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Growing from Seed

What Cold Season Vegetables Should Start Seeds Outside?

RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)

8 years ago

I'm starting a lot of cold season vegetable seeds, beets, lettuce, Brussels Sprout, cabbage, celery, mustard green, spinach, various radish, carrot, brocoli. My soil temperature is about 47F.

What of the above seeds should be started outdoors, and indoors? I heard some seeds do not germinate well indoors and like the cold temperature to germinate.

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Comments (4)

digdirt2
8 years ago
Are you talking about direct seeding or starting transplants? Those are the two methods of planting.

Things like beets, lettuces, spinach and other greens, radishes, etc. are normally direct seeded in the garden, in the place they will grow, as soon as the soil can be worked. None of them will transplant well and some of them like radishes, carrots and beets - root vegetables) won't survive transplanting at all.

Others vegetables like cabbage and broccoli can be either directed seeded or grown indoors as transplants.

So it isn't a question of germinating indoors or out but an issue of IF they can be transplanted or not.

Dave
RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
Original Author
8 years ago
Other than transplanting, some cold vegetable seeds do not even grow well in warm temperature indoors. What I heard.....
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
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I transplant lettuce every year because that way I can get an earlier crop and also evade the slugs and snails which mow down seedlings in the ground. They actually transplant fine and are very forgiving. But maybe that only applies in a damp climate. I try to transplant in rainy weather - not difficult. I sow in a cold greenhouse, no heat and no lights.

I don't transplant any root vegetables.
digdirt2
8 years ago
"Other than transplanting, some cold vegetable seeds do not even grow well in warm temperature indoors. What I heard....."

I think they may have meant some plants do not grow well in warm temperature indoors. Seeds are fairly tolerant of a wide range of temperatures but the plants, once germinated, aren't nearly as tolerant.

Cool season crops that are prone to bolting in the heat of mid-summer outside will also bolt if kept indoors in warm temperatures. So things like lettuces, spinach, some herbs, other leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. that do not tolerate outside heat will also not tolerate inside heat.

Does that help.

Dave

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