planting in the winter

The snow is high as an elephant's eye, but it's March 23, eleven weeks before the last frost (although this year may be an exception) so I'm going to plant some seeds that need a long time to grow:  petunias, peppers, and dianthus.  To work out when to plant, check the directions on the back of the seed envelope, which will tell you how many weeks before the last frost to plant your seeds.  The last frost date on PEI is about June 10, or after the new moon in June (really).

pepper seeds should be planted 3 months before the last frost.

Choosing the right planting medium is really important when starting seeds.  Don't use regular soil from outside - it's full of pathogens and weed seeds, and it is too heavy.  A purchased soil-less mix is light, sterile, and perfectly supports young seedlings.

Because this planting medium has had all the water taken out, it needs to be pre-moistened, which takes a lot more water than you might expect.  Then pack it into seed cells.  That also takes more time and more soil than you think.

After the seeds are planted (check directions to see if the seeds should be placed on top of the soil or covered) pack them down with a dibber or just use a plain old pen, like I do.

Cover the seed tray with a plastic dome, place in a bright window sill, and check every day to make sure the soil does not dry out.  For seeds that germinate slowly like these, I place a heating pad under the tray, turned very low, to keep the soil warm.  That will help them sprout faster.
Now just stand back and watch them grow!