Sowing in the winter? These vegetables are suitable

Of course, the real vegetable-gardening season doesn't start until toward the end of March, but the true die-hard gardener starts sowing seeds as early as winter. I'll tell you which vegetables you can start growing right now.

When I first started gardening, I had no idea that there were vegetables you could start from seed even in the winter. I didn’t start sowing chili peppers and bell peppers, for example, until April. That is, until I discovered that it’s better to start much earlier. So in recent years, my vegetable-gardening season has actually started in the winter. What can you start indoors in January and February?

Pepper and Paprika

You can start seeds for chili peppers and bell peppers in early February. Find a spot where the temperature is between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius. That’s the temperature at which these vegetables germinate. This might mean placing them in the living room or, like I do, in a heated seed tray. Plant the seeds about half a centimeter deep in a small pot filled with seed-starting mix, potting soil, or coconut coir. You can plant several seeds in one pot and then transplant each seedling into its own pot later. Water with a plant sprayer when the soil dries out.

Once the seedlings have two true leaves in addition to the first two cotyledons, you can transplant each one into its own pot (9 cm).

After the seeds sprout, the temperature can be slightly lower (but never below 17), and the seedlings need plenty of light. I place them under a grow light myself because the days are still short in January and February. In May, you can plant them outside or keep them indoors in a bright, sunny spot (as I do).

Is everything explained step by step?

Eggplant

I start growing eggplant as early as late January. Just like chili peppers and bell peppers, eggplant needs a lot of heat to germinate. The higher the temperature, the faster they germinate. At room temperature, it can take three weeks, but at 26 degrees, they often sprout within a week. I also grow this vegetable in a heated seed tray under a grow light for the first few months. You can also place them in a warm spot in your living room, as long as they get plenty of light after they emerge. If it’s too warm and dark, the seedlings will become limp and spindly.

My eggplant quickly outgrew its 9-centimeter pot, so I repotted it once more in the meantime.

As soon as the seedlings have two true leaves in addition to their cotyledons, you can repot them into their own pots that are at least 9 cm in diameter. Eggplants can also be planted outdoors starting in mid-May. I grow them in a pot myself; they do really well in my sheltered little city garden.

Tomato

I sow tomatoes a little later to make sure I don’t end up with huge plants by the time they’re ready to go outside in mid-May. So I usually wait until early March. That’s early enough. Room temperature is warm enough for the seeds to germinate. Just like with other early-season plants, don’t plant the seeds too deep in a pot filled with seed- and cutting mix or coconut-based potting soil. After they germinate, move them to the brightest spot possible in your home. The seedlings might grow so fast that you’ll need to repot them once or twice before moving them outside in mid-May. That’s okay—it actually helps them develop a strong root system.

Broad beans, sugar snap peas, green peas

You can also sow these vegetables directly in the ground, but I always start them indoors because mice and birds love the seeds. You can broad bean Pre-sow snow peas indoors from mid-January through mid-February in an unheated, well-lit area. Sow sugar snap peas a little later, from early February through late March. Use the same potting mix here as well. Since these seeds are slightly larger, it’s best to give each seed its own pot right away, though you can also transplant them into individual pots later. Plant the seeds at a depth equal to their size. You can transplant broad beans and garden peas starting in early March; the rest, including sugar snap peas, a little later in early April.

You can also sow fava beans in toilet paper rolls. You can plant them in the ground, roll and all. The cardboard will decompose on its own.

Tip: Want the seeds to sprout faster? Soak them in a bowl of water overnight beforehand.