first seeds to go in this year

February 1, 2022

It seems hard to believe but it’s time to start seeds indoors – at least some of them. For my Zone 6a garden, the first seeds to go in this year are onions and leeks.

The onions I grew last year did really well and I am going to go ahead and start them just a bit earlier this time. I’m hoping to get an earlier harvest. Last year I grew the following varieties: Ailsa Craig and Walla Walla and I was very happy with the results. I’ve heard that onion and leek seeds do not perform nearly as well past the first year; however, these are the same seed packets I used last year and I have good hopes for the seeds. I do know that I have grown many vegetables from very old seeds and I rule nothing out until I’ve tried it myself. Keeping seeds in an appropriate storage environment goes a long way.

Last year, I started those seeds on Feb. 15 and my plan is to start them this year during this coming weekend, Feb. 5-6. So, not a whole lot earlier, but maybe enough to notice a difference.

And, I’ve added a couple new varieties this year: Candy Hybrid and Red Torpedo. I purchased both of these from True Leaf Market.

It’s been a few years since I’ve grown leeks, and I can’t really say I had a fantastic success when I did grow them. My success with the onions last year has encouraged me to try leeks again and I got a packet of leek seeds from True Leaf Market when I purchased the onion seeds. Although I did notice they were packed for 2021, so we’ll see if that matters or not.