Having a vegetable garden at home is a way to ensure fresh, local and inexpensive food all season long – and even all year long if you plan well for the conservation of your crops. To have beautiful varieties to plant in the garden once the risk of frost is far behind, there is nothing like sowing vegetables and herbs at home in the spring. Sowing indoors is both easy and fun. Plus, it gives you access to a lot of new and interesting varieties to try. Watching your plants grow from day one to harvest will fill you with pride and you’ll be very happy to taste the fruits of your efforts. But to be successful with your seedlings, it’s important to follow certain rules, the most important of which is that you don’t plant everything at once!
Patience: do not plant anything before March!
When the days start to get longer, we feel the desire to get our hands in the soil. But you have to know how to contain your excitement and not plant in a hurry. You have to respect the needs of the plant and make sure you put it in the ground at the right time so that it has time to reach the right stage of growth before being transplanted to the garden, no more, no less. Planting too early will not do you any favors, on the contrary. You risk having weak plants that will not give the expected yield. Before March is too early.
Also, do not plant all your seedlings at the same time. The emergence time of vegetables is not the same for all, so it is necessary to spread your planting over a few weeks. It is the time between germination and planting that defines the right time to plant your seeds. For example, if it takes 8 weeks to transplant your seedling to the garden and you expect it to come out in early June, then late March is the time to plant. All plants should not be transplanted outside at the same time depending on their sensitivity to cold. Rely on the dates of the last frost in your region, they can vary by a few weeks depending on your geographical location. Garden centre advisors are the best equipped to inform you on the best time to sow your seedlings and transplant to the garden. Find out more!
Indoor planting calendar
Early March
- Peppers
- Onions
- Leeks
- Herbs
Mid-March
- Eggplant
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
Early April
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce*
*Lettuce can be sown outdoors in the garden. If you want an early harvest, sow indoors.
Early May
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Squash
Varieties to sow directly in the garden
Some varieties do not need to be sown indoors. They are planted directly outside, most of them in May or June. This is the case for:
- Carrots
- Beets
- Corn
- Beans and peas
- Potatoes
- Turnips
- Radishes
There are many seedling production calendars available on the Internet. Choose the one that suits you best and follow it. By organizing your garden as well as possible and by respecting the prescribed deadlines, you will have the most success and an abundance of crops.
To find everything you need for your seedlings and to get a lot of tips and advice, come meet us!
