5 Super-Early Vegetables to Start Before Spring

By this time in winter I’m absolutely itching to get growing again, and while spring may still be several weeks away there are – would you believe it?! – several veggies that can be sown now to give ourselves a head start.

1. Chilli Peppers

If you crave a little spice in your life, then chilli peppers are a must. I love ’em, and try to grow a selection each season. The real secret to a good crop is to start them nice and early because they need a long growing season, especially in a cooler climate like mine.

I mix my own chilli pepper seed starting growing medium using equal parts coir fibre and a multi-purpose, peat-free potting mix. Peat-free is best because it tends to drain better, while the addition of coir will further help to open up the potting mix's structure, creating a lovely, airy texture that this heat-loving crop will appreciate.

All peppers need good, steady warmth to germinate, so start them indoors in the warmth. To make the most efficient use of space, sow several seeds into one pot, then once the seedlings are up transfer each one into its own pot.

Space the seeds across the surface of the potting mix, allowing a good gap between the seeds so they can grow on a little without their roots becoming intertwined and tricky to tease apart. Water the seeds to fire the starting pistol!

Ideally, pop them under a humidity dome and onto a heat mat set to the mid-70s Fahrenheit (around 24ºC). You can pick up a heat mat for not much more than the price of a couple of bags of potting mix, and because they dramatically improve germination, I think this is a very wise investment.

But if you don’t have a humidity dome or heat mat, you could simply secure a piece of clear plastic over the top of the pot to create a more humid, snug environment until the seedlings poke through, and put them in the warmest place you can find in your house.

Once the seedlings are big enough to handle, transplant them into their own pots to grow on somewhere warm and bright until it’s time to plant them into their final positions.

2. Onions

I love onions, and find that growing them from seed give better results than growing them from sets. That’s because onions started from seed are less likely to bolt (flower prematurely), and the bulbs still reach very satisfying proportions, especially if you pick a variety known for producing plus-sized bulbs, such as one of these:

Large-Bulbed Onion Varieties

• Ailsa Craig
• Candy
• Exhibition
• Globo
• Mammoth Improved
• Walla Walla

I like to sow them into small-sized plug trays because the seedlings are quite petite and will be planted outside into their final positions before they get too congested. Fill them with screened multi-purpose potting mix, and push the potting mix firmly down into the plugs to give the seedlings’ roots plenty to explore.

If you’re hoping for big exhibition onions to bring home the silverware from your local garden or produce show, then sow two seeds per plug, and remove the weaker of the two seedlings if both germinate. The seedlings can then be planted around 6in (15cm) apart each way to grow on into big bulbs.

If however your priority is for healthy medium sized bulbs – just right for a small family – you can save time and effort by sowing small pinches of seeds to give a cluster of seedlings to plant out exactly as they are. Sowing like this also means I won’t need to thin them later on, so they’re much less faff.

Sow little pinches of around five to seven seeds per plug. There’s no need to be too precise – the object is to get small clusters of seedlings to grow on as they are. Cover them with just a tiny touch more potting mix. Finally, give a good drink using a watering can fitted with a fine rose to avoid blasting out the potting mix, or use a handheld, pump-action sprayer with a mist setting.

Onions don’t need a lot of heat to germinate – around 55-60ºF (about 14ºC) is ideal. Keep them indoors until the seedlings emerge, then they can go back out into a protected area outdoors to grow on until it’s time to plant them in early spring. If you don’t have a greenhouse, a cold frame or anywhere sheltered from the worst of the cold would do.

3. Broad Beans

Hardy broad beans produce some of the earliest bean harvests of all. They can be sown in autumn to overwinter before growing away in spring, but I’ve been caught out in previous years by very harsh, cold snaps that have killed off the seedlings. The trouble is that any spell of mild weather can cause seedlings to grow too fast, resulting in soft, sappy growth that’s then more vulnerable to frigid temperatures.

With increasingly unpredictable winter weather, I reckon it’s safer to just wait until later in the winter. Sowing now should result in stocky, sturdy seedlings ready for planting outside within five to six weeks.

I love sowing big, plump broad bean seeds! They’re like little gold coins in the hand – so tactile and full of riches! Sow 2 inches (5 cm) deep into good-sized plug trays or small pots filled with multi-purpose potting mix.

If your soil is very free-draining – it doesn’t remain wet and soggy for a long time after rain – you could try sowing them directly where they are to grow but, really, I’d recommend starting them off in plugs or pots. That way, there’s less chance of seeds rotting in very wet conditions, you can keep them safe from mice, and you’ll get a bit of a head start too.

The seedlings will get planted once they’re maybe 2-3in (5-8cm) tall, and they’ll be planted about 8in (20cm) apart each way. They will need to be supported with string lines as they grow taller to stop them flopping over. You can expect the first flowers from late spring and, hot on their heels, the first delicious pods.

4. Summer Brassicas

Brassicas – that’s any crop in the cabbage family – are a staple of any vegetable garden. I particularly love kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and, of course, cabbage.

To save on space initially, sow into pots rather than plug trays. Once the seedlings have popped up - which will be within a matter of days - transfer them into plug trays to grow on. Sowing is very straightforward. Just scatter a pinch of seeds across the surface of your potting mix-packed pot, before covering back over with a little more of the mix. Water them and pop labels on so you can tell them apart. Germinate them indoors at a cool room temperature of 55-60ºF (about 14ºC). Once they have popped up, move them out into a cold frame or greenhouse.

Once you can see roots coming out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the plugs, and the seedlings are maybe 3-4in (up to 10cm) tall, they can be transplanted into their final positions outside. The cabbages will go about a foot (30cm) apart, and the cauliflowers at least 20in (50cm) apart each way. Plant them into rich soil. Brassicas are one family of crops that does well in a part-shaded spot.

5. Spinach

Spinach is a delicious and versatile veggie, and one of those cool-season leafy greens that does surprisingly well from an early sowing.

You can sow spinach direct where it is to grow, but in colder areas it’s best to start them off in plug trays of multi-purpose potting mix. Sow two to three seeds per plug.

Growing the seedlings in a protected environment means they will be protected from slugs, which means they’ll be that much bigger and less susceptible by the time they’re ready to plant out. By starting spinach this early you can gain a much longer harvesting window before the plants rise to flower in early summer.

You could leave your spinach seeds in a greenhouse or cold frame to germinate, but bringing them indoors will coax them along and speed the whole process up by at least half a week or so.

In another five to six weeks, in early spring, the young plants can be planted into in soil enriched with compost around 8in (20cm) apart.

Plants Related to this Article

Chilli Grow Guide

Onion (Spring planted) Grow Guide

Kale Grow Guide