Plant your vegetables indoors and get a head start on spring

Here come the seed catalogs.

Your mouth waters for juicy homegrown tomatoes, crunchy lettuce and zesty fresh onions.

And, yet, you must wait.

Vegetables need warmer weather to survive, that is, unless you start them indoors.

Starting seeds in winter gives you a venue for your premature gardening passion, and you’ll be able to put established plants in the ground when spring finally arrives.

“You get a jump on the season, of course,” said Ed Hume, a gardening expert and founder of Ed Hume Seeds of Puyallup. “Very often, instead of a single crop, you can get a couple crops in the same area of the garden.”

Many crops thrive if cultivated indoors two to six weeks before being transplanted outside as adolescents.

That includes a variety of the so-called cole or cold-season crops, including broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.

Lettuces, peppers, onions, celery and basil are also popular indoor crops to start from seed.

Tomatoes can be started indoors, but it’s not practical unless you want numerous plants of the same variety and have garden space to devote to the eventually monstrous vines.

Many seeds can be started in tiny pots and gradually moved to large containers. Some crops — such as pumpkins, squash, cucumbers and melons — are best started indoors in larger pots, 3 to 4 inches in diameter, so you can avoid disturbing the roots during transplant.

Other vegetables don’t like to be transplanted much at all. Pea, bean and carrot seeds, for example, are commonly sown directly in the ground.

Those wonders have to wait their turn. But, for now, imagine starting your garden in the comfort of your home, perhaps including the kids in the miracle that is the seed.

What starts as a speck almost too small to pick up with your fingers, can eventually grow into a 2-pound head of bright green lettuce.

Why wait?

Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.

Seed starting 101

Crop

Not all seeds should be started indoors. Follow the instructions on your seed packets for when to start seeds or check “The Maritime Northwest Gardening Guide” a local vegetable gardening bible from Seattle Tilth.

Go to http://tinyurl.com/seedstartingdates for one Kitsap County gardener’s recommended starting and transplanting schedule.

Container

There are numerous options to buy, but just about any container will do, including trays, pots and even old egg cartons.

Soil

Though you can buy special seed-starting mixes, any light, fluffy potting soil should work. Do not use soil from the garden, which can be too heavy and can introduce weeds, pests and diseases. Before planting, fill the container to the top so warm air can easily flow over the soil.

Planting

Planting too deep and overwatering seeds are common mistakes. Follow seed packet instructions closely for planting depth. In most cases, you should barely cover seeds.

Mist

Seeds must be kept constantly moist to survive. They needn’t be deluged with water, however. Mist with a spray bottle while seeds germinate. Depending on the humidity in your home, you may need to do this multiple times a day. Water more as the plants get larger.

Light

Select a spot with bright light, such as a south- or west-facing window. Seeds will germinate faster and grow much better if they are kept under fluorescent tube lights or grow lights.

Position lights about 4 inches above the seedlings, raising the lights as the plants grow. Keep the lights on for about 15 hours a day.

Go to http://tinyurl.com/growlights to see a Seattle woman’s handy seed-starting rig.

Warmth

Temperatures around seedlings should average 65 to 72 degrees, day and night. Electric seed-starting mats placed below seed trays can help with growth and germination.

Thin

Plants forced to complete for space or light will be less successful. Once seeds have sprouted and formed a couple of sets of leaves, they can be repotted in increasingly larger containers.

Transplant

Do not put delicate seedlings outdoors until the danger of frost has passed, which can be as early as late March in some areas and much later in other areas of Snohomish County.

Heat-loving crops such as tomatoes, peppers and basil should not be put outdoors until after Mother’s Day, in some cases even later.

You can harden plants off by bringing them outside for a few hours each day, gradually increasing the number of hours. If temperatures are predicted to dip below freezing, cover the plants.

Take a class

What: Seattle Tilth offers two seed-starting workshops for beginners. Learn the basics, including inexpensive techniques that use supplies you may already own. These classes will take place in a covered area outdoors so please dress for the weather.

When and where: 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 30 at Bradner Gardens Park, 1733 Bradner Place S., Seattle; and 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 20 at St. James Annex, 9421 18th SW, Seattle.

Cost: $35, $25 for Tilth members. Registration and advance payment is required.

Information: Call 206-633-0451, ext. 101 or go to www.seattletilth.org to register.

Learn more: Seattle Tilth is also offering a two-day seed-starting intensive workshop Feb. 13 and 14 in Seattle for $99 for nonmembers.

Seeds for the needy

Ed Hume Seeds of Puyallup makes seed donations to people in need all over the world, including Haiti.

Last year, Ed Hume Seeds sent seeds to Haiti through California-based Seeds to the World. When conditions in the country stabilize, more shipments will be sent to people trying to rebuild their lives.

Seed company founder, Ed Hume, has been to Haiti and has worked to help farmers and others out of poverty by working with international outreach organizations such as World Concern, which is based in Shoreline. Hume and his wife, Myrna, also sponsor a family in Haiti.

Jeff Hume of Ed Hume Seeds said the company has donated about a million packets of seeds every year of the past decade. Though some of the seeds go to local groups raising food for the hungry, most of the packets go to other countries or areas in special need such as New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.

To donate seeds of your own, go to www.seedstotheworld.org or call 209-466-6377.

If you’d like to grow food for local people in need this year, go to www.humeseeds.com/free1.htm to sign up for a free packet of Ed Hume Seeds.