# January is Seed Starting Time For Many Vegetables

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/beyond-the-garden-basics-5638242/january-is-seed-starting-time-for-many-vegetables
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/beyond-the-garden-basics-5638242/january-is-seed-starting-time-for-many-vegetables.md
Podcast: [Beyond the Garden Basics](https://stenobird.com/podcast/beyond-the-garden-basics-5638242)
Published: 2026-01-02T14:50:27+00:00
Episode link: https://gardenbasics.substack.com/p/seed-starting-tips-1c0
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/183059716/0901f8540ba0ed0390650537ed8cd9bd.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/beyond-the-garden-basics-5638242/episodes/january-is-seed-starting-time-for-many-vegetables
Duration seconds: 2811

## Resource

Don’t give up on certain seed varieties that seem to really take their time, germinating and growing indoors. Among the warm season vegetables that are frustratingly slow to germinate are onions, peppers, parsley, basil, and dill. To make the wait even more maddening, it can take 8 to 12 weeks for certain vegetables to grow before they can be transplanted in the garden, including onions, parsley, eggplant and celery. Add to that the seeds of flowering plants that take awhile (8 to 12 weeks, or more) to germinate and grow to a transplantable size: snapdragons, begonias, vinca, lisianthus, strawflower, impatiens, statice, geraniums, petunias, rudbeckia and coleus. No wonder we talk about Seed Starting Tips in early January! In today’s newsletter podcast, America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, offers five great hints on starting seeds of vegetables and flowers, including peppers: • How soaking pepper seeds in hydrogen peroxide can speed up germination; and, how seeds germinate. • Why seeds don’t need fertilizer. • How to know when to transplant those seedlings into larger containers. • Why seedlings need a light period and a dark period each day. • The importance of air movement and the development of reaction wood * for the young seedlings. Slow-to-germinate pepper seeds can take up to three weeks to show their first set of true leaves. And, several other vegetables, especially some herbs, take weeks to sprout. Among them are celery, parsley, rosemary, asparagus, lavender, artichoke, What you’ll need for successful seed germination and growth, according to Debbie: • Small, clean seed trays or containers with drain holes . • A soilless seed starting mix . (We offer up several homemade recipes, too) • The benefit of soaking pepper seeds f…

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