Is your green thumb itching? A part of you says “enough” to winter and is hankering to get outside and get something growing. And another part says, “Outside? In this weather? Are you out of your mind?”

Nevertheless, there is a yearning for spring that begins in about February and waits anxiously for the opportunity to start a garden.

You do have an opportunity to start your summer outdoor garden indoors provided you have the right conditions and plan judiciously. Many flowers require several weeks to become established enough to move outdoors. Plan backward from your expected date of transplanting — usually after the date of last frost. In most of Tooele Valley, the expected date of the last frost is around the May 5. In Vernon, expect frost until about June 1, and in Ibapah frost can be expected until even later, around June 20. Hardier plants can go out earlier and very tender plants go out somewhat later.

If you are salivating for fresh vegetables, sit tight. It is way too early to start vegetables unless you plan to use transplants for members of the cabbage family, which can be set into the garden as early as March 15 provided soil can be worked.

Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants require about six to eight weeks from seeding. These plants should be planted when the soil is warm, 10 days or so after the date of the last frost. The date can be pushed up somewhat if you are willing to provide season extenders to protect them from the evening chills. There is no real hurry; you can still expect a successful harvest if they are transplanted before mid-June.

If you have a greenhouse, you can likely succeed in starting transplants. A sunny window is not as good an option. The light is highly directional and the plants tend to grow tall and leggy bending toward the light. Spindly plants do not move outdoors as well as seed started directly in the garden. The ideal transplant is dark green, stocky, and healthy looking. Three factors are essential to develop such plants: adequate sunlight, proper temperatures and fertilizer. Spindly plants are probably the result of too little light, high temperatures, and/or lack of fertility.

Although your house may be very comfortable to you, you don’t hang around close to the windows like the plants will. The temperatures in the day are sometimes hot in the bright mid-day sun. At night, it drops to a temperature considerably colder than your rooms.

Instead of depending on the sun for light, suspend a two- to four-bulb shop light with fluorescent tubes within a couple of inches of the plants. Raise it as the plants grow up to it. Keep them on for about 16 hours a day, turning them off at night so the plants can “rest.” Ideally, night temperatures should be lower than day temperatures and if you leave the lights on, the plants expend too much energy metabolizing sugars to really grow well.

Put heat under the seeds and seedlings to keep the temperatures at about 75 degrees. You can buy transplant starting mats that are pre-set for the right temperature. Put a thermometer into the soil to check the temperature to make sure it doesn’t get too hot.

Plant your seeds in a fine potting mix. Place the soil in a low container. If you use a plug tray with tiny holes, you can plant the seeds individually and they don’t need to be damaged as they do not need to be separated from other plant roots later. Cover seed with about one-fourth inch of the potting medium and place inside a plastic bag or cover with plastic.

Close the bag so moisture doesn’t escape and place the pot in a warm place. Sun isn’t needed until the seeds germinate. Check the seeds daily. As soon as they emerge, remove the bag and expose the plants to sunlight. Temperatures should be 55 to 65 degrees at night and 65 to 75 degrees in the day to keep the plants firm, stocky and disease-resistant.

You can purchase transplants from nurseries and garden centers when the time is right, but if you like a plant-growing hobby, why not start your own?