Along the Grand Strand, we are blessed with a long planting season for your backyard garden. We are classified in Zone 8b. Typically, we can start seeds indoors in January or February, depending on when Easter falls that year. We are too southern to plant our summer garden until the week of Easter, but starting seeds indoors is a great way to get started and work towards new life, new beginnings, and a good harvest. With the current cold snap, it’s important not to plant your garden too early.

Some examples of when to start seeds indoors: in February, plant your cabbage, turnips, collards, and spinach. In March, plant your tomatoes, cucumbers and broccoli. In April, plant your peppers. You can pick up seeds at most any outdoor supply store or order from the trusty Burpee seed catalog.

To start my seeds, I have some supplies from previous years that I’ll use, some of which I bought and some of which I scavenged over the years. First, I use a cardboard box that I’ve covered the inside of with aluminum foil so that Its shiny and reflective. Then, I put a warming mat at the bottom of the box. I fill my seed starting trays with a mixture of garden soil, compost and vermiculite. I make sure the soil is wet but not soaked and I plant the seeds at the depth indicated on the package. Watering first is important so your seeds don’t move around after you’ve placed them at the right depth. Next, I place the seed tray on the warming mat in the box. I position a grow light so that it’s over the box. The foil helps reflect the light and adds more light for the seeds. As my seeds grow, I’ll thin the less healthy plants out to leave only the strongest plants. Sometimes, if I have multiple strong plants, I’ll try to separate them. For now, once your seeds are planted, be sure to water them and monitor their progress. Adjust your light up and down to ensure the plants are getting plenty of light. 

Once seeds start sprouting in their trays, it will be time to transplant them to a larger pot and harden them off before planning them outside in the garden. You can pack small peet pots with a mix of garden soil and compost, leaving enough room for the root ball to grow, and label the pot what the plant is.

Then, remove the trays from the grow box and use a butter knife to run around the edge of each section of the seen tray to allow the pod to come up and preserve as much of the root ball as possible. Be careful not to damage the root ball or the plant so that it will survive the move. Place the seedling and root ball in the peet pot and loosely pack it with soil and compost, leaving an inch or so for watering. Once each plant is in its own peet pot, you’ll be able to move the plants to a sunny spot in the house, or use a grow-light if you don’t have somewhere that gets plenty of natural sunlight, but out of the grow box. This step is called hardening and its important to help them toughen up. Once they have been growing for about a week or so in their peet pots, move them outside for a few hours each day so that they get acclimated to the outdoors little by little. Be mindful of cold snaps and windy days!

We are still weeks away from plants being ready to go in the ground. If you prefer to plant a garden with newly sprouted plants (which is probably what we will be doing this year) now is a great time to start laying out your garden bed plan and deciding where your plants will go. Consider grouping plants together that grow well together, companion plants, and pollinators. In nature, everything has a job to do and everything can be a benefit. Consider the sunlight and shade your planting area will receive, as well as how you plan to water.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be discussing getting your home, garden, and yard ready for the spring and summer for maximum enjoyment. If we can help you, please reach out!