Garden Center at West Houston #585

Celebrate Springtime Gardening
It's time to start thinking of spring. Sweep out the gazebo and clean the shed to prepare for fragrant breezes, warmer temperatures, and sprouts poking up out of the ground. Planting seeds indoors near a sunny window means you'll be ready to transplant spring annuals and young veggie plants when the frosts are through and the ground thaws. You might even want to plant organic seeds directly into the earth. What better way to start than by exploring your favorite local plant nursery, The Garden Center in W Houston?

Plant Hardiness Zones Explained
The first thing to know when planting veggies, spring flowers, and other seeds is your planting zone. Every location in the U.S. and its territories is sorted by climate. Find your zone on the USDA planting zone map and learn when to plant seeds.

For example, you could transplant bell peppers outdoors in mid-March in Zone 10, but not until the end of May in Zone 4. For best results, choose plants in your zone number or less. In other words, a Zone 9 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–9. The timeframe to direct sow outdoors in your garden is often around a month later than the indoor start date. Read your seed packet for details. If you start seeds a little later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it should even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone
Growing season starts early and ends late in this part of the country. The climate and weather make it easy to get and keep a beautiful garden going. A wide variety of flowers, veggies, and plants thrive in the Gulf region. You can even grow citrus trees for fresh fruit when you plant somewhere with good soil drainage. You'll have excellent results with peppers of all colors and heat levels, including bell peppers, jalapeños, and more. Zucchini, cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins, which are direct sow only, will flourish. Tomato plants will yield thriving leaves and fruit, as they're tropical in origin and are happiest in the heat.

In balmy Zones 9 and 10, you can begin planning and planting indoors in January if you’d like. Zone 8 generally has a slightly later recommendation for indoor starts. Cruciferous veggies and garden favorites, like peppers, do well when started inside your home. Greens like spinach, artichokes, and fragrant herbs, including oregano, basil, and parsley, also don't mind an early beginning.

You can sow spring flower seeds and watch them mature under the grow lights, too. In this part of the country, last year's garden might still be growing if there was no reason to put it to bed — especially if it's close to the house or in a greenhouse. In that case, tend it as usual. Whatever you choose to grow, transplant them when the threat of frost is gone for the season.

Plant Seeds Outside With Direct Sow
Planting seeds with the direct sow method, right into the soil, is another option. It doesn't give you as much organized planning in terms of reliability and spacing compared to indoor starts. However, if you like to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed pack and try it.

Prepare to deal with whatever hand nature deals you: You might have no seeds that germinate. A critter may snack on the seedlings. All the seeds you plant in each hole may sprout, so you'll need to choose the most robust sprouts to survive in a process called thinning. Heavy rain might wash away the seeds. But if you're lucky, you'll get strong sprouts that are ready to grow all spring.

Start Seeds Indoors
If you're eager to get growing or would like more control in the care and feeding of seedlings, start your seeds indoors in your own plant nursery. In general, you can plant seeds indoors about a month before you can do it outside. Like direct sow, you push the seeds into the soil as directed on the seed packet, but that's where the similarities end.

You're responsible for giving them quality substitutes for rain and sun. Keep your seeds warm with warming mats and grow lights, water them carefully with a mister or watering can, then thin them as they germinate in groups of three. Give them a boost with a gently blowing fan as they lengthen into sprouts if you'd like. Harden them off to get them used to outdoor conditions, then transplant them into your garden when they're big enough.

Transplant Young Plants Into Their New Homes
By now, your plants have three or four true leaves — they'll look different from the miniature seedling leaves. When you're not expecting soaking rain, and the ground is warm, look into transplanting your big sprouts into their new outdoor home. These large seedlings that are ready to be planted can also be called "transplants" or "starts." In cases where you direct sowed, you may still want to shuffle plants around for the best spacing and sun. That's also a transplant situation, as is repotting plants into larger pots.

Protect Your Garden With Mulch
Finish it all off with compost and mulch. Mulch controls weeds and keeps your soil from drying out. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. It may help foster larger and stronger plants that bear more flowers and fruit. Mulch and compost can be DIY creations, but you can also purchase them in-store. The next time you're looking for "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the perfect amount.

Greet the Spring
Early spring is an exciting time in the world of gardening. Prepare to fertilize your lawn, plan your garden and landscaping, and browse The Home Depot nursery to find inspiration on what to plant when the weather warms. For those without lawns, consider adding artificial grass, an outdoor rug, or a pellet grill to your balcony or patio. Shop for the seeds, fertilizer, and soil you need in the aisles of your W Houston Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.