Learn how to start tomatoes indoors from seed, when to plant tomato seeds indoors, how to care for tomato seedlings, and how and when to transplant tomato starts.

What is the Advantage of starting tomatoes indoors, from seed? Starting tomatoes indoors, when it’s still too cold to plant outside, gives you a head start on the growing season. If you plant tomato seeds in the ground at the point the outdoor temperatures won’t kill them, you are probably already too late. The tomato plants will never grow fast enough to produce a decent harvest in the time you have before the first winter frost sets in. Tomatoes can be finicky, and they have a very specific window of time where temperatures are ideal for them to set and grow fruit.

Another reason to start your own tomatoes is that healthy, flourishing seedlings do better at being transplanted into the ground, and they yield a better crop. You have no idea how store-bought plants have been treated. Were they exposed to chemicals? Or did they endure other stress which can affect their productivity? Store bought plants are also commonly root bound, which also impact their ability to thrive. (You can usually tell a plant is root bound if the roots are growing out of the bottom of their container.)

If you don’t plan ahead for this year’s garden, then you could be one step behind and constantly in catch up mode. Plan ahead to avoid the inevitable excuse of, “I’m too busy to garden.” Here are seven steps to plan your summer garden and increase your chances of gardening success.

Gardening with kids gets the whole family outside. It gets everyone active. (It gets the kids off the screens!) It offers kids a better understanding of where their food comes from and what it takes to grow it, regarding of whether it is you growing it, them, or a farmer 500 miles away. It teaches hard work, and responsibility. But most importantly, it’s an opportunity to be creative together and to accomplish something together. It is a win-win for everyone.

Why should you choose a stock tank garden instead of a wood garden box? Here are ten good reasons to build your own DIY stock tank garden.

Have you had challenges trying to grow food directly in the ground in your yard. If your soil is hard clay or is full of roots or rocks, a raised bed garden could be the solution. Learn to build a raised bed stock tank garden in six steps.