Start sprouting seeds now, and you’ll get fresh veggies sooner.

You can start seedlings in little pots, or save even more money by making your own containers.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—I became a passionate fan of growing and harvesting my own food when I was just a year old. Every day during the early summer I scooted along beside my mother around the edge of our yard. Mom picked the berries I couldn’t reach, while I popped the low-hanging fruit directly into my purpled mouth. The end of the season, she’s told me, nearly broke my 1-year-old heart: After crawling the whole route by myself, and standing up to examine each bush without finding not a single berry, I plumped down on my well-diapered behind and sobbed. In the ensuing years I’ve gotten slightly more sophisticated, though I still find the last berry of the season a bit sad.

But that day’s quite a ways away: Now is the time to start planning for at least a pot or two of herbs, a few vegetables in planters on your deck, or even a full-fledged garden. Growing your own edibles from seed is a great way to save some money, get the satisfaction of nurturing growing things (who never, ever talk back or demand to borrow the car), and put fresh, tasty eats on your table. Growing some of your own food is also a great way to cut down on the fossil fuel that’s burned to bring food to your table, eliminating some greenhouse gases and air pollution. And, you can make sure that your food is chemical-free.

Some crops, such as radishes and green beans, do best if you plant the seeds directly into their final growing location. But many others will bear sooner if you plant already-growing seedlings, rather than seeds, into your garden. You could buy started seedlings at your local garden center, but a pack of seeds costs less, and seeds give you a wider range of choices and allow you to grow your veggies organically from the very beginning.

Follow these five steps to end up with some healthy seedlings for your garden: