by Jaimela King

Created on: February 20, 2010   Last Updated: February 23, 2010

You can practically have a vegetable garden any time your heart desires.  If you live in colder to moderate climates you can start your vegetable garden indoors during the winter months. This allows you to get an early jump on the gardening season while giving you a great opportunity to deal with the winter blahs.

 Start your vegetable seeds indoors as early as February, for outdoor planting in Spring , but check the timing for

starting seeds indoors on your seed packets. The usual recommended times are between 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost, but there are those who successfully start seeds indoors as early as January.

One rule of thumb when deciding when is the best time to plant is to plan your garden during the winter months, start your seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost, plant outdoors in spring, and maintain and replant during the summer. So if you live in less moderate climates you will have to satisfy you plant cravings with indoor planting and wait until the ground is thawed and you are fairly sure that the last frost of the season has passed. This normally occurs during  the last week in May, but is not cast in stone.

The type of plants you will be growing also determines how early you can start your garden. Hardier plants are able to survive the cold or frost much better than the not-so-hardy ones, even though you can’t expect them to really start growing until the weather gets warm. If you just can’t wait and are not shy about taking chances, you can certainly try to get the hardier plants out there a few weeks before the last frost.

You can also plant your garden to have vegetables mature after the expected frost in fall. This works especially well for hardy plants like pumpkins that can continue to grow well into the cooler days. However, it is important to understand that you are taking a chance, even with hardy vegetable varieties, but is also possible that you can get lucky too. There is really no harm in trying if it makes you feel good about the effort.

Another consideration about the best time to plant has to do with replenishing your garden throughout the growing season.  Plants like lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard can be planted at intervals so that you can reap vegetables throughout the growing season until the autumn frost. Early maturing vegetables can be harvested and the space used to plant other varieties. This way you are planting and reaping throughout the growing season.

The best time to plant your vegetable garden depends upon a number of factors, however, for the avid gardener, anytime is the right time. You find a way to grow herbs or salad vegetables in a hanging basket in your sunny window if you have to. There are no limits really.

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