Starting Seeds For Spring

Now is the time to think about starting seeds for spring. Here in Texas, most of us have been thinking about that since December! No kidding. Our tomatoes were planted at the end of December so we will have tomatoes to grow and eat in the spring. If you did not plant your tomatoes and you are close by, we have some seedlings ready to sell right now. In fact, we have been selling them for three weeks already. The rest will be ready in the middle of March to the end of March.

Starting seeds for spring is one of the most exciting things you will do this winter! There is one orchid seedling that came up in this photo. Hopefully, the rest will follow.

Starting Seeds For Spring - 2/13-2/19/2023

Monday, February 13, 2023 - Starting Seeds For Spring

Look at this spectacular pink sunrise! Isn't it gorgeous?

Good Monday morning! I just watched a beautiful pink sunrise. It is cold out there at 47°. Have you been starting seeds for spring yet? Just don't put them outside yet because the cold will get them.

I just made breakfast with my farm fresh eggs. The chickens are back to barely laying again. I got five the other day and yesterday, I got nine. With 27 chickens, I should have gotten a lot more. They just don't like the cold.

We had a decent amount of customers in the store throughout the day. It was pay day so I had to do payroll.

The turkeys that were stuck in our fence last week are now in the back forty. Well, the tom is back there. The hen is across the fence at our neighbor's house. She won't come back and the tom can't get through the fence. We took him some food and water but he is not a happy camper and started charging with hostility. Unless he is able to fly over and claim his wife, I don't think he will live. He just walks back and forth while his lady plays with the chickens in the next yard.

This Tom turkey will not fly over the fence where his wife is. He just paces back and forth and she has no intention of coming over here.

Starting Seeds For Spring

Some of our tomato seedlings that we are currently selling in February of 2023. They were planted at the end of December 2022.

Of course, let me start by saying that if you are in Texas, you started your tomato seeds in December or January or you won't be having any tomatoes in the spring. Starting seeds for spring in Texas always begins in the winter with tomatoes. Everything else you can plant later on, but once it gets hot here, the tomatoes won't put on any fruit. In 2022, the temperatures shot up to 100° plus every day beginning in May and we never saw any relief until September so not many people got tomatoes or really anything else except okra and zinnias.

If you forgot to start your tomatoes early, David's Garden Seeds® has you covered. Come on over to the Farm Store and we will take you out to our high tunnel. There, you can pick from a wide array of tomato varieties and types because we still have about 2,000 tomato seedlings along with some other vegetable seedlings and herb seedlings.

We will give you some hardening off instructions with your purchase so you don't shock your seedling by just putting it outside. That is a process. It is too early now because the danger of frost has not yet passed.

While you are here, be sure to pick up some seeds for your spring garden. Then, we will give you some germination instructions so you can garden like a pro.

This website, as well as the David's Garden Seeds® website have a lot of how-to articles designed to help you succeed in your garden. The articles are free to everyone so read away. David and I write to help beginner gardeners learn how to garden. Starting seeds for spring is a big part of gardening in Texas.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023 - Starting Seeds For Spring

This is my beautiful Valentine's Day bouquet from David. My sweet neighbor, Caitlyn with Poteet Posie Co. made this.

Happy Valentine's Day! My bouquet above was delivered to me by the Poteet Posie Co.

I made eggs. While I was making them, Nacho showed up to work in the back with a helper. We got up early because we have doctor appointments this morning in Pleasanton. One of our guys did not show up and did not call in today which is too bad. He has been doing good work for us. It is almost 2pm as I type this and still no word. Anyway, we left the farm at 8:30am. Matt took care of a lot of customers today while I was gone. At 2pm, it is 78° with clear blue skies.

After the doctor visits, we had to drop some seed orders off at UPS and then deposit a check at the bank. After that, we stopped by the county tax office and finished paying our property taxes so that is over and done with! Yay! Then we went to Walmart for some groceries. While I paid, David got us Subway. Then we went to the meat market for a few things. We finally got home and I had to put away all of the groceries and start some laundry. I just checked a couple out of the store and now I am finally getting to work on the website. It has been a very busy day.

I have no eggs in the Farm Store today as they are only giving five to nine eggs a day again. I guess it has not been warm enough or bright enough for them.

I hadn't mentioned it before but the guy we hired a month ago to work outdoors did not call in or show up today so I guess we are down another man after losing one two weeks ago because he moved out of state. It is unreal. We pay well and they keep leaving us. Yes, we called him but no answer. We haven't heard from his family.

Nacho put a new door on the greenhouse today.

Nacho put a real door on our greenhouse instead of the PVC with sheet plastic that we had. It is so much easier to open!

Starting Seeds For Spring

Tomato seedlings growing in small pots, watered in a tray. Never top water. Always fill the tray with water so it will go up the drain holes in the pots and not dislodge the seeds.

If you are going to start seeds early, they will need to be started indoors, either in your home or a potting shed under a grow light, or in a heated greenhouse. You will need small pots, seed trays, and a good germination mix.

As I was saying under the photo above, never top water when you are starting seeds for spring. Always fill the tray with water so it will go up the drain holes in the pots and not dislodge the seeds.

David's Garden Seeds® carries a Germination Kit which includes a seed starting tray, 18 small pots, our germination mix, plant markers, and our germination instruction sheet. We do not ship this, but you can pick one up at our Farm Store.

Marigolds growing in the small pots in a tray. These are what the germination kits look like.

Late this afternoon, I watered everything in my greenhouse. I had a nice surprise. Some new seeds have germinated in there for spring. So exciting!

Wednesday, February 15, 2023 - Starting Seeds For Spring

It was very foggy this morning. I could not see the trees in the orchard.

The fog was so thick we could not see the field next door.

Happy Wednesday. It was so foggy when I first woke up this morning, thicker than I have ever seen out here before. It is about gone now. Just before 9am, our dogs started barking and howling and David went to check. Two large dogs were in the yard going up the fence line so David would not allow me to come over to the Farm Store and open up. He said someone was driving up and down the road, presumably looking for their dogs and then the dogs were gone so I guess he got them. It is 9:30am and I just got to open the store. I have zero eggs today as the chickens are back to not producing much again.

My Orange Hat Tomato seedlings are coming up in my greenhouse. I ordered these from another seed company a few years ago. The first ones I planted two years ago were taken so I did not get to try them.

The fog has cleared out and it is warming up nicely but the skies are overcast. It should hit 86° today which is crazy for February.

We have plenty of seeds and seedlings. If you did not get a chance to plant tomato seeds early, come on by and get your tomato seedlings. We have beautiful ones as well as pepper, other vegetable, and herb seedlings.

The employee who never called or showed up yesterday did not call or show up today either. So I guess he quit or got into some kind of trouble and doesn't have a way to get here or call us. He was doing good work and said he enjoyed it. There is a lot of work to be done, a lot of which Nacho had to do yesterday since the guy did not show up. There is still the trench to be dug for the potatoes and general planting, not to mention weeding, watering, and so much more that has to be done on a small farm, all by hand.

We had quite a few customers today. Things went well but it was windy and tomorrow the wind will really pick up.

Starting Seeds For Spring

2 groups of onion sets. We sold some and then we planted the rest out back. We normally just grow onions with seeds and we have a lot of nice onion seeds.

Starting seeds for spring should not include any type of root vegetable, with the exception of planting onions close together to make onion sets. Onions can be pulled up when they are little and then can be sold or given away as seed sets because some people don't know how to grow onions from seed.

Other root veggies, like carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, shallots, parsnips, and rutabagas, do not like to be moved or disturbed so you want to direct sow the seeds into the ground instead of starting them and then transplanting them. They will not put up with it. They will die. Wait until it is warm enough, close to the last projected frost of the season before you plant your root crops directly into the ground.

Right now, in Texas, it is time to start your melons, cantaloupes, and watermelons. Yes, it is time for starting seeds for spring in February. Remember, we started our tomato seeds in December and our seedlings are just beautiful. We started peppers and herbs and a few other vegetables as well in December, right after Christmas. In Texas, we don't fool around. We know that unbearable heat is coming so we are preparing.

I will be starting seeds for spring this week in my greenhouse, like basil, mint, and lemon balm. This time, I am going to use one of our brand new 50 cell seed starters, which I am excited about. We have them in the store, available for purchase. We have smaller ones as well.

Thursday, February 16, 2023 - Starting Seeds For Spring

The greens in the grow tower before I cut them for the chickens.

Good morning. No fog today but lots of wind. It is 58° and it is supposed to be a fire danger day with all of the wind so there will be no fires going out here, including no barbecuing the ribs that David was going to make.

David asked a part time helper from Hondo to come today to do some outdoor work but I don't know if it is a good idea to have people be outdoors today. Of course, that is up to him. Still no word from Mr. No Call No Show or from his family. You would think they would call but nothing and no one answers his phone.

Our two teen helpers came for half a day to help us as they do most Thursdays.

The wind is getting worse out there. I opened the Farm Store and fed the fish and the wind is so strong. The helper from Hondo is here but he and everyone else is working indoors due to the high winds. We are having a fire day per Alexa due to the dryness and high winds. I am back in the house getting bills paid and I started the dishes and laundry.

It is now 2pm and very windy and chilly at 57° Fahrenheit. We have had one customer so far today and she bought seeds and seedlings. It truly is too windy today to think much about gardening. There is much to be done outside but we don't want anyone to get sick.

I am in the Farm Store now but I spent most of today in the house paying bills, making necessary appointments, doing dishes, doing laundry, etc.

The mail came but every piece was junk, mostly catalogs of all sorts. We get them every day and we have never ordered any of them, a testament that your address is being sold by companies you do business with. Do you get a lot of catalogs? Clothes, machines, paper, garden supplies, garden seeds, processed foods, candies, toys, jewelry, furniture...we get them all.

It stayed windy and chilly all day long.

Starting Seeds For Spring And For Fall

Lemon grass growing in my greenhouse.

When starting seeds for spring, most of them should be started in small pots under grow lights about six weeks before the danger of frost is over. If you don't know your area's first and last frost dates are, you can go to Almanac.com and type in your zip code. You will find out the last approximate date in spring and the first approximate date in the coming fall.

For spring planting, count back six weeks from the projected last fall and start planting then. This gives your plants a head start of six weeks by the time spring comes. In some areas, it is okay to plant your tomatoes as well, but not in Texas. In Texas, it gets too hot too fast most years and once that happens, there will be no tomatoes. That is why we start our tomato plants in December and January in Texas.

For fall planting, when the first projected freeze of the fall comes, you can kiss most of your plants goodbye if it is just a minimal freeze. If it is a hard freeze, you are done for the season. In Texas, plants can last until January or February, although lately, a frost keeps hitting by November or December so our growing season has shortened. If you have a greenhouse, you can continue to garden some things in there as long as you keep it well heated when the cold comes. And lately, the cold has been coming a lot more than it used to.

Some of our seedlings for sale in the greenhouse, with our hydroponics in the foreground and one of our hoop houses in the background.

Friday, February 17, 2023 - Starting Seeds For Spring

Good Friday morning! It is a bright, sunny, chilly day at 35° Fahrenheit. I have been working on the computer since it was dark and I need to get ready for the day, open the store, and then wait for Michelle to come. Yes, it is housecleaning day. Christian, the helper from Hondo is coming back to help us again today since we are down by two men.

Our first customer today wanted a hybrid corn that we used to carry, Peaches & Cream. It was good but we dropped most of our hybrids last year because they just aren't selling. Nowadays, people want heirloom or heritage seeds. That is pretty much all they ask for. Why? Because they can save the seeds and grow the same plant next year. Heirloom seeds are tried and true and have been around for at least 50 to 75 years. If you save the seeds, you will get the exact same plant next year.

The day still feels cold but the sky is bright blue and the sun is shining. It is 10:30am and 44°. It feels so cold. The customers keep on coming...I restocked the store all afternoon and there are still blanks...

Starting Seeds For Spring

Grow lights on our hydroponic grow tower in the Farm Store. Grow lights are not regular home or office lights. Regular lights will not work.

Let's say you are brand new to gardening and you have no idea how to go about starting seeds for spring. First, you have to buy some fresh, heirloom (for the most part) Non-GMO seeds for your first garden. Of course, you want the best for your first backyard garden. If you are in Texas, may I suggest our Texas Spring Seed Set that contains 40 different varieties of seeds that do well in Texas in the spring. David has put this set together especially for beginners. You don't have to use all of the seeds at once. Keep them in a cool, dry place and they will be okay to use later.

For starting seeds for spring, you will need small pots, a tray to hold the pots, a good germination mix, plastic markers to write seed varieties on, and some water. We have most of these items in our Farm Store. We do not ship them but if you are in the area, you can come by the Farm Store.

First, fill up your starter pots with germination mix. This should not be potting soil, but actual germination mix. Potting soil has a lot of sticks and twigs. Germination mix has little white balls that hold water and keep the soil wet for longer.

Next, plant two seeds per pot, both of them being the same seed. Write the variety on a marker and stick it in the pot. Place the pots in the tray as you plant.

Lift up one pot and fill the tray with water. Place the pot back in. Do not top water your seeds or you might dislodge them. Always bottom water seeds that you start in small pots so this does not happen.

You may need to store these seeds in your greenhouse or a room in your home. If your home is chilly, place the tray on a garden heat mat.

Cover the tray with a clear, plastic cover until the seeds come up. Make sure you keep the seeds well watered.

Once the seeds start coming up, take them off of the heating mat. Take the clear, plastic cover off. Place a grow light over them, about two to four inches away from the leaves. I said a Grow Light, not a light bulb or a fluorescent light, and do not place them on a window sill or in light coming from a window. You can order a grow light from Amazon or you can find one at a local garden center. We do not sell grow lights. As the plant grows, you will need to raise the light. If you place the light too far away from the plant, it will grow tall and spindly and then die.

Once your plants are big enough and the soil outside is warm enough (65° Fahrenheit), you will need to read about hardening off your plants before you plant them in the ground.

Saturday, February 18, 2023 - Starting Seeds For Spring

This is a blue flower from the herb chicory. We sell the seeds.

Happy birthday to my only sister, Norma!

It was 35° this morning when I woke up. I am currently restocking the Farm Store. No customers yet but it is so cold out. I started feeding the chickens some whole grains today instead of a packaged feed. I will see how they like it.

It is now 10:46am and still no customers have shown up. I just never know on a Saturday. Sometimes they show up at 9am and we don't open until 10am. Other times, they don't show up until 11am and then they just keep coming so I don't get lunch. I understand it is way too cold today to think about gardening.

Well, the customers have been pouring in, most wanting to see the greenhouse. David has another group out there now. I have finished restocking the store but now there are a lot more blanks. I guess this is a continual thing for spring. It is 55° but it feels so chilly out. The mailman came and went. I cut down some greens in the grow tower to take to my birds this afternoon so they will be happy.

Once 2pm came, I closed up and went over to Fulfillment. I pulled a basketful of seeds that we are out of in the store. I spent yesterday and this morning hanging up seeds that we were out of and now we are out of a bunch again!

Storing Your Seeds

When starting seeds for spring, chances are you will not use all of the seeds you have purchased. That is okay. The seeds will last a good while if you store them in a cool, dry place. A cool, dry place does not include your freezer or your refrigerator. While many people do this, it is not necessary and it gives an unnecessary risk to ruining your perfectly good seeds. If you take them out for a while, you chance getting moisture on the seeds from condensation. Once you get moisture and they sprout, the seeds are no good.

Today, in the Farm Store, I was ringing up a huge order, about $150.00 worth of seeds and it takes a while when you have slow high-speed internet. So two customers struck up a conversation. One man told the other to store seeds in the refrigerator like he does and they will be fine. Honestly, if you have air conditioning, there is no need to put your seeds in the fridge. Just don't do it. Put them in a drawer or in a box stored in a cool room or a closet. Don't store them in your kitchen by the stove, or by your heater or your dryer. Keep them dry and keep them cool. Don't put them anywhere that has a possible wetness element.

This was taken while I was out to feed the fish shortly before sundown.

Starting Seeds For Spring

Just a few of the beautiful tomato seedlings we have in our greenhouse for sale to the public. Starting seeds for spring early is important for us so we can provide our customers with plants.

Let's talk about what seeds you will be starting for spring. Peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, lettuce, and more. Don't forget to start some herbs as well. Lemon grass, basil, cilantro, lemon balm, mint, dill are all good and useful herbs for spring to go along with your vegetable plants.

Common culinary herbs for starting seeds for spring are mint, basil, lemon balm, thyme, cilantro, rosemary, dill, sage, and oregano. There are many more. We have the seeds for quite a few.

Starting seeds for spring also includes medicinal herbs like spilanthe, rue aka ruda, comfrey, nettles, wormwood, St. Johns Wort, and Valerian.

If you truly don't want to start seeds and you live in the area, we have started a lot of seeds for you. They are growing in the greenhouse.

Sunday, February 19, 2023 - Starting Seeds For Spring

Happy Sunday. It is bright and sunny and 43°. I got all of the animals taken care of and now it is time to do a bit of computer writing before getting ready for church. Hoss Tools, where I ordered my seed potatoes, sent me an email saying they now have peanut seeds in. Our farm used to be a peanut farm so I thought maybe it would be awesome to grow some peanuts. I have never grown them before. I think I will order some. They go in the ground here in April.

Some of the hydroponics in our greenhouse. You can see we are growing a variety of things. The plants in the hydroponic system are not for sale.

We went to church. Came home and had chicken and spaghetti for lunch. Now we are watching The Chosen as we work. If you have not yet seen it, I highly recommend that you watch on video or DVD. We have just started and it is so well done.

Multiple seedlings in our greenhouse for sale. These were all planted the last week of December.

Starting Seeds For Spring - How To Germinate

Starting seeds for spring indoors or in your greenhouse using little pots in trays is a good idea. Fill the pots with a good germination mix. Most seeds will do great when planted at a 1/4 inch. Some of the larger seeds can go a bit deeper.

A seed is a living embryo that contains enough energy to germinate and break the surface of the soil. If planted too deep, the seed will run out of energy and die before it breaks the surface. Once it breaks the surface, it produces the energy it needs through photosynthesis to keep growing.

Keep the soil moist, but not wet with a soil temperature of at least 70 degrees. Over-watering will drown the seed. A good rule to follow is the dirt should be moist so it feels like brown sugar up to your first knuckle. If it feels dry like salt, it is too dry. If it feels like wet flour then it is too wet.

The best watering for germinating is bottom watering. Put your starter pots in a tray, fill 3/4 with water and let them soak up the water they need until the seeds germinate. Watering from the top can dislodge the germinating seeds and kill them.

Seeds should germinate in about 7 to 14, and sometimes even 21 days. But chili pepper seeds and strawberry seeds can take as long as 30 days from the day the first seedling comes up.

If starting indoors, seeds need 14 to 16 hours of daylight a day. A grow light will be needed. A regular florescent or lamp light will not do the job. If you are going to start indoors, you will need to make a small investment. Putting pots on a window sill will not work in most cases. If the seeds do not get enough light, they will grow tall and thin. Then they will die.

Once they are successfully started. Let them grow big. You may need to transplant to a bigger pot before it is time to put them outside.

When the time comes for the plants to go outside, do not just take them from the warmth of indoors and put them in the ground. You need to harden them off.

Return from Starting Seeds For Spring to Our Fourth Year

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