The question of when to plant seeds for seedlings interests every gardener and gardener. The sowing time depends not only on the length of the growing season of the plant, but also on the phase of the moon. By observing the lunar calendar for sowing seeds for seedlings, you can increase germination and significantly increase crop yields.
Even beginner gardeners have every chance to achieve results no worse than experienced gardeners. To do this, you must adhere to the timing of sowing seeds for seedlings, having first selected the right planting material and preparing the container and soil.
Each garden culture has its own characteristics, so you need to know when to plant the seeds of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers or eggplants. Everyone's favorite dahlias, petunias and geraniums also have their own sowing dates, which determine the timeliness and duration of their decorative period.
Moon phases and their influence on the timing of seed sowing
Contrary to many opinions, you should start planting seeds for seedlings immediately after New Year's holidays. Since the planting season begins in January, it is very important not to miss anything.
There are several criteria by which you can determine exact dates sowing seeds for seedlings. Such information will be especially useful when growing new flower crops or varieties of vegetables.
Beneficial and negative influence of the moon on various cultures
The moon influences the development of all plants on the planet. Many processes occurring at the cellular level depend on one state or another. The most favorable phase for planting seedlings is the waxing moon. During this period, plants begin to actively develop, metabolism and sap movement increase. In the waxing phase of the moon, it’s time to plant seeds for seedlings in order to get friendly shoots and healthy sprouts.
It is not recommended to sow anything during the full moon or during the waning phase of the moon. During these periods, it is better to care for already growing plants, hill them up and feed them. The most unfavorable period for all living things is the new moon, the day before it and the day after it. During these three days it is better not to touch the plants at all, so as not to deprive them of vitality and energy. Planting anything is also not recommended.
Thus, the most unfavorable phases of the moon for the beginning of the planting season are the new moon and the full moon.
Planting seeds for seedlings according to the lunar calendar
- January - 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 27, 28, 29;
- February - 4, 10, 11, 12 and 24, 25, 26, 27;
- March - 5, 11, 12, 13 and 20, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28;
- April - 10, 11, 12, 19 and 20, 21, 25, 26.
When to start planting seeds for seedlings
Each variety and type of plant has its own planting and planting dates, which depend on the length of the growing season, and must be indicated on the package with seeds. If you are harvesting yourself, or a neighbor shared planting material with you from last year’s harvest, you will have to calculate the time for planting seedlings yourself.
Development from seed planting to the first leaves in some crops takes 1.5-2 months, while in others it takes 5 or more. Plants with a long period of “black soil” begin to be planted in seedling boxes in January, and fast-growing ones - in March or even April.
- growing season of the plant;
- time of planting in the ground.
By adding the first value to the second value, you get the approximate time for sowing seedlings. Next, after checking the lunar calendar, you can begin planting.
When to sow vegetable seeds for seedlings
In order to plant plants with a long germination period in the ground on time, it is necessary to begin preparing seedlings in January. The start of work depends on the crops and their varieties.
What vegetables to plant in January
In January you need to choose late-ripening varieties vegetables with the longest growing season. In the second half of the month there comes a time when you can start planting pepper seeds for seedlings.
- Lumina;
- Ivanhoe;
- Triton;
- Bell;
- Lisa.
- tomatoes - Cosmonaut, Yellow date, Cherry.
- blue ones - King of the North F1, Nutcracker F1, black handsome.
What seeds to sow in February for seedlings
- tomatoes: De Barao, RIO GRAND, Supergiant F1;
- eggplant: Quarte, Nancy, Lilac mist;
- cucumbers: Secret, Brownie F1, Phoenix.
What seeds to sow in March for seedlings
In the first ten days of March, namely the 3rd or 7th-8th, you can start with early ripening tomatoes, the development period of seedlings before planting in the soil is 40-45 days.
The following varieties are suitable for this: Mandarin, Alpha F1, Superstar, Golden Brush, Cupid F1, Aphrodite. These seedlings are only suitable for planting in a greenhouse. For open ground - planting after the twentieth.
In the second half of March, a favorable phase of the moon begins, when you should plant seeds of colored and white cabbage for seedlings, sweet peppers, onions and radishes. March 17, 22 and 30 are ideal for melons and legumes.
Many people are accustomed to buying planting material already in the form of ready-made seedlings. For example, onion- small bulbs (onion sets), which are immediately planted in open ground. It is much more economical to germinate them yourself. Packaging seeds will cost you much less than ready-made seedlings.
What vegetables to sow in April
In the first days of April (4,5 and 6) you can start growing early ripening cucumbers, which in a month can be planted in a greenhouse. These include the following varieties: April F1, German F1, Kustovoy, Zozulya, Sphinx, Benefit F1, Orlik F1.
At the beginning of April, you can already store seedlings in boxes in the greenhouse itself. This will gradually prepare the young shoots for new conditions. But you should carefully monitor the temperature at night, as there is still a high probability of frost.
Flowers and berries: when to plant seeds for seedlings
Choose flower varieties that have an early and long flowering period. You don’t need to purchase many species, 4-6 crops will be enough, and your flower beds will be fragrant with aromas and delight in the summer bright colors.
Sowing seeds for seedlings in January
In the first ten days of January, namely on the 7th, the period of sowing flowers begins. The longest growing season for these species: Begonia, Lobenia, Turkish clove, Heliotrope. The germination period of these crops is from 2 to 4 weeks, and the first flowers will appear after 5.5-6 months.
January 21 and 25 - better days By lunar calendar When is it especially good to plant petunia seeds for seedlings? These flowers will decorate your garden throughout the summer.
From berry crops strawberries and wild strawberries are planted in January. Early boarding will allow you to grow strong seedlings, while spring bushes are usually weak and take longer to develop.
The second half of January is the most suitable period when sowing strawberry seeds. To get a good berry harvest, you need to choose the best varieties remontant strawberries: Desna, Bereginya, Gigantella, Maxi, Carpathian beauty. Strawberry seeds should also be planted in January.
The most favorable days: from 3-4, 10-11, January, as well as 30 and 31. The following varieties are very popular remontant strawberries: Queen Elizabeth 2, Temptation, Albion, Moscow delicacy. If the seedlings are planted in a heated greenhouse, then sowing can be done at any time of the year, but be sure to take into account the lunar calendar for planting seeds for seedlings.
Dates for planting seeds for seedlings in February
Lavender, Viola and Salvia have a growing season of up to 5 months, so sowing should be done in mid-February. Then, in June-July you will be able to enjoy the beautiful view of your favorite flowers. There is no exact answer to the question: when to sow Geranium (Pelargonium) seeds. Depends on when you want to plant it in the ground. Favorable days months: 3, 4 or 7 and 8 February.
When to sow seeds for seedlings in March
This month, active activity is already beginning in central Russia and the southern regions. summer season. Annual flowers with a short growing season are sown in March or April, but it is not recommended to plant them in the soil before the 20th of May.
March 7-8 is best time When can you plant Dahlia seeds? Around these days, seedlings of the following types of flowers begin to grow: Echinacea, Alyssum, Iberis, Coleus, Bluebells, Herbal carnation, Violet, Phlox and Matthiola. Each of them has its own sowing characteristics and timing.
For sowing seedlings
Bottom line
Knowing the growing season of a particular crop or variety, you can independently calculate the approximate time for sowing seeds for seedlings, and the lunar calendar will tell you which days you need to plant and which days it is better to avoid.
Pledge good harvest vegetables - well-grown seedlings. Let's figure out how to correctly calculate the time for sowing seeds so that the result exceeds all expectations!
Growing seedlings requires a responsible approach, because the harvest depends on how the “seedling” period of the plant’s life goes. Compliance temperature regime, timely watering, provision of seedlings sufficient quantity light - all these, without a doubt, are components normal development plants, but it is equally important to sow seeds for seedlings in time.
Heat-loving or cold-resistant?
Plants that are grown through seedlings are mostly heat-loving (except, perhaps, white cabbage and cauliflower, which can easily tolerate light frosts). This parameter should be taken into account when planning the time of sowing, since later the time of planting seedlings in the ground will depend on these characteristics of the vegetable crop.
For example, peppers and eggplants are heat-loving vegetables, which means they can be planted in the ground (even in a greenhouse) after the threat of return frosts has passed. But some varieties vegetable crops, bred by breeders specifically for the northern regions, are capable of bearing low temperatures, so they are planted in open ground or a greenhouse before other representatives of the species.
Weather
Depending on the climatic conditions characteristic of your region, the time for sowing seeds for seedlings varies. The table below shows average data on periods favorable for sowing vegetable crops.
| Name of vegetable crop | Southern regions | Central Black Earth Region | Middle lane | Ural and Siberia | Far East |
| Eggplant | February 5-10 | February 10 – March 15 | March 21-31 | April 5-10 | February 25 – March 10 |
| Zucchini | May 1-10 | April 25 – May 15 | May 10-15 | May 10-20 | May 15 – June 10 |
| White cabbage | February 10-15 (early), March 20-25 (middle) | March 1-15 (early), March 25 – April 15 (late) | March 15-25 (early), April 25-30 (middle) | March 5-10 (early), April 25-30 (mid) | March 10-15 (early), March 20 – April 20 (middle) |
| Cucumber | April 10-15 | April 5-30 | May 1-10 | April 25-30 | April 1-15 |
| Pepper | February 5-10 | February 10 – March 15 | March 11-20 | March 10-20 | March 1-15 |
| Tomato | February 25 – March 5 (early), March 1 – 10 (mid) | March 10-25 (early), March 10-25 (middle) | March 10 – April 15 (early), March 11 – 20 (middle and late) | April 1-5 (early), March 10-22 (middle and late) | March 1-25 (early), March 20-30 (middle and late) |
The dates in the table are approximate and not strict; to more accurately calculate the time of sowing vegetables for seedlings, we suggest trying the countdown method, which we will discuss below.
What is important to consider?
In order to get the first harvest of vegetables by a certain time, you need to correctly calculate the timing in which you need to sow the seeds for seedlings. To do this you will need information:
– about the duration of the growing season of vegetable crops;
– about the time required for seed germination (emergence of seedlings).
Seed germination time
When calculating the time of sowing certain crops, we often forget about the need to take into account the timing of seed germination. The time of emergence and the rate of germination depend on the conditions of seed storage, their pre-treatment, and the favorable conditions created for growing seedlings. The average numbers for this parameter are:
Use seeds that you collected and stored yourself or buy seed material in specialized stores to protect yourself from scammers and be sure of a good harvest.
Growing season
The time from germination to harvest is called the growing season. The duration of this period varies among plants; moreover, it can be different for varieties of the same species - hence the division of varieties into early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening.
Early-ripening varieties need much less time to ripen than late- and mid-ripening varieties. As a rule, in the middle zone plants with a longer growing season are grown seedling method so that they have time to produce a harvest.
Seed producers usually indicate on the packaging information about the length of the growing season of the crop. On average, the growing season lasts:
This indicator depends on many circumstances: seed storage conditions, biological features vegetable crop, growing conditions, etc.
How to calculate sowing of seedlings?
The information given in the tables above can be used to calculate the time for sowing seeds for seedlings. To do this, to the number indicating the duration of the growing season, add the number of days required for seed germination and 5 days (approximately) for the plant to adapt after planting in the ground. Then subtract the resulting number from the date on which you planned to harvest.
For example, you want to get a tomato harvest by mid-July (let's take July 20). The packaging indicates that the growing season of the variety you have chosen lasts 130 days: 130+7+5=142, which means that you need to subtract 142 days from July 20th. It turns out that you need to sow tomato seeds for seedlings on February 28th. Of course, the dates are approximate, since plant development is influenced by a large number of factors.
When to plant seedlings in the ground?
When planning the time of sowing seedlings, do not forget to take into account the conditions in which you are going to grow the plant after its “moving” - whether it will be a greenhouse or greenhouse (protected ground) or just a garden bed (open ground). Plants can be planted in protected ground from the beginning of May, and in open ground - no earlier than the end of May - beginning of June. We must build on these dates when calculating the time of sowing seeds.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the table, which indicates the optimal age of seedlings for planting in the ground.
When planting seedlings in the ground, you need to be very careful so as not to harm the young plant, because this is stress for the seedlings.
Don't overestimate your capabilities!
It is quite logical to conclude that the sooner the seeds are sown, the sooner the long-awaited harvest will ripen. But you should not take everything literally and blindly follow this truth. When calculating the sowing time, take into account your capabilities.
For example, if you sow pepper seeds for seedlings ahead of schedule(say, at the end of January), then the seedlings will have to be supplemented with light, because during this period the daylight hours are not long enough for the plant to fully develop. If you do not provide additional lighting for the seedlings, they will become very elongated and wither.
In addition, in the case of such early sowing, the grown pepper seedlings will need to be planted in the ground in the first ten days of April. In conditions middle zone This can only be done if you have a heated greenhouse, so if you do not have such capabilities, then you should not rush to sow seeds for seedlings.
After emergence, provide the seedlings with proper care, and in just a few months you will enjoy a rich harvest of tasty and healthy vegetables!
The responsible and long-awaited time for gardeners is approaching - growing seedlings cucumbers, tomatoes, other vegetables and flowers.
Very soon, apartment window sills will turn into plantations with seedlings. The main question of interest to gardeners and gardeners is when to sow vegetable seeds for seedlings How to correctly calculate the timing of sowing.
Experienced gardeners know and are able to correctly determine the time of sowing. But more and more new types and hybrids of vegetable crops are appearing that you really want to grow.
The timing of sowing seeds for seedlings can vary significantly even for varieties of the same crop. Optimal time It is almost impossible to name the sowing amount, but it is possible to calculate it, and with great accuracy.
To calculate the sowing time you need to know:
Length of the growing season for a specific crop;
Optimal age of seedlings for planting in open ground;
How demanding are plants when it comes to heat?
Under what conditions will the crop be grown (greenhouse, greenhouse, open ground);
Seed germination period;
Weather conditions in your region;
Desired dates for harvesting.
Let's collect all these elements in our future formula for calculating the timing of growing seedlings.
Duration of the growing season
This is the time from the emergence of seedlings, the formation of the plant until the harvest. The duration of each crop is different, so crops with a long growing season are grown in seedlings, otherwise the plants simply will not have time to produce a harvest.
The length of the growing season varies among different varieties the same plant. Therefore, varieties are divided into early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening.
Seed packages usually indicate length of the growing season in days. This is the number we need.
For the most popular vegetable crops, remember the average growing season data:
Tomatoes 80 – 140 days
Eggplant 100 – 150 days
Sweet pepper 90 – 140 days
White cabbage 50 – 100 days
The range is very large, for example tomatoes late varieties sow already in February, early varieties in March-April.
Optimal age of seedlings for transplanting
Each crop has its own age for picking, transplanting and planting in open ground. This is the optimal age when young seedlings easily tolerate such a serious procedure, get sick less and take root faster. Therefore, calculate the sowing time correctly so that at the time of transplanting the seedlings are of the right age.
Early ripe tomatoes– 40-50 days
Mid-season tomatoes– 55-60 days
Late ripening tomatoes– 70 days
Bell pepper– 50-65 days
Eggplant– 45-60 days
These are approximate figures, it all depends on the length of the growing season.
Warmth for seedlings
Vegetable crops grown by seedlings are very demanding of heat. The exception is cabbage; it can tolerate a relative decrease in temperature. This indicator will affect the timing of planting seedlings in open ground.
Planting in the ground occurs when the likelihood of frost has passed. Today there are varieties of tomatoes and peppers bred by breeders for the northern regions; they are less demanding of heat.
Growing conditions
In our formula, this is the most important variable, because plants planted in a greenhouse and in open ground differ significantly in terms of timing. For example, tomato seedlings are planted in a greenhouse without heating in early May, and in open ground in the first ten days of June.
That's why sowing seedlings in a greenhouse you can do it as early as February, and for open ground not earlier than the end of March.
Of course, when growing in a greenhouse, much depends on the type of greenhouse itself, the material with which it is covered, and the presence of heating. When growing outdoors, everything depends on weather conditions.
Desired harvest time
This parameter is relative, because by changing the timing of sowing seeds we adjust the yield. By sowing in several stages, you can prolong the fruiting of vegetable crops by obtaining seedlings of different ages.
Such seedlings must be planted in the ground in stages.
Seed germination time
This is often forgotten, but it is important parameter. For some types of vegetable crops, the time from sowing to germination is 10-15 days. Therefore, always take into account the germination period of seeds. And not everything always depends only on the quality of the seeds themselves, but also on the created conditions - temperature, humidity, planting depth.
Table of timing of sowing seeds of main vegetable crops
Seed preparation and processing accelerates the germination process, the shoots appear together. Dry and soaked seeds germinate differently.
Average germination rates for main crops:
Tomatoes 4-6 days
Bell pepper 12-15 days
Eggplant 8-10
White cabbage 4-5 days
Climatic conditions
This is a key factor in the formula for calculating sowing time. It’s easier to use V.I. Kuznetsov’s scheme, which is based on two main terms:
Cold sowing period– time for planting cold-resistant crops and early-ripening varieties of cabbage in open ground, and planting heat-loving cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants in closed ground (greenhouses and hotbeds).
Warm sowing time- the time when you can sow and plant seedlings of heat-loving crops in open ground.
The cold sowing period is determined by the physical ripeness of the soil (certain temperature and humidity).
During the day, the soil temperature at a depth of 8 cm should be +8 degrees, which can be measured with a regular thermometer. If you don’t want to dig and measure with a thermometer, watch the birch. The appearance of the first leaves is a sign that the temperature is at the level we need.
Well, those who sow and plant according to the lunar calendar will find the necessary dates coordinated with the movement of the moon.
