March: Calculating the Sowing Date

Seed packages indicate the number of weeks needed to have a seedling ready for planting out.  Add on a week for ‘hardening off’ your seedlings.  To calculate the date for starting your seeds indoors, start with the date when you want to plant the seedlings outdoors and count backwards.  For example, to plant your snapdragons outdoors the week of May 27, you will need 10 weeks for growing the seedling and 1 week for hardening off – start them the week of March 4.

If you’d prefer to avoid the math, here’s a seed starting calculator that you can use to help determine when to start seeds. All you need to look up is your estimated/historical last spring frost date.

Posted in Gardening Tips.