Getting Started with Gardening

It may be difficult to think spring with snow on the ground but this is the perfect time to start your garden. It is best to start growing your seeds indoors about 6-8 week before the last frost, which in Maine is usually the last week of May. Starting seeds indoors will give you a head start on your garden.   It will allow more time to grow your plants which means more fresh fruits and vegetables through the season. Plants that are started indoors early have a better chance of surviving outside once transplanted.

If you are worried about having too many plants or not using all the seeds in a package you can share with family, friends or neighbors. Also, you don’t need a lot of space to have a home garden. When transplanting seedlings, they can go into the ground or into a large pot to add color and decoration to your porch or yard.

Some benefits of a home garden include:

• Fresh produce just outside your door, you don’t have to go to the store to get it
• Saves money because you are not paying for someone to pick, pack and ship your produce
• Gardening can be fun for everyone; kids learn how things grow and help pick what they have grown
• It allows for time outside and keeps everyone moving.
  
  To help you and your program’s patrons get started, print and share this
  one-page guide for using Egg Carton Seed Starters. Printable PDF