While snow may still swirl in many locations, it's time to think about the blooms of spring, the veggies of summer, and the harvest of fall.
March is the perfect time to start seedlings in window planters, small greenhouses, or even under plant lights in the basement or garage. By now, seed packets are on the shelves of your local discount stores, lumber yards, and hardware stores. You can also order them from catalogs or internet-based retailers.
It usually takes about six weeks to two months for seeds to become strong enough plants to be set outside in pots or a garden.
It is also important to know what plants will grow in your vegetable garden soil. Some plants require alkaline soil while others require acidic soil.
Start your seeds in prepared starter pots made of compressed peat and filled with a proper soil mixture, or use small plastic pots left over from commercially purchased bedding plants in years past.
Don't start plants outside in miniature plastic greenhouses until the low temperature most days stays above the freezing point. When planting indoors under plant lights, follow the directions on the packaging of the plant lights or in growing guides.
You may enjoy the fruits of your labor even more when you start the process from scratch, not to mention the significant amount of money you save by not buying commercially grown bedding plants.