Benefits of Gardening
Now is the time to plan your garden and order seeds. Before that, consider the many benefits of a productive garden: superior nutrients, wider variety, and exceptional taste. Fresh, homegrown vegetables, herbs, fruits, and berries harvested at peak ripeness deliver flavor and nutrition you rarely find in store-bought produce. Growing your own organic food can also significantly reduce grocery costs, especially if you preserve extras for the off-season.
If you want your family to enjoy and value plant-based foods, grow them and serve them straight from the garden. Making gardening a family activity creates lasting memories and healthy habits. Working together to grow something beautiful and delicious encourages kids (and adults) to engage with nature rather than screens. Children who help in the garden are often more willing to eat the results, which helps develop a lifelong appreciation for fresh produce.
Gardening takes effort, but the payoff is clean, nutrient-dense food. Homegrown produce typically surpasses store-bought quality unless you’re buying truly local, organic, and freshly harvested items. There’s also a special satisfaction in harvesting the best fruits and vegetables from your own beds.
Gardening benefits extend beyond food. Time spent outdoors is grounding, especially when you’re barefoot. Sun exposure supports vitamin D production (in moderation), and tending soil and plants provides low-impact exercise. Gardening can be meditative and mindful, fostering joy and a deeper appreciation for the natural world.
The Best Time to Buy Seeds
Even if it’s still cold where you live, now is the time to purchase seeds for the coming season—unless you saved enough from last year. Seed demand peaks early in the year, so order soon if you haven’t already to avoid missing favorite varieties. Many seed companies see January as their busiest month.
We placed our order a few weeks ago. Each year we order mostly from Fedco Seeds of Maine, which offers many organic options at fair prices. We also source starter potatoes from Fedco or Maine Potato Lady, and buy starter garlic from a local grower. If you have local garlic festivals, they’re a great place to meet growers and find quality seed stock.
Storing Seeds
When your seeds arrive, store them in a cool, dark, and dry place—ideally between 40 and 50°F. Proper storage is essential if you plan to save some seeds for the next season. Germination rates decline with time, but seeds kept in good conditions will often still sprout in later years.
Benefits of Growing Starter Plants
Growing your own starters from seed is far less expensive than buying plants at garden centers. For gardeners who grow a lot, starting seeds at home makes many crops affordable. Another advantage is access to greater variety: seed catalogs typically list numerous heirloom and organic cultivars that local garden centers may not carry.
When to Plant Starters
Check local frost date information to determine when it’s safe to transplant outdoors. Your region’s average date for last spring frost will guide when to start seeds. Germination often takes 7–10 days, and many starter plants need around six weeks of indoor or greenhouse growth before transplanting. With planning and attention to weather, seedlings will be ready to go into the garden when frost risk has passed.
We live in USDA zone 5b and start our seedlings between mid-March and early April. After sowing, we place starter pots in our unheated greenhouse under row covers for extra protection. Row covers—light fabric or plastic—shield young plants from cold nights while allowing light and air during the day. We grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, greens, onions, leeks, fennel, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli this way. Once seedlings emerge, we monitor greenhouse temperatures and open covers on warm days so plants don’t overheat. When about six weeks old and weather permits, we transplant them into the garden.
If you don’t have a greenhouse, starter plants can be grown indoors under grow lights. We’ve successfully started seedlings in a basement and spare bedroom.
Do All Vegetables Need to Be Started Early?
No. Many crops can be sown directly into warm soil after frost risk diminishes. Fast-maturing plants such as cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, beans, many greens, and herbs are commonly direct-seeded. Depending on your season length, these can often be planted multiple times to extend harvests.
We start some greens as seedlings for an early harvest and also direct-sow them once conditions warm. Greens grow quickly, so succession planting from spring through fall yields continuous harvests. They prefer cooler weather, so avoid the hottest midsummer spots or provide partial shade.
Carrots and winter squashes enjoy long seasons and can be sown directly. Carrots, in particular, often become sweeter after frost. We sometimes leave carrots in the ground through winter, protected with row covers or straw, and harvest them as needed. The same approach works for parsley and occasionally sage.
We plant starter potatoes in May, typically toward the end of the month to avoid potato beetles. Early potatoes are harvested in summer, while main-crop potatoes are left until fall after plants die back. Broccoli rabe is often planted in late summer for spring harvests, and garlic is usually planted in fall for a mid-summer harvest. Planting garlic in spring is also possible but typically yields smaller bulbs.
It’s Time to Get Pumped, Make Plans, and Buy Seeds
Whether you have a small patio bed or an acre, now is the moment to make a plan. If your yard lacks a sunny spot, check for community garden plots that you can reserve—these can fill quickly in spring.
The prepared gardener gets the best harvest. Start by planning your layout and ordering (or saving) seeds. Happy gardening!
DeLorenzo’s 2020 Seed Order
Below is our 2020 seed order. We buy many seeds because we preserve and store a large portion of our harvest each year: potatoes, garlic, onions, winter squash, tomatillos, raspberries, tomatoes, roasted peppers, salsas, and preserved fruits are all part of our annual plan. We also pickle, ferment, can, and dehydrate what we can. Our goal is to have enough produce on hand to enjoy fresh and preserved food through the year.
249A – Maxibel – Organic Bush Haricots Verts (1/2oz) 1 x $2.40 = $2.40
298A – Windsor Fava Beans (2oz) 1 x $2.40 = $2.40
1328A – General Lee Slicing Cucumbers (1g) 1 x $2.70 = $2.70
1411A – Black Zucchini Zucchini (1/8oz) 1 x $1.60 = $1.60
1507A – Gentry Yellow Summer Squash (1/8oz) 1 x $3.60 = $3.60
2042B – Scarlet Nantes Main Season Carrots (1/2oz) 1 x $4.00 = $4.00
2092A – Yaya, Unpelleted – Organic Main Season Carrots (1g) 1 x $3.10 = $3.10
2182A – Detroit Dark Red Short Top Beets (1/8oz) 1 x $1.80 = $1.80
2234A – Champion Radishes (1/8oz) 1 x $1.70 = $1.70
2411A – King Sieg – Organic Leeks (1/16oz) 1 x $2.80 = $2.80
2472B – Patterson Yellow Storage Onions (1/8oz) 1 x $5.60 = $5.60
2492A – Red Mountain Red Storage Onions (0.5g) 1 x $3.60 = $3.60
2712A – Black Seeded Simpson – Organic Looseleaf Lettuce (1g) 1 x $2.10 = $2.10
2763A – Elf Ears Oak – Organic Oakleaf Lettuce (1g) 1 x $3.70 = $3.70
2811A – Buttercrunch Butterhead Lettuce (1g) 1 x $1.90 = $1.90
2874A – Olga – Organic Romaine Lettuce (1g) 1 x $2.80 = $2.80
3027A – Sylvetta Arugula (1/16oz) 1 x $2.20 = $2.20
3056A – Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled Cress – Organic Specialty Greens (1/16oz) 1 x $2.30 = $2.30
3059A – Watercress – Organic Perennial Greens (1/16oz) 1 x $2.40 = $2.40
3063A – Très Fine Maraîchère Olesh – Organic Endive (1/16oz) 1 x $3.50 = $3.50
3187A – Fiero Radicchio (0.05g) 1 x $3.60 = $3.60
3355A – Early Jersey Wakefield Green Cabbages (2g) 1 x $1.80 = $1.80
3375A – Ruby Perfection Red Cabbages (0.5g) 1 x $4.20 = $4.20
3485A – Quarantina Broccoli Raab (2g) 1 x $2.00 = $2.00
3677A – Galine Bell-shaped Eggplants (0.2g) 1 x $3.80 = $3.80
3695A – Cajun Jewel – Organic Okra (2g) 1 x $2.40 = $2.40
3740B – Sweet Pimiento – Organic Pimiento (0.4g) 1 x $4.00 = $4.00
3757A – Carmen – Organic Elongated Sweet Peppers (20 seeds) 2 x $3.80 = $7.60
3758A – Karlo – Organic Paprika (0.2g) 1 x $2.70 = $2.70
3834A – Early Jalapeño Hot Peppers (0.5g) 1 x $1.90 = $1.90
4012A – Purple Blush – Organic Tomatillos (0.2g) 1 x $2.20 = $2.20
4053A – Black Prince – Organic Slicing Tomatoes (0.2g) 1 x $2.30 = $2.30
4061A – Black Krim – Organic Slicing Tomatoes (0.2g) 1 x $2.40 = $2.40
4140A – Amish Paste – Organic Paste Tomatoes (0.2g) 1 x $2.40 = $2.40
4141A – Hog Heart – Organic Paste Tomatoes (0.2g) 1 x $2.40 = $2.40
4264A – Juliet Small-Fruited Tomatoes (20 seeds) 1 x $3.40 = $3.40
4517A – Caribe – Organic Cilantro (1g) 1 x $2.10 = $2.10
4556A – Zefa Fino Fennel Fennel (0.5g) 1 x $2.20 = $2.20
4656A – Rosemary Herbs (0.2g) 1 x $3.00 = $3.00
4687A – German Thyme Herbs (0.2g) 1 x $2.40 = $2.40
Subtotal: = $115.00
Volume Discount: – $5.75
Adjusted Total: = $109.25
Grand Total: = $109.25
If you enjoyed this post you may also like other gardening articles on this site. How’s your garden growing? Feel free to leave a comment or question below.