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Starting seeds indoors is a great way to save money on your summer garden and flower beds. Instead of paying $2-$5 for an individual plant you can buy a seed pack for $2 and plant 100 seedlings. But so many people feel intimidated by this task. I get asked the question, “When are you starting your seeds?” all the time. If this is you then I am happy you found this article because I am going to share my easy, fool-proof resources that tell me exactly when to start my seeds. So here is the Easiest Way to Know When to Start Seeds Indoors (Vegetables & Flowers).

If you come to our house in the winter (late January-March), one thing you won’t miss are trays and trays of seedlings next to our south-facing windows. I will fill every window and old greenhouse shelves to maximize my space. This time of year brings me so much joy. Getting my hands dirty again even when there is a foot of snow outside. In a way, it brings me back to life and allows me to visualize what the summer will hopefully be like.

I have been starting seeds indoors since the beginning of our marriage, in 2006, and every year I grow more. Good thing my husband bought me a greenhouse last year. 😉 Now we just have to put it up. I grow almost all of my own seeds and grow enough to sell my extra plants on Facebook. If you can’t tell, seed starting makes me pretty excited.

“If this is you wondering the same thing, “How do I know when to start my seeds indoors?” Have no fear. I have the answer and it’s really simple.“

Just this week a friend messaged me and asked, “When do you start your seeds?” This is a really common question I get. Sometimes those conversations go like this, “Did you start your seeds yet? I started mine and they are already HUGE. I don’t know how I will be able to keep the indoors until our first safe planting date.” I live in zone 4, so those frost dates are critical! Every year I have people come and buy my plants because they lost theirs to frost.

If this is you wondering the same thing, “How do I know when to start my seeds indoors?” Have no fear. I have the answer and it’s really simple. No complicated algorithm or hours counting back on a calendar. And it is customized to your area. It’s a win, win!

The Easiest Way to Know When to Start Your Seeds Indoors

At our house, we always say that “there are several ways to skin a cat.” Maybe that old saying is not socially acceptable now but I think you can get the point. There are always different ways to do things and it is SO TRUE in homesteading. There are many ways to figure out when you should plant your seeds. But I am going to share my favorite way and I think that it is truly the easiest and I still use it every year. No counting back or anything.

What is this secret tool? The Old Farmer’s Almanac Planting Calendar

Yes, the Old Farmer’s Almanac Planting Calendar gives you all the information to know when to start your seeds and other helpful information too. Best of all, it’s FREE and customized based on your location. Click HERE to customize yours.

You will put in your location and then “SEARCH” and then you will see a customized planting schedule based on your area. See mine below.

Some features of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Planting Calendar are that it lists most common vegetables alphabetically, and includes start dates for planting seeds indoors, transplants, and planting outdoors.

One of my favorite features is that it shows seed starting dates for both frost and moon dates. This old practice of growing by the moon phase has been around forever and farmers swear by it. Read more about it HERE. So If I can, I will always try to use the moon dates.

What I love about The Old Farmer’s Almanac Planting Calendar:

But wait… What about flowers?

The one bad thing about The Old Farmer’s Almanac is that it does not show flowers, just vegetables. No worries. I found another easy-to-use, printing calendar that shows flowers from Johnny Seeds.

Johnny’s Seeds Planting Tools & Calculator

Johnny Seeds offers high-quality seeds, plants, and growing supplies for any kind of grower. This place is a one-stop shop for all things gardening. If you are a home gardener, farmer, or grower, you will be sure to find something of value on this site.

They have a Planning Tools & Calculators page that has a ton of useful information including THIS Seed Starting Date Calculator which includes vegetables and flowers. Some other helpful tools include planning your market garden, key growing information, target harvest date, and a seed quantity calculator. They also have instructional videos on growing almost everything. Check out the Grower’s Library but be prepared, you might get stuck on this site like I did.

Use the calendar button to put in the frost-free date (or last possible frost date) for your area and then press ENTER. It will bring up a sheet that shows vegetables first and then flowers. It provides you with the typical number of weeks to start before setting out, a range of dates on when to start your seeds and the date on when you can safely set your plants outside.

Johnny’s Seed Starting Date Calculator does not show moon sign dates but does give you all the seed starting planting information in an easy-to-print format for both vegetables and flowers.

NOTE: Always check the back of your seed packet for the company’s recommended seed starting dates. These may vary based on plant variety.

One More Fun Resource: Clyde’s Garden Planner

Don’t mind my beat-up Clyde’s Garden Planner but this was one I had to add to this article. This simple yet sophisticated garden planner is reusable, customizable, and full of good information. I prefer the printed planting calendars but also have this on hand. If you flip this around you will see Fall Planting information.

I love to give these as gifts to my gardening friends. If you purchase them directly from Clyde you can get a great deal on purchasing multiples. Here’s a link to his direct site: Clyde’s Garden Planner Direct Site.

Are You Ready to Start Your Seeds?

I hope you printed off your very own copy of the Old Farmer’s Almanac Planting Calendar and/or Johnny’s Seed Date Calculator. I truly believe that this is the Easiest Way to Know When to Start Seeds Indoors (Vegetables & Flowers). You can mark them up, get them dirty, and make notes on them without feeling bad.

While you are here, check out some of my other gardening posts including 16 Seeds I am Excited to Grow This Year and 10 Gardening Tips & Tricks to Try This Year.

Share what seeds you are starting in the comments. Any tips and tricks you have learned?

I brought out all my seeds this week and have been attempting to organize them. I also started some flower seeds in milk jugs for some winter sowing.

Happy Planting Everyone!

Lindsay from Life on Misty Acres