Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors

Why go through the hassle
of starting your own vegetable seeds indoors?
Here are the top reasons to consider it:

It Extends the Growing Season

In some areas, the growing season isn't long enough for a particular vegetable you'd like to grow, so starting your seeds indoors (before it's safe to plant outdoors) is a way to effectively extend the growing season.

It Saves You Money

Another reason to start seeds indoors is to save money! It's around the same price to buy a packet of seeds (with the possibility of many plants) as it is to buy one plant of the same vegetable already started.

You Get to Control the Environment

If you want organic plants, you know for sure you have them if you're growing them yourself. You know what kind of soil you've used, what kind of compost, etc. You (most often) don't know where the plants came from nor their growing conditions when you buy them at the store.

You Get More Options

If you'd like to try your hand at some exotic, heirloom, hard-to-find, or otherwise non-mainstream, you might not be able to find them as plants. This is where combing seed catalogs comes in handy. Get a packet of those rare varieties and start them yourself at home.

You Get Tougher Plants

Generally, growers grow plants in conditions that promote fast plant growth (which, in turn, gives them a bigger profit faster). What's good for fast plant growth (warm, cushy, bright environment) doesn't necessarily make strong, tough plants. It actually makes plants thinner and weaker.

Plants grown in your home are subject to imperfect conditions (your house temperature may fluxuate, you may forget to water your seedlings or over or under water them, etc.) In the long run, these less than perfect conditions make stronger plants.

You Can Experiment With Your Own Seeds

Some people also start seeds indoors because they've saved seeds from their plants the previous year and want to use those seeds to grow plants for this year's garden.

For more information, see the following links:

The Equipment You'll Need to Start Seeds Indoors

Free Seed Catalog Information

How to Start Seedlings Indoors

Starting Seeds with Peat Pellets

Climate Zone Information for Your Area

Layout for a Small Vegetable Garden

Starting a Vegetable Garden