Winter is the time for dreaming of gardens.
Though the winter season is just over three weeks old, these warmer than normal temperatures get me thinking about spring. Granted, we still have a couple of months remaining in which we could have typical winter weather, but every day that the high temperatures are 40’s and above, I’ll take it!
Looking ahead six weeks, we will be in the early spring gardening season. Our stores will have seed potatoes, onion sets and plants, asparagus crowns and other vegetable gardening plants. While we are 10-12 weeks away from our average frost-free date, the month of March is an ideal time to plant early spring vegetable transplants such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce and others. Our greenhouse production team is busy starting the first round of plants for the March gardening season. Growing these plants ‘cold’ will help them get established early, with a little help from us if the temperatures drop.
Many of these transplants are easy to start at home. I typically start seeds eight weeks before I intend to plant them outside. With that plan, mid-January isn’t too early to get going with starting seeds. We have all of the supplies and advice to help you get started. We have all types of seeds for your 2026 garden - vegetable, herb, annual and perennial - in stock now from Lake County Seeds. They hand select seed from growers for superior plants. Come in soon to get the best selection!
Some of the most important aspects of plant production from seed are in the details. One of those details is that we take pride in providing professional seed starting supplies for the home gardener. For example, our supplier Jiffy provides products such as seed starting media and plant containers for the professional gardening industry and home gardens as well. We recommend their heat mats for rapid seed germination and growth also. Remember: Once transplanted, keep your seedlings in a cooler environment to harden the plants off so they can withstand the cool conditions once planted in the garden. For more details about seed starting, check out our Seed Starting handout online.
There’s more than seed starting happening at the garden center. Our greenhouses are full of fun, colorful plants to brighten up your indoors right away. You’ll find everything from cacti and succulents to blooming African violets and variegated foliage plants.
Our cold tolerant pansies are doing well at our production facility. Just as with our early vegetable transplants, our hardened-off pansies are able to withstand the cool temperatures of early spring. We’ll be planting before you know it!
Be sure to check out our winter workshops and seminars. Our Bonsai 101 Workshop this weekend is sold out, but there's still time to sign up for our Juniper Grafting Workshop or any of our free Winter Seminars.
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
