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Crops like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and tomatoes are best started indoors. Plants with slower root development — such as cauliflower, celery, eggplant and peppers — also do better when starting them indoors.

Tomatoes, eggplants and peppers are susceptible to cold spring temperatures, so it’s best to shield them from unpredictable weather, the Old Farmer’s Almanac notes.

Best for beginners

Here are some of the easiest-to-grow vegetables for beginners, according to the .

• Lettuce
• Green beans
• Radishes
• Tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Peppers
• Beets
• Carrots
• Chard, spinach or kale
• Peas

Heeman’s Greenhouse offers a for Ontario residents looking to get a jump on their spring planting.

Start growing vegetables indoors now

You can begin growing tomatoes indoors by late-March — just be sure to follow the schedule for each variety. Tomatoes don’t need light to germinate, Heeman’s notes. Just get them to a window once they start to sprout.

In April, you can get started on broccoli, cauliflower and celery seeds. These vegetables take time to mature, so give them a good start indoors so they’re ripe before the fall frost, Heeman’s adds.

Use rich soil to grow your broccoli and cauliflower, along with plenty of light. You can transplant them after the last frost, but you may wish to keep them indoors for an extra week if you still feel a nip in the air.

When planting celery, poke your seeds into the soil lightly, but keep them close to the surface and shallow, Heeman’s says. Put plastic on top to keep the moisture inside. By mid-June, the temperatures should be perfect to plant your celery in the garden.

Salad greens, like lettuce, spinach and kale, can perform well in cool temperatures and can be planted sooner than other vegetables, Heeman’s notes. If you want to start them inside, just give them rich, moist soil and keep them cool (below 15 C) until they’re about seven centimetres tall. Then you can transplant them to your garden.

Broad beans can be planted as soon as April, according to Heeman’s. Once the ground is workable, plant them directly into the soil to enjoy a bountiful summer harvest.

Book a professional if needed

If you need expert help to set up your garden, recommends hiring a professional as soon as possible, as top contractors tend to get booked up quickly.

Gardeners are often in short supply as the weather improves, so it’s important to book one as soon as possible. Homestars is an online platform that matches homeowners with verified and approved local pros for home repairs and improvements. Homeowners can post their jobs for free and get responses from available pros. Homeowners can view profiles and read reviews from previous customers before deciding who to connect with.

Test your soil’s pH level

To get your plants in the best possible shape, it’s important to know the soil pH level that each plant requires. Testing the pH level in your soil can help optimize plant growth. Homestars noted soil pH testing kits can help you understand each of your plants’ needs before you start growing.

Soil test kits are available from and many other retailers like and . Most range in price from about $10 to $30.