Giving your garden a head start this year by starting seeds indoors? Watch this first to make sure you aren’t planting too early…

Many gardeners – especially those with a bit of experience – opt to start seeds indoors rather than purchasing seedlings from a nursery. There are several advantages to doing this. You can give your garden a head start, which is especially helpful in short growing seasons; you have much wider range of crop varieties to choose from by shopping from a seed catalog instead of your nursery’s limited selection; and you can save quite a bit of money over time, especially since most seed varieties can be saved for several years if you don’t plant them all the first year. You may also choose to save and re-plant your own seeds from open-pollinated crops that you grew the year before.

However, there are also some things to consider when choosing whether to start your own seeds. While starting seeds isn’t difficult and there are many helpful resources out there, it does take a bit of time and effort, and depending on what supplies you already have on hand, there may be a few startup costs.

You will also need to consider factors such as location, lighting, and timing, all of which can impact the success of your seed-starting endeavors. Plant too early, and your seedlings may get leggy, outgrow their space or pots, or become root-bound before it’s warm enough to get them in the garden. Plant too late and you may defeat the purpose of starting seeds indoors in the first place. Too little light, too much water, or not enough air flow can all harm or even kill your little seedlings, meaning all your efforts were wasted.

It’s easy to get overly excited about getting the garden season started and start your seeds before you really should, so this video addresses the important question: “How early is too early to start seeds?”, as well as some of the other factors mentioned above.

Check it out below to learn what you should know before you start your seeds this year: