It’s January, which means the seed catalogs are pouring in.  Why order from a catalog and start from seed? Well for one, the selection. Your local nursery will only have a couple varieties of tomatoes, while a tomato seed catalog has over 200 varieties for you to choose from.  As Janie Malloy explains on vegetablegardener.com, “My favorite tomato is called ‘Carrot’, and even though it’s not a heavy producer, I’d trade a dozen ‘Better Boys’ for one ‘Carrot’ any day.”

Also, starting seedlings allows for ease of germination and quick growth. The resulting plants will have a better color, higher quality and a longer shelf life. Starting your seedlings indoors will ensure that they are in the proper stage of development before they are planted. This is crucial if you live in colder weather, as growing season is short, so good timing will increase your production. Vegetablegardener.com gives these tips for starting your own seedlings indoors:

Make a seedling box

You’ll need containers that have drainage holes and a tray, or something to catch excess water. One trick is to take a foil-baking dish with holes poked in the bottom and place it into another one to catch excess water. Old plastic plant six-packs or 4” containers will do as well. Styrofoam cups and plastic tubs are great for sharing seedlings with friends. You can make a long-lasting wooden 12“ by 16” seedling box that fits well under standard grow-light tubes. Whatever you use, be sure it’s clean and sterilized. You can also buy a gadget that compresses soil into blocks , or one that molds newspaper into little biodegradable pots.

Use a lightweight sterile soil

Once you have containers, you’ll need a starting mix. There are some great seed starting mixes on the market. Look around for one that fits your budget, or mix your own. A starting mix should be a lightweight medium that will stay moist without compacting. Standard ingredients for achieving this are vermiculite, perlite, peat moss, and sphagnum moss.

Stay away from unsterilized soil, compost, or worm castings until the seedlings are ready for transplanting. Using a soilless mix lessens the chance of a common seed starting disease called damping off, which rots stems and topples seedlings. The first step in prevention calls for cleaning containers and tools in hot, soapy water. A top layer of perlite will keep moisture away from emerging stems.

Fill your container with 3 to 4 inches of your starting mix, up to about 1⁄2 inch from the top. Moisten thoroughly with warm water; this eliminates the need for top watering immediately after sowing so the seeds won’t be displaced.

Plant seeds at the correct depth

Next, take a look at the size of the seeds; this will dictate how deep and how far apart to plant the seeds. The three-seed rule applies whether starting seed in a pot or in the ground. Place three seeds in a line; the length of this line is how deep you should plant the seed. Tiny seeds like lettuce and parsley should be broadcast (sprinkled) across the top of the soil or planting medium and then covered ever so lightly. The ideal distance between seeds provides enough space so the resulting seedlings and their roots do not touch or intertwine.

Keep seeds warm and moist

Once you have planted seeds, you must keep the planting medium moist and warm. Place freshly planted containers on a heated seed-starting mat, or in a warm spot in the house. Any place the cat likes to hang out will be appropriate, or try the top of the dryer, near a heater, on the gas stove, or on a windowsill. Remember that warmth can reduce moisture, so check the soil daily. If you must water freshly planted seeds from the top, do so very gently; it’s preferable to water from the bottom.

Provide 12-16 hours of light per day

Light is necessary once the seedlings emerge. When growing seedlings indoors you have two choices: natural or artificial light. Seedlings need a lot of light, and spindly growth will tell you if they’re not getting enough. Incandescent lights won’t do because they don’t provide the full spectrum of light that growing plants need. Grow lights or fluorescent lights are best. Place seedlings under them for 12 to 16 hours a day. Any longer than that, and the plant won’t be able to go through the metabolic processes required for growth.

Introduce seedlings to your garden

The timetable for hardening off plants depends on outdoor temperatures (and on your careful calculation of the lead time required by each plant). Your seedlings should be ready once they have two or three leaves beyond the seed leaves. Gradually introduce tender plants to the garden. Place them in a cold frame, or in dappled shade for about five days, and then move them into a sunny location for another five days before transplanting them into their new home.

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With the weather being so cold outside, gardening is probably not the first thing on your mind. But now is the time to begin choosing your seeds and plan your spring garden. Whether you are starting from scratch, or just swapping out a few plants, here are our top tips to get you ready:

Send away for catalogs

Comprehensive catalogs will supply you with high-quality plants for spring and garden reading to get you though the year’s shortest, darkest days. Click here to see About.com’s list of FREE seed catalogs, so you can order yours today and start planning.

Garden virtually

Even in the dead of winter, gardening is as near as your computer. On the Internet, you can commune with fellow enthusiasts, shop for bulbs from Holland or glimpse far away gardens.

Not only does GuardenGuides.com have lots of advice articles, it has a “community” forum, where you can chat with other gardeners online and get advice.

YouTube.com has over 6,000 instructional videos on how to plan your garden. Sometimes it actually helps to see how to plant your garden, versus reading instructions. Click here to browse the wide selection of free “how to” gardening videos.

Better Homes and Gardens has an online “Plan-a-Garden” that lets you design anything from a patio-side container garden to your whole yard. Use your mouse to “drag-and-drop” more than 150 trees, shrubs, and flowers. Add dozens of structures like buildings, sheds, fences, decks — even a pond.

Read Up

There’s still time to read some of the top-selling garden books at Amazon.com, Amazon.com has over 8,000 garden planning books.  To help you navigate all the possibilities, here is a list of the best sellers according to The Planting Queen:

1. It’s been out for three years, but All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew still tops the charts. Of the 140 reviews, 104 gave it five stars. I think that’s because many people still want to garden, but they don’t want it to take over their lives. This is the 2006 edition.

2. I love Barbara Kingsolver’s novels. But Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, which she co-wrote with her daughter and husband, chronicles their year (along with another daughter) eating only locally grown foods. While not a gardening how-to, it does invoke a desire to do it. If only.

3. Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables by Mike Bubel and Nancy Bubel was published in 1991, but I think many will feel as one reviewer did: “My most recent interests all revolve around this new desire that I have to become more self-sufficient.”

4. Are we detecting a theme yet? Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman, Barbara Damrosch, and Kathy Bray was published 10 years ago. Yet it’s number 4 today.

5. Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series) by Steve Solomon. ‘Nuff said.

6. The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible: Discover Ed’s High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions by Edward C. Smith.

7. Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy.

The weather is starting to get chilly – which means it’s time to prep your garden for winter and protect your plants. Of course, if you choose to ignore winter preparations, the world will not come to an end, but you risk losing your less hardy and younger plants to severe cold, and also face a more daunting garden preparation chore in the spring. It’s well worth spending the extra time in your garden before winter takes hold.

Clean up weeds

Start your clean-up by removing weeds and any dead plants from your beds. For shrubs and trees, remove diseased leaves, but pruning is not recommended in the fall as it may stimulate new growth just as the harsh winter is bearing down.  Make sure you wear durable work gloves (like these) to protect your hands when you’re removing weeds and leaves.

Start your compost bin

If you don’t already have a compost bin, consider starting one at this time. You can throw your cuttings as well as dried leaves in your compost bin, which will break down into a nutrient-rich compost for next season. Don’t throw weeds or diseased cuttings into your compost, however, as this will only multiply these problems down the road.

Remove blubs

Non-hardy bulbs should be removed from the ground. Let the bulbs dry out for a few hours before storing them in a cool, dry place for the winter, such as a garage or basement.

It’s a good time, too, for dividing perennials. Division not only maintains the health of your perennials, but it’s also an easy way to propagate your plants so that you’ll have more coverage next season.

Mulch

Often you hear recommendations about mulching around trees and shrubs before winter hits, but rodents like to move into these cushy, warm piles to spend the winter, and snack on the bark of the trees and shrubs you’re trying to protect. This can be much more damaging than typical winter damage, so I’m not a big fan of that theory.

If it’s a rose or plant that really needs that extra protection, don’t bury it in mulch… use soil. Soil does a better job of insulation delicate plants from both cold and pests and also prevents soil erosion. Don’t mulch with soil too early, though, as it may encourage disease and pests. It is best to wait until after the first frost when the ground starts to freeze. Check out Bog Boots for keeping your feet warm and dry when you’re mulching. In general, 4 to 6 inches of soil mulch will provide an adequate layer of protection.

Watering
It’s a good idea to water your garden thoroughly before the ground freezes. Even with snow, winter can be very dry and harsh for many trees and shrubs, such as evergreens, so it’s best to provide them with a large supply of moisture before the extreme winter weather arrives.

Cleaning and Storing Tools
Once your cleaning and cutting is done, it’s time to give some love and care to your tools. Clean, oil, and sharpen your tools, then store them in a dry place for the winter. Drain garden hoses and store them coiled in a sheltered place where they won’t freeze and crack. It’s a little extra work, but come spring, you’ll be delighted to pull out your tools that are ready to go to work with no fuss or muss.

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