This is part of This Old House: Live—daily programming and opportunities to connect with This Old House experts during these challenging times. Check the schedule for more content, tips, and upcoming virtual events with our experts.
When “social distancing” became part of our national consciousness a few weeks ago, the first thing This Old House Landscape Contractor Jenn Nawada did was stock up on seeds.
“My absolute favorite thing to grow is tomatoes, so I like to build my garden around that,” says Nawada, who chose a mix of basil, lettuce, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, and zucchini seeds to accompany her San Marzano Tomato seeds. “They’re just the most amazing thing to make sauce or salsa with.”
Pictured is the resulting tomato sauce from last year’s haul. “I’m actually living off this sauce right now and can’t wait to make it again,” Nawada says.
Earlier this week, Nawada showed homeowners how to create a simple DIY garden bed from her own backyard.
“Lettuce is a cold-weather crop and can go outside earlier,” says Nawada. “My lettuce will be ready to put outside mid-May. The rest of the veggies will go out by Memorial Day.”
She suggests that homeowners in Northern seasonal climates start seedlings indoors with the following supplies:
Indoor Seedling Starter Kit
- Tall dome seedling container: $12.30 | Home Depot
- Grow light: $40 | Home Depot
- Warming mat: $17 | Home Depot
- Organic seed starter soil from Vermont: $27 | Home Depot
Pro Tip: Roger Cook, This Old House landscape contractor, stresses the importance of hardening off seedlings before transplanting: “We’re gonna take the whole tray, put it outside for two or three hours and repeat that, increasing the time over several days. That’ll acclimate them to the sun and the wind and they’ll grow very well when we put them in the garden.”
Pro Tip: Roger Cook also advises knowing your region’s last frost date before moving any seedlings outdoors: “If we put these outside and there was a frost, the chances are they’d all be killed. So, obviously, go beyond the last frost. How far beyond? I would say at least a week, if not two.”
Once seedlings grow a second pair of leaves, it’s time to thin out the weaklings. Snip, rather than pull, the scrawniest sprouts to avoid causing root damage to the ones you want to keep. Indoors, leave just one plant per starter cup. Keep an oscillating fan running as the seedlings grow — the moving air helps prevent fungal disease and readies the stems for windy outdoor weather.
Jenn’s Book Recommendations on Gardening
Many homeowners have asked Nawada for her favorite gardening books. With a full library of great inspiration in her own home, Nawada shares her two must-have book suggestions:
- Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch
- The Book of Gardening Projects for Kids: 101 Ways to Get Kids Outside, Dirty, and Having Fun by Whitney Cohen
Pro Tip: Roger Cook, This Old House landscape contractor, explains why starting from seed is worth the upfront investment in supplies: “Seed is cheap. You can buy a lot of it. And the other thing is you’re gonna get a harvest 2 to 4 weeks early by starting your plants inside, and then there’s a choice. There are a lot of different types of seeds you can pick from—more than you can find seedlings at a garden center.”
Save on Containers: Roger Cook recommends inexpensive plastic six-pack trays over decorative pottery for starting seedlings. The reason isn’t just cost—it’s cleanliness. “I want as sterile an environment as I can get,” Roger explains. Plastic trays are easy to sanitize and replace each season, keeping your seedlings healthy from day one.
