Spring might not officially begin for another month, but gardeners are in full-on preparation mode for the growing season ahead. If you can’t wait to sink your hands into the dirt, don’t wait any longer—at this point, you can begin planting some of your favorite veggies! There are plenty of seeds that you can start indoors in February, and even a few that you can direct-sow outdoors.
When to Start Seeds Indoors
Starting seeds indoors lets gardeners get a head start on the growing season, so your seedlings are already well-developed by the time you would be direct-seeding the same plants outdoors. When to start seeds indoors depends on how long each seed will take to germinate and when you’ll be able to transplant them into the garden. You’ll need to know when the last expected frost is for your region, and count back from there.
For the sake of those who live near one of our garden center locations, the last frost in Alexandria, VA, is usually in the first or second week of April, and the last frost in Lothian, MD, is generally during the third or fourth week of April. After those dates have passed, it should be safe to transplant seedlings into your garden beds.
Most seeds require about a 6-8 week growing period before they’re ready to be transplanted, which means the bulk of your indoor seeding should happen in February. Don’t worry if these dates have already passed, though—delaying your indoor seeding by a few weeks will only mean that your seedlings should be transplanted and harvested a few weeks later!
Basic Seed Starting Supplies Checklist
- Containers: flats or individual containers at least 3 to 4 inches deep.
- Seed-starting and potting mixes: peat moss, fine compost, perlite, and milled sphagnum moss will work for seed starting. Later you will need a potting mix: 1 part garden soil, 1 part perlite or builders’ sand; 1 part fine compost.
- Lights: adjustable up and down fluorescent lights will do to keep plants growing.
- Capillary mats placed under containers will wick up moisture to the seeds and seedlings.
- Half-strength fertilizer to get seedlings growing: fish or seaweed fertilizer or compost tea.
What to Plant in February
Vegetables that are the easiest to start indoors from seed are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Flowers that are easy to start from seed include alyssum, cosmos, marigolds, Shasta daisies, and zinnias.
Broccoli (Zones 7-10):
If you live in Zones 7-10, and can find a quick growing Broccoli variety, you can harvest until it bolts in the hot summer sun!
Lettuce (Zones 7-10):
In Zones 7-10, start a crop of salad mix greens that gets bright sun, but not all day. Great for spring crops until the lettuce begins to bolt in the summer sun!
Onions (Zones 7-10):
Get those onion seeds growing! Zones 7-10 should plant long day onions, and Zones 3-6 should plant short day onions. Be careful to select an onion variety appropriate for your climate!
Peppers (Zones 7-10):
Fresh, crisp peppers are a garden favorite. Peppers take up little space and can produce high yields when planted close together. Plant as many different varieties as possible! They come small, big, hot, mild, and an array of different colors. For Zones 7-10, start seeds 8-10 weeks before your last frost date indoors for best results.
Tomatoes (Zones 7-10):
The most popular garden vegetable! Growing tomatoes is not only fun, but treats you to some of the best tasting fruits in the world. Tomatoes come in many colors, shapes, taste, and sizes. Grow a few varieties every year to find your favorites! For Zones 7-10 start seeds 6-8 weeks before your last frost date indoors for best results.
Vegetables to Direct Sow in February
While most vegetable seeds can benefit from indoor starting, others are less bothered by the cold and prefer to be sown directly into your garden. Since they can tolerate some frost, you can go ahead and plant these hardier vegetables as soon as the soil is warm enough to work with. Here are some cold-tolerant veggies that you can direct sow later this month:
- Carrots
- Chard
- Potatoes
- Radishes
- Snap Peas
- Lettuce
- Spinach