Spring Black Friday Savings
Our Spring Black Friday sale is your chance to save on outdoor power equipment, lawn and garden supplies, and patio furniture. Add fresh flowers to your garden, spruce up your lawn with fertilizer, then relax outside to enjoy it all. This spring sale runs from April 4th to April 28th, so don't miss it.
Gardening Gift Sale for Mother's Day
Our Mother's Day Sale is a great time to help Mom upgrade her garden. We've got deals on popular brands of decorative plants, herb plants, and those details that make a garden special: garden decor, flower pots, and planters. If you're unsure of the right present when searching for Mother's Day gifts, a gift card will always be appreciated. Shop The Home Depot Mother's Day Gardening Gifts Sale from May 2nd through May 12th in-store or online.
On those beautiful days, clean up the yard before everything blooms in earnest. Lawn care is often a priority, as well. Planning your garden lets you make the most of your time and space. Remember to measure your garden so you can find fresh mulch near you as soon as it's available. No matter what outdoor projects you choose to tackle, The Garden Center in Southeast/Brewster can help you enjoy your spring activities to the fullest.
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 U.S. and its territories is sorted by climate. Find your zone on the USDA growing zone map and learn when to plant 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. The plants that'll thrive in your area are in your zone, and all the zones numbered less than that. In other words, a Zone 9 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–9. The timeframe to direct sow outdoors in your garden is often around a month later than the indoor start date. Read your seed packet for details. If you start them later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it should even out as time passes.
Gardening in Your Growing Zone
In Zone 5, which includes parts of Pennsylvania as well as upstate New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and southern Maine, your best bets for veggies will be root vegetables like beets and carrots, leafy greens including lettuce, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and kale. You can try squash, but prepare for additional warming upkeep when late frost is forecast. Target planting dates are roughly mid-March through May 1st, depending on whether you're direct sowing or starting your seeds indoors.
Much of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, southern New York state, and New Jersey 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, squash, 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
Planting seeds with the direct sow method, right into the soil, is another option. There's less tending and planning than growing indoors. If you like to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed package and give it a try.
Prepare to deal with whatever hand nature deals you: You might have no germinating seeds. A critter could eat the tender seedlings. 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. Heavy rain might wash away the seeds. 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 instead. In general, you can plant seeds indoors about 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.
You're responsible for giving them quality substitutes for rain and sunlight. Keep your seeds cozy with heat 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
When your plants have three or four true leaves — different from miniature seedling leaves – transplant them. In quality soil, dig a hole the same size as the dirt plug where your transplant has been growing. If your ground soil isn't great, dig a slightly bigger hole and fill the extra room with nutrient-rich topsoil. Apply fertilizer as directed, either in the hole or on top of the soil after it's planted. Only apply as much as recommended, as you could burn and kill the plant instead of helping it along.
Protect Your Garden With Mulch
Finish it off with compost and mulch. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. It may help foster larger and stronger plants that bear more fruit and flowers. Mulch controls weeds and keeps the soil moist. Compost and mulch can be DIY creations, but you can also purchase them in-store. The next time you're looking for "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the perfect amount.
Greet the Spring
Early spring is an exciting time in the world of gardening. Don't miss a minute of growing season. Prepare to fertilize your lawn, plan your garden and landscaping, and browse our garden center pages to find inspiration on which spring flowers to plant when the weather warms. Shop for the seeds, soil, and fertilizer you need in the aisles of your Southeast/Brewster Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.
How do I check my planting zone?
Check the USDA plant hardiness zone map, as planting zones have shifted over the years. Zones with higher numbers can plant earlier in the year. Increase your odds of successful gardening by choosing plants that are meant for your zone.
What does direct sowing mean?
If the soil is pliable and warm, consider planting your fruit, veggie, or flower seeds directly into your garden. This is called the "direct sow" method. The time to plant will be after the threat of frost is gone for the season, as seedlings and sprouts can't weather those conditions. You can also start your seeds indoors if you'd like. Consult your seed envelope for how and when to sow seeds.
How do I plant veggie seeds?
The best source of info is the seed package your garden-to-be came in. It's key to successfully growing fruits, veggies, and spring flowers — indoors or outdoors. Requirements vary from one type of plant to the next. Certain seeds should only be sown indoors, and your seed packet will tell you that, too. For more details, check out how to plant seeds.
Should I harden off my seedlings before planting them outside?
Yes, if you raised plants indoors from seeds, harden them before you transplant them. Hardening allows your seedlings to adjust to the great outdoors and rain, sun, and temperature swings, making them more resilient against cold snaps. It slows their growth until they're strong and ready to take off during a spring warm front.
How do I prep for planting seeds or transplants outside?
Before you plant, make sure that the soil is healthy, your plant will have the right amount of sun, and it's warm enough outside. Check your seed envelope to see if it likes shade, partial sun, or full sun, as well as what time of year it should be planted. Space your plants as described on the seed packet for best results so your plant babies have room to flourish.
What are seed tapes?
If you want more guidance in planting or are dealing with extremely tiny seeds, consider seed tapes. They're biodegradable pieces of paper with tiny seeds affixed at regular intervals. Just bury the tape and water as directed. If all goes well, you'll have perfectly spaced sprouts pop up soon.
114 Federal Rd
Danbury, CT 06811
10.59 mi
Mon-Sat: 6:00am - 10:00pm
Sun: 8:00am - 8:00pm
104 Danbury Road
New Milford, CT 06776
14.43 mi
Store:
Pro Service Desk:
Mon-Sat: 6:00am - 10:00pm
Sun: 8:00am - 8:00pm
3051 E Main St
Mohegan Lake, NY 10547
15.02 mi
Store:
Pro Service Desk:
Mon-Sat: 6:00am - 10:00pm
Sun: 7:00am - 8:00pm