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Here is a schedule for starting seeds indoors, relative to your frost-free date. It assumes you will have good indoor seed-starting conditions so that seeds germinate fast and grow quickly. If you can't provide the ideal environment, start sooner.Weeks before frost-free date10-12AsparagusArtichokeCelery / CeleriacLeeks and Onions8-9EggplantPepperTomato6-7Endive / EscaroleLettuce4-5Broccoli / Cabbage / CauliflowerCollardsKaleKohlrabiOkraSpinachSwi… Read more

Vegetables vary in their tolerance to cold, so gardeners generally use the frost-free date as the benchmark for scheduling outdoor plantings. Some cold-tolerant veggies can be planted weeks before the frost-free date; others should be planted a few weeks after the danger of frost is past and warm weather has settled. Here is a general guideline for when to plant outdoors, either by direct seeding or transplanting the plants you started inside. It… Read more

Starting seeds indoors is one of the best parts of gardening. You get to work with plants long before spring, and there is nothing more satisfying that watching seedlings push their way out of the soil.Indoor seed starting isn't difficult at all, but you do have to take the time to prepare your seed-starting area. It doesn't really matter where you start your seeds as long as you can provide these basic conditions:1. Heat. Nearly all vegetable se… Read more

We had a tremendous summer garden this year and we ate our fill of zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and basil. As the days shorten and the nights turn chilly, we find ourselves losing interest in the flavors of summer and instead craving a crisp green salad. Luckily, this is the perfect time to grow lettuce, arugula, escarole, and other salad greens.Our go-to system for fall salads is to plant one of the misticanza selections from Fra… Read more

We recently asked our customers to tell us about their favorite zucchini varieties. Quite a few people mentioned two varieties that technically aren't zucchini at all — they are known as Zucchetta. But the flavor is comparable and perhaps even better than most zucchinis. And they are not subject to the common problems of summer squash such as squash bugs and powdery mildew. In appearance, they differ from zucchini in one crucial respect — they ar… Read more