Bought onion starts last year and half of them melted before they hit the ground. This year I started my own from seed for less than the cost of that bundle, using a salad clamshell and a shop light. Here’s the whole cheap setup.
Onions and leeks need 10 to 12 weeks of indoor growing time before transplant, which means December is exactly when you should start. Here’s a cheap setup that actually works, learned the hard way after killing a few batches.
Seed catalogs show up in December and I’ve been dog-earing pages ever since. Here’s how I actually plan what to order for a zone 8b backyard in Redmond without spending money on things that won’t work or won’t get eaten.
Peppers need 10 to 12 weeks of indoor growing before transplant, which means January in Redmond is the time to start. Here’s how to set up a cheap grow light system that actually works without a sad windowsill and without spending serious money.
Every December I tell myself I’m going to plan the garden properly this year. This time I’m actually doing it. Here’s how I map out the 2026 vegetable garden for zone 8b Redmond, WA, including real timing numbers and a seed budget I will almost certainly blow.