Garden Center at Redding #6682

Celebrate Springtime Gardening
It's time to start thinking of spring. Sweep the gazebo and clean out the shed to prepare for fragrant breezes, warmer temperatures, and sprouts poking up out of the ground. Planting seeds indoors with grow lights means you're ready to transplant young veggie plants and spring annuals when the frosts are through and the ground thaws. 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 you should know when planting spring flowers, veggies, and other seeds is your planting zone. Every location in the U.S. and its territories is sorted by climate. Find your zone on the USDA growing 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. You'll have good results with plants that have your zone number or less. In other words, a Zone 6 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–6. The timeframe to direct sow outdoors in your garden is often around a month later than the indoor start date. Always read your seed packet for details. If you start them later, it's not ideal, but it will likely even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone: Utah, Nevada, and California
This region ranges from Zones 7, 8, and 9, with higher elevations in Zones 5 and 6. You'll find fertile land in some places, but deserts and mountains with harsher conditions elsewhere. What you can grow and when will vary considerably depending on where you live. In Zones 5 and 6, the outdoor growing season doesn't begin here until mid-March or even April, although you can start some veggies by seed halfway through February. Warmer Zones 7 to 9 can plant earlier, but if you're in the desert, you'll likely want to investigate indoor gardening in an enclosed porch or sunroom.

Utilize greenhouses to grow herbs and vegetables. Native plants like cacti, succulents, and hardy desert shrubs will grow outside with ease. Other beloved garden vegetables love the heat, like peppers, cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes. If you start them indoors and carefully introduce them outdoors in the shade, you can enjoy raising vegetables even in a dry climate. However, many flowers are sensitive to that much sun and heat, so research to find which varieties can withstand the weather before planting outdoors.

Plant Seeds In Your Garden With Direct Sow
Planting seeds into your garden soil, or using the direct sow method, is an alternative option. There's less planning and tending than growing indoors. If you like to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed pouch and try it out.

Prepare to deal with whatever hand nature deals you: You could have no germinating seeds or all of them might sprout. A critter might munch the tender seedlings for a snack. All the seeds you plant in each hole may sprout, so you'll need to choose the most robust sprouts to survive in a process called thinning. Bugs or garden pests might eat your seedlings before they take off. But 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 pouch, but that's where the similarities end. Seed trays make it easier to transplant later.

You're responsible for giving them quality substitutes for rain and sun. Keep your seeds warm with grow lights and heating mats, water them carefully with a watering can or spray bottle, 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 Your Garden
In quality soil, dig a hole that's bigger than or the same size as your plant's dirt plug. Carefully remove your transplant without pulling on it, keeping it inside its clump of dirt. Place your transplant in the ground, and fill any extra space with nutrient-rich topsoil and fertilizer, then give it a generous drink without overwatering. Only apply as much fertilizer as is recommended, as too much could burn the plant. Consider putting up chicken wire or other protective measures if squirrels, deer, or chipmunks visit your yard regularly, as your sprouts may otherwise become a snack.

Enrich Your Garden With Mulch
Nourish your garden 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 stronger and larger plants that bear more flowers and fruit. Compost and mulch can be DIY creations, but you can also purchase them in-store. The next time you're searching for "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the correct amount.

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