly a month before you can plant them outside, known as direct sow. Always read your seed packet for details. If you start your seeds a little later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it will even out as time passes.

Gardening in Appalachia
Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia are in Zones 6–8. Cruciferous veggies and certain herbs are ready to grow when you're ready to plant. This includes cabbage, broccoli, and kale. Greens like artichokes and spinach, early-blooming annuals like marigolds, and fragrant herbs, including parsley, basil, and oregano, also don't mind an early beginning. Even in the highest peaks of West Virginia in Zone 5b, traditional garden vegetables like bell peppers of all kinds, cucumbers, and tomatoes are fine with a late winter or early spring start indoors under the grow lights.

Look up the date of your last predicted frost, then count backward 6–8 weeks. That's the time you should sow your seeds indoors. The idea is to have strong baby plants that are ready for transplant at the same time the ground is warm enough. Do your best and enjoy the process — watching your plants grow, bloom, and put out tiny veggies that'll grow to harvest size is part of the fun.

Plant Seeds In Your Garden With Direct Sow
Direct sow, or planting seeds directly into outdoor garden soil, is another way of gardening. If you prefer to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed envelope. Direct sow timeframes are later than indoor planting because the soil must be warm enough.

There's more variation with seed survival with direct sow. Your seedlings need to survive storms and hungry rabbits, weather too little rain or sun, and obtain proper nutrition. Be ready to deal with whatever nature gives you. If you're lucky, you'll get strong sprouts that are ready to grow all spring.

Start Seeds Indoors
If you'd like more control over your seedlings' journey or you're eager to get growing, start your seeds indoors in your own plant nursery. In general, you can plant seeds indoors about a month before you can do it outdoors. Like direct sow, you push the seeds into the soil as directed on the seed package, but that's where the similarities end. Seed trays make it easier to transplant later.

You're responsible for giving them quality substitutes for sun and rain. Keep your seeds warm with heating mats and grow lights, water them carefully with a spray bottle or watering can, then thin them as they germinate in groups of three. Give them a boost with a gently blowing fan as they lengthen into sprouts if you'd like. Harden them off to get them used to outdoor conditions, then transplant them into your garden when they're big enough.

Transplant Young Plants Into Their New Homes
In quality soil, dig a hole that's bigger than or the same size as your plant's dirt plug. Place your transplant in the ground, and fill any extra space with nutrient-rich topsoil. Apply fertilizer if desired inside the plant hole or on top of the dirt, then be sure to water it. Never apply more fertilizer than recommended, as too much could burn the plant. Consider putting up chicken wire or other protective measures if rabbits, deer, or chipmunks visit your yard regularly, as your sprouts may otherwise become a snack.

Protect Your Garden With Mulch
Nourish your garden bed with compost and mulch. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. Mulch keeps your soil from drying out and controls weeds. It may help foster larger plants that bear more fruit and flowers. Compost and mulch can be DIY creations, but you can also purchase them in-store. The next time you need "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the right amount.

Greet the Spring
Don't miss a minute of growing season. Prepare to fertilize your lawn, plan your landscaping and garden, and browse your nearest nursery to find inspiration on which spring flowers to plant when the weather warms. If you don't have a lawn, consider adding an outdoor rug, a pellet grill, or artificial grass to your patio or balcony. Shop for the fertilizer, soil, and seeds you need in the aisles of your Anderson Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.