Welcome back friends and new friends. Are you interested in what, when and why to start seeds indoors in February for Zone 7? Well, you are in the right place. And yes, starting from seeds is much cheaper and economical than buying starts from the nursery.
First, we need to talk about frost dates. The dates I am using for our example are based on my exact location, which is Zone 7b in central piedmont North Carolina. And the dates are provided by the Farmer's Almanac, which gets its data from the NOAA. The last NOAA update was in 2020. You can search your exact date at almanac dot com. Just enter your zip code and you are set.
First, "average" does not really indicate mean, median or mode in this case. In fact, the NOAA provides a series of dates with probabilities assigned. For my case here, the "average" is April 13 and indicates there is a 70% chance that it is the last day of a "frost." That also means there is a 30% chance that there will be frost after April 13. Too, "frost" simply means a light freeze, there is also the moderate freeze, 28 or below, and a severe freeze 24 or below. The NOAA tracks both last frost and last freeze dates.
Is it possible to get a moderate freeze after the 13th? Absolutely. Mother's Day, May 09, 2021. We had a freeze here in our area. Many of my gardening friends lost their nightshade starts, like tomatoes and peppers. It was bad.
Anyway, if you are planning your seed starts based on that "average" date we can say you are a risk taker, which is fine. I do it every year. I have put out tomatoes in March before. How did they survive? Well, I used large containers to cover them. You can also use a cloche, which is a clear plastic dome for outdoor plants. In fact, you probably want to get a supply of these items. They are very handy in the early spring for the cold mornings.
Remember, before we get rolling on the specific plants to start, if you are NOT a risk taker, simply move your start dates back accordingly. Want a better chance? Push it back a week. Want an even better chance? Push it back two weeks; easy adjustment.
<Well used cloche domes; photo by Jamie Slate>
Let us start with the herbs. There are six sisters you can start inside in February. These are celery, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage and basil. Celery is not technically an herb, but it is in the parsley family, so I placed it in this list. ;)
Now you can start celery, oregano, rosemary and thyme on the first of February. That would be an "early" mark. Any time before Feb 15 is an early mark.
If you start your celery on February 01 you can expect to put it out on March 16. That is a six-week process.
Note, with all of these, you do not simply want to grow them inside then put them outside. You need to get the plants acquainted with the real world first. Two weeks before you plant them, start taking them outside a little bit at a time. Slowly build up from minutes to an hour, then a little more than an hour. NEVER put them in direct sun, strong wind or hard rain. Think dappled sun (or greenhouse) light rain and light breeze only. They need to get acquainted with the elements not annihilated by the elements.
Oregano and Thyme can be started on February 01 inside and placed outside on April 13. That is a ten-week process.
Note 1: If you are not a risk taker, start them on February 15 and place them out on April 27. Note 2: These take longer than celery because they take longer to germinate.
Rosemary can also be started on February 01 but placed out on April 20. That is of course an 11-week process.
Note: You can propagate Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano from old growth if you already have those in place outside. Just make cuttings and have them root in a mix of water and a growth hormone solution. You should wait to do this in the spring or fall.
Sage and Basil are the last of the 6 sisters. Start these February 15 (or later) and place them out on April 13 (or later.) This is an 8-week process. Our stock of basil seeds is our own and include Elidia, red Reuben and Asian basil. A few go into our herb center and the rest are to be grown with our tomatoes.
Note: Tomatoes, Onions, Marigolds and Basil are a great combination of companion plants. Try it this year! Saves space and they help each other thrive.
<Greens Garden Spring 2021; photo by Jamie Slate>
Let's move on to some choice brassicas. These are cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. These can be started on February 15 and placed on March 16, making it a 4-week process. Why can these go out so quickly? They are cold hardy. But I still recommend using the cloche technique when they are young for those especially cold overnights. It also helps somewhat with pest control.
Note: Cabbage needs light to germinate. Most seeds do not need light to germinate. It will feel strange to turn on your grow light over open dirt, but it is necessary.
I am running an experiment right now with cabbage. The seeds were started on January 05. The plan is to put them out in February, not March, and use the cloche system. I have no idea if this will work or not. It is an experiment.
I am also trying to get rutabaga going. Now rutabaga is a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. And generally, you do not start root crops by seed indoors then transplant outdoors. It is shocking to the root system, which is what you are after as the edible part of the plant. But I wanted to see for myself if a rutabaga could handle it. We will see.
<Black Beauty Eggplants from 2021; photo by Jamie Slate>
Now lastly are our nightshades which are a warm season family. I will use bell peppers and jalapeno peppers as representatives of sweet peppers versus hot peppers.
These can go out on April 20th if started on February 01. If you are not a risk taker, just back up your start date one or two weeks. Zone 7 has a long growing season so there is no rush, really.
Tomatoes do not take as long to develop so you can wait until February 15 to start your seeds indoors in zone 7.
Note 1: If you are using a grow light, keep it 2-3 inches above the growth. This will help keep the plant from getting leggy.
Note 2: If you are starting your seeds near a south facing window, remember to rotate the tray daily. This will help keep the plants from leaning too much. It will not stop it completely though.
Eggplant is our last nightshade. Start these seeds indoors on February 15 and they can go out April 27. That is right. It is a 12-week process.
I have had many discussions over the years about eggplants. Most beginners get frustrated or think they have failed with their eggplants. Be patient. Tomatoes are fastest, peppers next, eggplants last. That's just the way it is around here in Zone 7.
<Pasting Tomatoes from 2021; photo by Jamie Slate>
What did I leave out? Drop your comments down below. And please subscribe if you are new to this blog. Thanks for reading.
The comment section is below the seeding guide used in this blog post.
February Seed Starts
01. Feb01-Feb15 Celery Mar16-Apr06 (6-weeks)
02.Feb01-Mar01 Oregano Apr13-May04 (10)
03.Feb01-Feb15 Rosemary Apr20-May11 (11)
04.Feb01-Mar01 Thyme Apr13-May04 (10)
05.Feb15-Mar01 Sage Apr13-Apr27 (8-weeks)
06. Feb15-Mar01: Basil Aprl13-May04 (8)
01. Feb15-Mar01 Broccoli Mar16-Apr06 (4-weeks)
02. Feb15-Mar01 Cabbage Mar16-Mar30 (4)
03. Feb15-Mar01 Cauliflower Mar16-Apr06 (4)
01. Feb01-Feb15 Bell Peppers Apr20-May04 (11-weeks)
02. Feb01-Feb15 Jalapeno Apr20-May04 (11)
04. Feb15-Mar01 Tomatoes Apr20-May11 (9-weeks)
05. Feb15-Mar01 Eggplants Apr27-May11 (10)
Comments