Garden Center at Eagle #1809

Mother's Day Gardening Gift Sale
The Home Depot Mother's Day Sale is the perfect time to help Mom upgrade her garden. We've got deals on popular brands of herb plants, decorative plants, and those details that make a garden special: garden decor, planters, flower pots, and even patio furniture. If you're on the fence about the right present when searching for Mother's Day gifts, a gift card is a sure-fire winner. Shop The Home Depot Mother's Day Gardening Gifts Sale from May 2nd through May 12th in-store or on our mobile app.



It's time to start thinking of spring. We're here to help you prepare for sprouts poking up, warmer temperatures, and fragrant breezes. Planting seeds indoors with grow lights means you'll be ready to transplant spring annuals and young veggie plants when the ground thaws and the frosts are through. You might even want to directly plant organic seeds into the earth.

Plant Hardiness Zones Explained
The first thing to learn when planting spring flowers, vegetables, and other seeds is your planting zone. Every location in the U.S. and its territories is sorted by climate. Find your zone on the USDA plant hardiness zone map and learn when to plant seeds.

For example, you could plant bell pepper seedlings outdoors in mid-March in Zone 10, but not until the end of May in Zone 4. For best results, choose plants in your zone number or less. In other words, a Zone 6 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–6. The timeframe to direct sow outdoors in your garden is often around a month later than the indoor start date. Always read your seed packet for details. If you start plants a little later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it will even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone
In the Pacific Northwest, Montana, and Idaho, there’s a wide range of climates and growing zones. Most of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are Zones 6–9, with the higher peaks coming in as Zones 4–5. Montana is in Zone 5 on the western end, but the mountainous regions are mostly Zone 4, with the tallest mountains as Zone 3.

The differences in planting zones means your seed sowing times will vary. The coastal regions in Zones 8 and 9 can start many seeds indoors in mid-January. Colder regions in 6–8 should wait a little longer to plant, and all these zones need to wait an additional month before planting seeds outdoors rather than indoors. Mountainous regions in Zones 3 to 5 will have the shortest growing season, with seed starters going in later in the spring. Although the weather may vary, wait until the frost has passed to give your seeds the best chance at a hearty and healthy life.

Popular veggies of all kinds, including cucumbers and tomatoes, are fine with an early spring or late winter start indoors under the grow lights. Your spring flower seed choices, whether they're perennials or annuals, can also often get an indoor beginning.

Plant Seeds Outside With Direct Sow
Planting seeds into your garden soil, or using the direct sow method, is an alternative option. There's less tending and planning than growing indoors. If you like to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed pack and try it.

Your seeds might struggle to grow or get washed away, or animals or insects might eat the sprouts. But if you're really fortunate, you might get strong sprouts, perfectly spaced and ready to grow all spring. The reality of your sown seeds will usually be somewhere in between, and spreading out tiny sprouts throughout the soil isn't so bad. You know those sprouts are primed to survive, although there are no guarantees in the long term.

Start Seeds Indoors
If you'd like more control over your seedlings' journey or you're eager to get growing, start your seeds indoors instead. In general, you can plant seeds indoors about a month before you can do it outside. Like direct sow, you push the seeds into the soil as directed on the seed packet, but that's where the similarities end.

You're responsible for giving them quality substitutes for sunlight and rain. Keep your seeds cozy with heat mats and grow lights, water them carefully with a mister or watering can, then thin them as they germinate in groups of three. Give them a boost with a gently blowing fan as they lengthen into sprouts if you'd like. Harden them off to get them used to outdoor conditions, then transplant them into your garden when they're big enough.

Transplant Young Plants Into Their New Homes
By now, your plants have 3 or 4 true leaves — they'll look different from the miniature seedling leaves. When the ground is warm, and you're not expecting soaking rain, look into transplanting your small plants into their new outdoor home. "Transplant" means that you put these small plants straight into pots or garden soil. In cases where you direct sowed, you may still want to shuffle plants around for the best spacing and sun. That's also a transplant situation, as is repotting plants into larger pots.

Protect Your Garden With Mulch
Finish your planting by following it with compost and mulch. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. It may help foster larger plants that bear more fruit and flowers. Mulch keeps your soil from drying out and controls weeds. Compost and mulch can be purchased in-store or created at home. The next time you're looking for "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the perfect amount.

Greet the Spring
Early spring is an exciting time in the world of gardening. Don't miss a minute of growing season. Plan your garden and landscaping, prepare to fertilize your lawn, and browse our garden center pages to find inspiration on what to plant when the weather warms. Shop for the seeds, soil, and fertilizer you need in the aisles of your Eagle Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.