Garden Center at Rockland #2650

Celebrate Springtime Gardening
It's time to start thinking of spring. Clean out the shed and sweep the gazebo 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 spring annuals and young veggie plants when the frosts are through and the ground thaws. You might even want to plant seeds directly into the soil. What better way to start than by exploring your favorite local plant nursery?

Plant Hardiness Zones Explained
The first thing to learn when planting vegetables, spring flowers, and other seeds is your planting zone. Every location in the United States and its territories is sorted 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 5 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–5. You can plant seeds indoors roughly a month before you can plant them outside, known as direct sow. Always read your seed envelope for details. If you start them a little later, it's not ideal, but it should even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone: New England
In Zone 5, which includes parts of Pennsylvania as well as upstate New York, southern Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, your best bets for veggies will be root vegetables like beets and carrots, leafy greens including lettuce, and cole crops like cabbage and kale. You can try squash, but prepare for additional warming upkeep when late frost is forecast. Planting dates are roughly mid-March through May 1st, depending on whether you're starting your seeds indoors or directly sowing them into your garden.

Much of West Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, southern New York state, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are in Zone 6, so planting can begin earlier there than farther north. Parts of Virginia are even warmer, coming in at Zone 7. The outdoor growing season doesn't begin until mid-March or even April, although you can plant some veggie seeds halfway through February. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, and other classic garden crops will do well in this region, and most of them can get an early start indoors before spring really moves in.

Plant Seeds Outside 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 pouch. 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 roughly a month before you can do it outside. Like direct sow, you push the seeds into the soil as directed on the seed packet, 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 heat mats and grow lights, 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
In quality soil, dig a hole that's the same size or bigger than 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 water them well without overdoing it. Never apply more fertilizer than recommended, as adding more could harm the plant. Consider putting up chicken wire or other protective measures if deer, squirrels, or chipmunks visit your yard regularly, as your sprouts may otherwise get eaten.

Enrich Your Garden With Mulch
Finish it all off with mulch and compost. Mulch keeps your soil from drying out and controls weeds. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. It may help foster stronger plants that bear more flowers and fruit. Mulch and compost can be purchased in-store, or you can learn how to make compost DIY-style. The next time you're looking for "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the right amount.

Greet the Spring
Don't miss a minute of growing season. Plan your garden and landscaping, prepare to fertilize your lawn, and browse The Home Depot nursery to find inspiration on which spring flowers to plant when the weather warms. For those without lawns, consider adding an outdoor rug, a pellet grill, or artificial grass to your patio or balcony. Shop for the soil, fertilizer, and seeds you need in the aisles of your Rockland Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.