It's Time for a Seed Order in Anticipation of Spring

I went ahead and did my spring seed shopping on New Year's Eve. Instead of making resolutions, I was dreaming about the promise of spring and all the things I'll grow in my garden this year.

January is a great time to buy seeds to start indoors soon or to direct sow in the garden as soon as the weather allows.

Here are five categories of seeds to buy this month:

• microgreens and/or sprouts seeds for your indoor garden
• herbs seeds
• leafy greens seeds
• seeds for your warm-season garden
• onion seeds

Let's look at each of these categories, and I'll tell you some fun varieties I'm trying out this year.

When Is the Best Time to Order Seeds?

The answer is right now! Even though I ordered my seeds on New Year's Eve (I know, I know. Having four kids makes for a really impressive social life!), I still found packages that were sold out. In some cases, my choices were limited based on the varieties in stock. It's always better to buy seeds sooner rather than later.

So go ahead! Buy those seeds before somebody else gets them!

Budget tip: If you don't plan to plant high quantities of plants, then I recommend getting together with a gardening buddy and planning what you want to grow in your gardens—this way you can share your seed order and split the total.

Order Microgreens Seeds to Plant Now for Your Indoor Garden

Microgreens can be grown indoors year round. All you need is some simple containers and grow lights, and you will soon be harvesting your own baby greens for a delightful garden-fresh salad even when the weather outside gives you the blues. (Learn more about growing microgreens indoors.)

I love microgreens mixes—you can find everything from umami to spicy blends. They're a great way to try different flavors if you're not sure what you like yet. I also recommend going with flavors you know you already love; for me, that's they nutty taste of sunflowers and the zestiness of cilantro.

Order Herb Seeds to Start Indoors in January

No matter where you live, you should start some herbs indoors in January. There are many herbs that grow really well and quickly from seeds. Grab seed packets for your favorite herbs and get those seeds into some seed starting mix pronto so that you can set your herbs outdoors as soon as the weather is right.

The herbs I recommend starting from seed indoors are basil, cilantro, thyme, chives, dill, oregano, sage, rosemary, parsley, marjoram, and winter savory. Some of these herbs, like rosemary, need to be started ASAP or you'll be better off buying them as plants so that you can enjoy them in your garden for as long as possible. These herbs have similar growing habits, so you can start them all in the same tray.

My seed order included seeds for these herbs:

• English thyme
• Broadleaf sage
• Arp rosemary
• Moss curled parsley
• True Greek oregano
• Common oregano
• Marjoram
• Bouquet dill
• Long Standing Santo cilantro
• Chives
• Tulsi holy basil
• Cardinal basil
• Everleaf Emerald Towers basil

Learn more about these herbs and watch me plant out the teeny tiny seeds in this video.

Order Larger Leafy Greens Seeds for the Garden

Most lettuce seeds can be directly sown as soon as your soil is workable, but there are some larger heading lettuces and other leafy greens that I start by seed indoors in January or February to prepare for slightly warmer weather. Whether or not you plan to start your favorite salad plants indoors, I recommend buying seeds now so that you're ready to go the second the weather is right.

The seeds I ordered for my salad garden include:

• Endive
• Blue Curled Scotch kale
• Toscano kale
• Red Russian kale
• Brentwood leaf lettuce
• Little Gem mini-romaine lettuce
• Bloomsdale spinach
• Parris Island cos romaine lettuce

Seeds to Start Indoors Now for Your Warm-Season Garden

Depending on where you live, you might want to start seeds for your warm-season garden indoors now. You typically start seeds for larger plants that like warm weather about 45 days before your last frost date. My Rooted Garden clients in Houston can start seeds for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in January, while my Chicago friends will wait until the end of March.

While you're grabbing seeds to start indoors, go ahead and grab seeds for plants you'll sow directly in the garden as soon as your frost date has passed.

The seeds I bought to start indoors shortly for my warm-season garden include:

• Sun Gold pole cherry tomatoes
• Shishito chile peppers

Seeds that I will direct sow in the garden as soon as my frost date has passed include:

• Seychelles pole beans
• Contender bush beans
• Tavera filet bush beans
• Blue lake pole beans
• Hocus gherkin cucumbers

Are you sensing a theme? One of my main goals this year is to harvest a serving of beans for my family of six from the garden every week, starting six weeks after our last frost date. I plan to grow the pole beans up my Nicole arch trellises, along with cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.

Onion Seeds for the Garden

You might find it easier to grow onions from sets, but if you want to try growing onions all the way from seed, you'll need to start seeds indoors about 10 to 12 weeks before your last frost date or sow them outdoors about 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date. The earlier you start onions by seed, the larger you can expect the bulbs to be.

I bought Cabernet bulb onion seeds because red onions are my favorite, and I'll be starting them indoors this month.

Ready, Set, Go Order Seeds for Your Garden!

Don't be afraid to add some wildcards to your seed order. This year, I bought seeds for quinoa, which is something I've never grown before, and Glass Gem Flint corn. Corn is something I've struggled to grow successfully in the past, and I don't even know if Tennessee has the right climate for quinoa. But you never know until you try, right? And I want this year to be another year of trying new things in the garden and learning lessons. Maybe this will be my year to create a cornfield in my backyard!

Once your seeds arrive, I recommend dividing them by type and when you're going to plant them to make things easier.

And then, just imagine all the beautiful things that will grow in your garden from this seed haul. I hope you're feeling inspired to open those seed catalogs and make your dream garden happen this year! We're on a mission to help everyone grow more in 2024, starting with this free resource below.

Thanks for growing with me!