For my fellow US Mid-Atlantic gardeners, what and when do you start prepping for the growing season?
For annuals I’m curious what you feel is worth growing from seed and when do you start it?
For perennials I’d like to know what if anything you do mid to late winter.
As for myself I plan to take some cuttings of elderberry and root them indoors. Hoping I can plant them by spring. In later February I plan to prune a peach tree and then attempt my first ever graft using the pruning.
I would stick to the 40 degrees or below rule for anything coming directly from seed. It also matters if you’re planting in ground, raised beds, or containers.
If April sounds like a normal planting time to you, start seeds about a month before indoors. If you’re going to be planting fruiting perennials, maybe start 6 weeks out. Biennials: start 4 weeks out, then start new seeds every 2 weeks to keep a rolling schedule. Plant those when you feel the weather is stable, and keep the rolling schedule moving. Doing it this way, you ensure you have backups ready to go if the first seedlings get damaged or killed.