When to Start Seeds?

[Traveler]

I am in zone 6a. My last average frost day is April 15. I plan to plant a mix of in ground and container and am willing to transplant as needed. When should I start germinating seeds? Burpee says start germinating March 15 for May 15 planting in ground. However my seed packets generally state 5-7 weeks prior to last frost which on average would be about March 1. Further, I have grow lights and south facing windows. Also I can bring some containers inside on cold evenings. I am thinking of sticking with the Burpee plan for the in ground larger tomatoes and a couple weeks earlier for the smaller in container tomatoes. Advice much appreciated.

[MissS]

Most people that I know start their seeds 6-8 weeks before they plan to plant them out. I used to start mine 8 weeks before but with my limited space, I found that they got too big. Now I start them 6 weeks before plant out. They are much smaller but work just fine for me and the space that I have to offer them.

I think that considering your zone that staggering your plants is a very good idea. Where do you live? That would help us to answer your questions better. You can add your location to your profile if you want or you can add it to your signature. There is a tutorial on how to do it at the bottom of the home page in the Suggestions, Support & Tutorial forum.

[Shule]

I start mine in an unheated 6'x5'x3' greenhouse in the middle of March, and our last frost is usually around May 10th. Seeds take longer to sprout outside in an unheated greenhouse where it's cool, and they don't get as big in the same time, but it works reasonably well, and they get nice and strong and green without being leggy (but they require more phosphorus and such, too). So, 7.7 weeks for me (some vareties take a lot longer to sprout, though; so, that's just for most of them).

You could get plants ready much faster indoors, with enough light and such. Less light means slower growth, though. Burpee probably doesn't expect all people to use grow lights or bright south windows. So, that's probably why they recomend about eight weeks.

[AZGardener]

I start mine the first or second week of January to get them out by mid-late February. Take your last average frost date, count back six weeks and that is time to plant indoors under lights. Peppers take a little longer to germinate (generally), so you might want to plant them a little earlier
than tomatoes.

[arnorrian]

Two years ago I started my tomatoes on 01 Feb. The plants got weak when they grew large and I lost a third of them before it was warm enough to transplant them outside. Last year I started them 20 days latter. Again the same, lost a third to leaves falling off until nothing remains. I can plant out on about 20 Apr. This year I'm not starting tomatoes before 15 Mar.

[pondgardener]

My last frost date seems to be moving backward as the years go by, so it seems that the start times change. Like others have posted, tomatoes seem to get leggy when started too early, so I usually start them 4-5 weeks before last frost date. Peppers, especially with the superhots, I start 6-8 weeks before plant out date. And since I retired, I now have the time to take the plants out to get some sunshine and wind, and that seems to speed things up as well, regarding hardening off. And in case of late frosts and or early hail, I have plenty of old containers and buckets to cover up transplants, to help avoid damage.

[OhioKate]

I'm also in zone 6a and I start most of my tomatoes around mid-march which is about 8 weeks before our average last frost date (May 15th). Usually they are outside hardening off during the first or second week of May and in the ground by the end of the month.

My hot peppers take a long time to germinate so I actually started those about a week ago. I didn't have very sturdy transplants last year and I think it was because I waited until the beginning of March to start.

[Sue_CT]

I am also in zone 6a and that last frost date of April 15 seems pretty early. I have frost most years after that date. The recommendation for tomatoes that I have always followed is not to plant out until the night time temps are regularly above 50 degrees, not after the average last frost date. For me, plant out is the last 2 weeks in May, depending on the forecast. Tomatoes grown in cold temps can be mealy and don't taste as good. It only takes one frost to wipe out your plants. "average" last frost date means that you get frost after that date half the time. I don't start seeds before mid March, and am trying to get myself to wait until late March because they do get bigger than they should. I have a hard time waiting though, because after a long winter inside, it is nice to be planning the summer garden and starting plants. I have also had some germination problems with a couple of varieties of purchased seeds, so if they don't come up I want to make sure i have time to replant. So I try to average it out. I might go for mid March for the varieties I have had issues with or that are older seeds and start the rest a week or two later.

[pondgardener]

Although I mentioned that I start my tomato seeds 4 to 5 weeks early, I do start a few 55 DTM tomato seeds along with the habanero seeds about 8 weeks before the last frost. Then, although I am taking a chance, I plant them inside of one of those small tomato supports that allows me to place an overturned 5 gallon bucket on top in case of snow or projected frosts. And cover them with blankets if it really gets cold. This way I get some early tomatoes and it gives me something to fuss over early in the season.

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum!

Don't pay any attention to that "average last frost date"! Remember, what this means, more or less, is that half the time it won't frost after this, and half the time it will! Are you willing to take this gamble?

I am in 6B-7A here, and I start my seeds on 4-1, unless I want to put a few under cover, which I'll start a little earlier. And they usually go out around 5-1 - 6 weeks after starting they would be overgrown, and I would have had to transplant to some much larger pots, before putting them out. But that's me, growing them at room temp (68°, maybe a little warmer, as it's my laudry room, too!); if in much cooler settings, they would need more time. And the last two seasons, we had a very warm April here, and I put the tomatoes out 4 or 5 days earlier, because the plants were huge; this was good in 2019, as it stayed warm, but last year we had the coldest May on record here, which was not good! Imagine if I had started those way back in March...I don't know how some people do this, short of ending up with the plants in gallon pots, by plant time.

I'd suggest that you try to find out what the latest frost on record has been around there, and count back 4-5 weeks from that, and plant tomato seeds then. Peppers, 6-8 weeks, remembering that peppers need heat, to germinate. Eggplants, in between these. These are just general numbers - you'll figure yours out, after a few years. Good luck!

[AlittleSalt]

"Averages are exactly that" is the way a gardeners want to see to see things. However, averages are taken over around 120 years in America. That includes the last frost being on March 15th one year and May 15th on another year. Average those two years and the last frost date is April 15th which would be wrong. Averaging over 120 years - then April 15th is closer to right but there's still a margin of error. I have lived where I do for 55 years. I've seen the last frost date in February and as late as May 2nd.

Where I live in North Central Texas, Valentines day is good day to start tomato and milder pepper seeds. You might choose Saint Patrick's day to start yours? Holidays are an easy way to remember when to start seeds.

[AKgardener]

I live in zone 3b I’m starting my tomatoes March 25th because I’m putting up a greenhouse and I’ll be able to warm in up before they need to be out in June this will be new for me see how the greenhouse works.