I know some of you are still freezing and buried under the snow, but it’s not too early to start thinking about what’s going in your garden once the weather lets up. Planting for spring is still possible! Starting seeds indoors and nursing them by a sunny window can get you a 4-6 week head start.

Here’s a few things you can do to hit the ground running:

Order Your Seeds

I order my seeds from the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. You can order online, or get the catalog for free, which I prefer. All the seeds are organic and non-GMO.

Plan Your Layout

Whether you have a lot of space or just a little, it always helps to map out where, when and how you will plant. Ideally, you want to mix it up a bit from what you did last year (crop rotation) because that reduces your chances of disease exposure from microorganisms, fungi, and insects that might be lurking from previous plantings and detrimental to a particular plant species. If you’re cramped for space, taking advantage of every inch is essential. If all you have is a concrete slab or poor soil, now’s the time to start shopping around for raised beds.

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Raised beds also allow you to have 100% control over your soil, which means you can grow alkaline-loving plants in one area and acid-loving plants in another. For example, broccoli and kale prefer alkaline, and berries thrive in slightly acid soil. Here’s mine from summer 2015.

If you need more coaching on how to lay out a garden in a small space, check out the many books on Amazon about square foot and container gardening.

Start Indoors

Your warm house with a sunny window is the perfect nursery for seedlings. Starting indoors gives them a chance to be a month or two old before setting them in the ground outside. I use both my kitchen window and grow lights. Here’s one I found on Amazon for $73 and ships free.

Want more? Here’s how I’m prepping, along with a round up of my favorite new garden tools and fertilizers.

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