Every October, as things are dying down in my garden and I'm over the weeding and the mowing, I tell myself that I won't go crazy the next year. I mean, why would I? I have spent the last four months fighting bugs, weeds, humidity and the chaos of the season. However, every January I dream of warmer weather, getting my hands in the soil and fresh garden tomatoes. There is nothing I love more than listening to my ducks quack and frolic in their pond while working in the garden and seeing the fruits of my labor. Essentially, every fall I am lying to myself because every winter I dream even bigger than the year before.
I have spent the last several weeks scouring over seed catalogs, wholesale perennial sites and sorting through my seed stash. I can't stop imagining how this spring is going to be the best and most beautiful yet. One thing I always used to struggle with is when to start my seeds and plant out the transplants for my growing zone. There is so much information out there but I always wanted to find specific information for my area. In central Nebraska, our hardiness zone is 5A. If you’re not familiar with what a hardiness zone means, it is the standard by which gardeners can determine which perennial plants are most likely to thrive at a certain location. To find your local hardiness zone, check out the USDA Hardiness Zone map.
I have created a vegetable and herb seed starting schedule that is specific to the growing zone in Central Nebraska. Print these off to have handy when you are ready to start your seeds.
When you’ve created a list of your must grow vegetables and herbs, be sure to check out my favorite seed companies:
Eden Brothers
Botanical Interests
Here is my favorite way to keep all of those seed packets organized:
