Is it Too Late to Start Seeds?   (2024)

FAQs

How late is too late to start seeds? ›

Yep, you can start many seeds throughout the spring/summer/fall season! So it's really never too late to start seeds. It is good to succession sow seeds for radishes, Little Gem lettuce, bunching onions, spinach, cabbages, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, cilantro, and even the fast growing zucchini.

Is it too late to start tomatoes? Definitely not. You can plant tomato seeds anytime in the spring. Many people around here don't sow them until April, as they are fast germinators and fast growers.

Seed packs and general internet experts suggest starting peppers indoors anywhere between 6 to 12 weeks prior to your last freeze.

The best time to start seeds indoors is typically late March through late May.

The time to put down warm weather grass seed in a cool climate is in the spring. Plant cool weather grasses in a warm climate in the early fall. Depending on your climate, it's never too late to put down grass seed, and as experienced growers ourselves we know there are myriad reasons to sow outside the guides.

You may think it's too late to grow all your favorite vegetables from seeds, but warm May temperatures have made the soil perfect for sowing seeds. Warm soil will allow for fast germination and growing plants! Good choices are summertime kitchen garden staples like squash, beans, cucumbers and melons.

Depending on the growing conditions of your indoor space, you want to start tomato seeds six to eight weeks before the date of the last killing frost. The average date for our last killing frost is mid-April; at higher elevations it can be as late as the first of June.

It is important to remember that tomatoes are warm weather plants and will not grow in temperatures below 50°F (10°C). The soil should also be warm enough – ideally 60°F (16°C). In general, 'if you're growing tomatoes from seeds you can sow indoors any time from March to the end of May.

Sow tomato seeds in warm conditions, into modules, small pots or seed trays. Tomatoes are easy to grow from seed indoors. Sow from late February to mid-March if you'll be growing your crop in a greenhouse, or from late March to early April if they'll be outside.

Most fruiting plants like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants should already be in the ground. Many vegetables will still grow and produce even more quickly from seed planted in June when the soil is well warmed up and teeming with life depending on where you live.

Is it too late to plant lettuce? ›

Lettuce can be sown direct outdoors from early spring until late summer, for crops through summer and fall. 'Sow lettuce directly into the garden under a fine layer of soil after the last hard frost,' advises gardening guru Jo Gardener, although most lettuce can tolerate a mild spring frost.

Peppers prefer to be germinated between 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit, while tomatoes prefer 65-85 degrees. My house is usually under 70 in the winter, so I run a heat mat to keep the soil temperature closer to 80 degrees.

Can I start seeds late? Absolutely! Your plants will be smaller than plants sown earlier, but when starting indoors in a high quality seed starter, you'll achieve robust root growth for healthy seedlings.

Even if the last thing you're thinking about in January or February is the garden, it's actually a great time to start seeds indoors for frost-hardy leafy greens and for slow-to-get-started herbs.

Spring is an ideal time for direct sowing many seeds, but some can be sown during summer and autumn. Check seed packets for the recommended times of when to sow outdoors. A seedling is a young plant grown from seed.

It's never too late. It just matters what you put into that garden. It may be too late to grow tomatoes in your Chicago garden in September because you'll be getting cold weather soon, but you could still grow carrots, radishes, and lettuce plants.

Planting a Late-Season Garden

But does that mean you've missed your gardening window for the year? Probably not! There are many crops you can plant well into summer (as late as mid-late August) and still harvest a sizable amount of food.

Peas are another good crop to plant in summer to harvest in the summer. You can also sow bush beans until late July and get a pretty decent crop. Dill, cilantro, spinach, leaf lettuce, arugula and parsley seeds can be sowed in August.

In colder parts of the U.S. (Zones 4-5), the ideal fall grass-seeding window falls approximately between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15. In Zone 6, the back end is two weeks later, and in Zone 7, it's September into mid-October.