Ask Flora - Spring 2025
by Sage & Snow Garden Club
March 24, 2025
Dear Flora,
I recently purchased seeds from my favorite seed catalog. I am wondering if you could give me some tips on when to start planting?
Thanks so much,
Paisley Plante
Dear Paisley,
The short answer is—it depends. You will need to determine whether your seeds can be directly sown outdoors or if plants need to be started indoors and transplanted later to their garden location.
Direct Seeding Types—lettuce, spinach, carrots, peas, beets, potatoes, green beans, kale, turnips, cilantro, arugula, onion sets.
Indoor Seed Starting/Transplanted Later Types—broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, onion seeds, basil, parsley.
According to local gardeners, June 15th is generally considered to be the last frost date here in Sublette County. Some direct seeding before this date works well for cool weather crops but most transplants need to be planted after any threat of frost is past.
Seed starting date schedules are the best guides to help us be successful. Local gardener, Arlinda McLaughlin, has an extensive list that she is willing to share for both direct seeding and indoor seeding timing (see contact information at the end of this article).
A great resource from Fairbanks, Alaska, is the ‘Frosty Garden’ website-- https://frostygarden.com/. As it turns out, Sublette County has similar growing conditions as interior Alaska (can you believe that?)—check out the wealth of information here.
Another excellent resource is www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/seed-planting-schedule-calculator.html. This site lists seed starting dates based on your last frost-free date.
Dear Flora,
I want to start growing my own plants from seed indoors this spring to transplant out in my garden when the weather warms up. Can you share your best tips on seed starting indoors?
Grateful for any info--
Frosty Soleil
Dear Frosty,
I would love to share some tips with you! We learned some great tips for seed starting at the Tomato Growing class recently held at BOCES:
- Gather needed tools—seedling trays, pots (3.5—5.5 inch), humidity domes, heating mat for germination, LED full-spectrum lights, fixture to raise and lower lights.
- Start with quality seed starting mix made for this purpose (or make your own of coco coir, peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, worm castings).
- Plant one or two seeds per seedling tray cell. You can trim off one plant after germination with scissors. Make sure to label as you sow seeds!
- Fun new idea—try planting seeds using the "seed snail" method. Use long narrow piece of burlap or thin sheet of packing foam, spread soil along its length, roll up like a jelly roll, and plant seeds into the top of the snail. When ready to plant, unroll and carefully remove plants from the snail to plant in larger pots or directly into garden beds. See website for more details— https://kowalskimountain.com/seed-snail-growing-method/
Use a seed starting schedule—April 15th is about the right time here to start broccoli, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, and onion seed for transplanting outdoors after the last frost (mid-June). Summer squash, cucumbers, and corn should be started indoors around May 15th.
Add a breeze to boost strength in your plants. Start by brushing over your plants with your hand to stimulate stockier, less leggy growth. As plants mature, add a fan at the lowest setting for an hour a day to strengthen plants.Water—seedlings are fragile. Use a spray water bottle to mist soil until seeds emerge. Then, gently water plants with room temperature water with a small pitcher. Use a liquid fertilizer with an NPK of 2-3-2 at ¼ strength to fertilize baby plants every ten days to two weeks. Transplant to larger pots as your plants grow. For tomatoes, bury the stem deeply with just the top leaves above the soil to promote root growth.
Hardening off seedlings is so important! This process should take about two weeks to complete as you gradually introduce seedlings to "real life" outside. See Frostygardener.com blog for a complete guide of recommendations.
Protect those precious seedlings even after transplanting into their permanent locations. Grow caps, milk jugs, wall-o-waters, or any type of wind/frost protection will help keep your plants growing strong.
Dear Flora,
I would love to learn more about gardening in Sublette County. Does the garden club have any upcoming activities that I could participate in?
Ever Grateful,
Sage Snow
Dear Sage,
The Sage and Snow Garden Club welcomes gardeners, from novice to expert, to join our club to learn more about successful techniques and plants that grow in Sublette County. We have many club activities coming up this summer—flower barrel plantings, water-wise garden maintenance, garden tour, and other educational opportunities.
For more information or to ask questions for our next Ask Flora column, go to our website at https://www.sageandsnowgardenclub.org/ or contact Arlinda McLaughlin, Master Gardener at 307-231-9402.
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