What seeds to start indoors now (4 weeks before last frost)

Starting seeds in peat pods and Aerogarden

Saturday, March 8, 2025

For indoor seed starting, it is time to start the ones that love the hot weather.  You can also continue to succession sow lettuce for continuous harvest into summer.  

For our zone 7 garden, here are the ones you can sow indoors now: 

Herbs 

*Basil

*Cilantro

*Culantro

*Dill

*Feverfew

*Navajo Tea

*Butterfly Form Papalo (tastes like cilantro but loves hot weather)

*Red Shiso

Veggies/Fruits

*Amaranth

*Artichoke

*Arugula

*Basil

*Bok Choy

*Broccoli Raab

*Chinese Cabbage

*Cucumber

*Cultivated Dandelions

*Fennel

*Huckleberry

*Lambsquarter

*Leeks

*Lettuce

*Melons

*Mustard

*Okra

*Orach

*Peppers

*Pumpkins

*Radicchio

*Red Malabar Spinach

*Sorrel

*Soybean

*Summer and Winter Squash

*Tomatoes

*Watermelons

Flowers and Ornamentals

*Amaranthus

*Aster

*Blue Fescue

*Cosmos

*Fountain Grass

*Hummingbird Vine

*Hyacinth Bean

*Love in a Mist

*Luffa

*Lupine

*Marigold

*Morning Glory

*Nasturtium

*Platinum Blue

*California and Corn Poppies

*Zinnias

Few of the veggies and herbs listed are cool season producers.  For more on cool season gardening, see A spring edible garden. At this point, we are adding more of the staples of the summer garden like tomatoes, basil, melons and squash.  For more on summer gardening, see  All about the summer edible garden 

For indoor seed starting how-to and tips:  Indoor seed starting how to and tips

For making your own seed starting pots:  Make your own peat pots 

If you are transplanting seedlings from indoors to outdoors, be sure to harden them to the conditions they will be transplanted to.  If in a greenhouse, cold frame or hot bed, you can take outdoors when temperatures are warm or maybe an unheated garage if the temps are close to the covered location you will be placing them.  "Hardening off" seedlings 

Next week looks good for moving transplants of cool season crops outdoors, after hardening off, of course.