11 Benefits of Starting Seeds Early

The phrase ‘the early bird gets the worm’ applies to a lot of life, including gardening. Most of us in the US don’t live in warm climates with long growing seasons. For us, the summer growing season comes and goes all too quickly. 

Thankfully, our crops are fairly forgiving when we choose to hurry things along. You can start your seeds indoors, build a cold frame, or winter sow in a milk jug or other clear plastic container. 

No matter where you live, you can get your seeds started ahead of time and enjoy multiple early harvests. You’ll also have more time to grow your garden the way you envision it. Below are the 11 benefits of starting your seeds early this year. 

Enjoy an Early Harvest

There’s nothing better than harvesting your bounty early! By sowing your seeds ahead of the growing season, your crops will have a head start to mature. If you’re growing vegetables or fruits, you’ll have a bounty to enjoy by summer. 

Depending on the crop, you can harvest a multitude of leafy greens, root vegetables, and herbs ahead of the growing season. Each plant and variety is different when it comes to the time between sow and harvest. 

There are many techniques to start your crops for an early harvest. Many gardeners choose to start seeds indoors. You can also build a cold frame or sow your seeds under row covers. 

Best Seeds for Early Harvesting

Some crops are better than others when it comes to early harvesting. These varieties are easy to sow indoors or outside in a cold frame. They’ll also give you a bountiful harvest in the spring or beginning of the summer if you live in cold climates. Below are some of the best plants for an early sow. 

Make Room for Multiple Harvests

Multiple harvests are usually just a dream for novice gardeners in colder climates. However, with a little preparation, it’s possible to get more than one harvest out of your crops. 

For some species, such as lettuce, you can harvest the heads and let the new heads grow above the growing tip. Many leafy greens let you take multiple harvests off the same plant. 

For other plants like flowers, try sowing in succession ahead of the growing season. You can get multiple blooms and harvests throughout the year. Once your first crop matures, the next one will be ready for planting. 

Time Succession Planting

Succession planting, sometimes referred to as successive planting, is when you plant the same crop at different times. It lets you harvest multiple times a year by intentionally staggering the planting. It’s also a great way to avoid diseases and pests by letting you rotate your crops between garden beds. 

Succession planting is a great tool for gardeners growing crops to feed multiple people or turn them into sauces. You can also fill up your freezer space or surprise your friends and family with bags of early spring produce. Right after harvesting, you’ll have seedlings ready to go. 

Getting a head start on succession planting lets you grow even more produce to feed hungry people. For large families, group homes, or households that love potlucks, getting a head start on succession planting lets you get ahead on meal planning. 

The Best Crops for Succession Planting

Although you can succession plant almost any plant, some do better than others. These fast growers have short sow-to-harvest times and produce a bounty almost every season. The best crops for succession planting include: 

More Time for Slow Growers

Get your slow-growing plants in the ground ahead of time and enjoy them for longer. Every plant is unique when it comes to the time to reach maturity. Some mature quickly and give you a harvest in a few months or earlier. Others take quite a long time. 

By starting plants in winter, you’ll give these slow growers enough time to grow. In warmer climates, this could even mean multiple harvests, depending on the plant.

Plan Your Garden Earlier

Getting seeds started early gives you more time to plan your garden. You’ll see which seeds are healthy and understand how many individual plants you’ll be working with. 

It also gives you time to make changes before committing to a garden setup. If you’re like me and change your mind every two seconds, starting seeds early gives you time to deliberate. You can envision your ultimate summer garden, scrap the idea, and reimagine it with new plants.

As your seedlings are germinating, take your time designing the perfect summer garden setup. This is a fun time to draw up concepts and start the seeds you’ll need. 

Get a Head Start Against Pests and Heat Stress

By maturing your seedlings ahead of the growing season, you’re giving them a head start in the wild. They’ll mature quicker, and when you plant them, they’ll be mature enough to avoid many pests and infestations. 

Many animals love feeding on young plants. Their soft plant tissue is often too enticing to avoid. When you give your plants a few extra weeks to mature before planting outside, they’ll have a better chance of survival. 

Besides pests, mature vegetables and flowers handle heat stress better than their younger counterparts. When you get them in the ground before the growing season, they’ll be fully mature once the peak heat of the summer kicks in. 

Harden Off Seeds Early

Seedlings started indoors or in a greenhouse are extra delicate. If you transplant them or move them outside, they can succumb to transplant shock or die from the elements. That’s where hardening off comes in.

The term “hardening off” simply refers to the process of slowly exposing your seedlings to the outdoors. This slow and deliberate acclimation period lets them get used to the cold, wind, sun, and other environmental factors of their new home. 

There are many techniques to harden off your seeds. You can winter sow your seeds in milk jugs or slowly expose indoor seedlings to the elements slowly and deliberately. Whatever method of hardening off you choose, it’s easier to do with seeds you started early. 

Compete With Weeds

Early sowed seedlings will be ready for transplanting before most native species reach maturity. This includes the dreaded weeds that compete with our flowers and vegetables for precious garden space. 

You’ll save a lot of time by giving your garden greens extra space to fight. When you transplant your early-sowed crops, they’ll establish themselves in the soil and won’t have to compete for nutrients. 

As a gardener, you won’t have to work as hard weeding around your crops. Take your weeder and remove weak weeds that are trying to survive next to your mature plants. Your future self will be happy.

More Freedom to Experiment

As gardeners, we love to experiment with the plants we grow. Getting a head start on germination buys us a lot of time to try new things. 

If you have the space, start a succession of growing trays or outdoor winter sowing setups like milk jugs or cold frames. Label your plants and see what grows best in the early-season cold weather. 

Early sowing gives you the freedom to try new things you otherwise wouldn’t have time to try. Do you have a difficult flower you’ve always wanted to try but lacked the time? Get your other plants started earlier so you can dedicate more time to experimenting. You’ll challenge yourself as a gardener and have more time to learn new things!

Gift Starters By Summer

There’s nothing better for gardeners or foodies than receiving a fresh batch of starters to plant in the summer. You could be that super awesome person we all adore by starting your plants early!

Sow your seeds ahead of the growing season. Once summer arrives, you should have an abundance of healthy starters to give to your friends, family, and neighbors. 

You’ll also have space to get creative with your gifts. Try growing your seedlings in fun containers. Or time them with someone’s birthday or anniversary. The sky’s the limit, so get started this winter and have fun being the green-thumbed Santa. 

Push Your Seeds to Their Limits

As humans, we love to push things to the limits. Why not push our seeds to see what they can do? 

If you live in a cold climate, sow your seeds early to see what temperatures they can handle. Some cultivars and varieties outperform others. Make a list of growing times and success rates.