If you have the winter blues and are thinking Spring, there are ways to get yourself ready for the season before the warmer days arrive and that includes taking the first steps to grow a garden.

"The most important thing is that you understand when the last average frost day is in this area, that's when you can plant seeds outdoors," says Tom Arens with the Gardners of Greater Youngstown. 

If you check the back of the seed pack, there will be a timeline of when to start the seeds before the last frost date, which usually occurs in late April to early May. Vegetables like peppers and tomatoes will need to be started farther ahead than a vegetable like cucumbers, but other vegetables like peas or spinach can be planted directly into the ground in early Spring. The next step is getting the right soil medium for your seeds.

"You don't want to dig a shovel full of dirt from your garden and try to plant seeds in it, you need to get a special seed starting medium from Petitti's or Parks Garden Center, very fine peat moss with some vermiculite for drainage," adds Arens. 

There are a number of containers you can plant your seeds in, but once they are in, you'll want to cover them and give some bottom heat using a heating mat. Once your seeds begin germinating you'll need to add some fertilizer and use a broad-spectrum light to help them grow.

"Keep the light on for about 16 hours and then take it off at night. Once it is past the first frost or getting close to it, you want to harden off the plants, that means you bring them outside during the day for some time and bring them back in," says Arens. 

Another way to help your seeds grow is adding some light ventilation to help keep your plants from growing a fungus.

The Gardeners of Greater Youngstown will be hosting their winter seminar in early March, details can be found below.