When to start seeds indoors

Indoor seed-start calendar from your last spring frost: start indoors, harden off, and transplant dates for tomatoes, peppers, brassicas, and more.

Pick a USDA zone in the app (or set My Garden frost dates) to turn these lead times into calendar dates for your yard.

Common indoor start lead times

CropTypical lead timeSeeds
Onion10 weeks before last frostShop Seeds Now
Pepper8 weeks before last frostShop Seeds Now
Tomato6 weeks before last frostShop Seeds Now
Broccoli6 weeks before last frostShop Seeds Now
Basil5 weeks before last frostShop Seeds Now
Lettuce4 weeks before last frostShop Seeds Now
Cucumber3 weeks before last frostShop Seeds Now

Some outbound seed-house links may be affiliate links.

Find your frost dates | Winter hub