Don’t Waste Your Seeds – My Soil Thermometer Says the Ground Is Still Too Cold to Sow Them

After patiently waiting out winter, I'm ready to get outdoors and sow my seeds. But, I'm not relying on the sun alone to determine whether it's time – my soil thermometer tells me exactly when the ground is warm enough for germination. Without it, I would waste so many seeds by planting too early and end up with less flowers and veg.

Warm air can be misleading and trick you into sowing seeds outdoors too soon, especially if you're experiencing a false spring. Seeds planted while the ground is still too cold result in a lack of germination, or weak growth if they do sprout. That's where a soil thermometer comes in, like this Amazon soil thermometer.

It essentially gives you an instant reading of soil temperature with a probe you insert in soil. It can save you wasted time and effort (as well as precious seeds), and without it my growing efforts would amount to disappointing results. Here's why I wouldn't be without it.

Why Does Soil Temperature Matter?

One of the biggest seed sowing mistakes is planting when conditions aren't right. In spring, this means getting seeds in the ground before the soil is sufficiently warm to support strong germination.

Planting too early in spring may result in a lack of germination at all or very weak and leggy growth, as the inconsistent warm temperatures are unable to sustain support.

In turn, this can set back your flowers and vegetables, reducing your yield and wasting seeds as they become less viable.

A soil thermometer saves this trouble by allowing you to ensure the ground is really ready for planting.

Of course, this does require some extra research around what temperature your specific seeds need and you should be mindful of any frost forecasts in your US hardiness zone.

Ideally, you should take a soil temperature reading for 3-5 consecutive days to work out an average and guarantee the temperature is right before planting. This will save you being tricked by an unusual warm spell – remember, just because it feels warms doesn't mean it's time to plant.

Why Shoppers Love This Soil Thermometer

Even though this specific Amazon soil thermometer is marketed for a wormery (with a useful color code to determine whether yours is too hot for the worms), it comes highly rated as versatile for any garden soil and compost.

'This is an excellent soil thermometer. I have five of these outside that I use to do my planting throughout the year and ensure the ground is the right temperature,' one five-star reviewer shares.

It can also be used to ensure compost is heating up and can even be used to monitor warmth-loving indoor plants.

'Very helpful to monitor soil conditions for my picky indoor fruit tree,' a shopper writes.

As for how easy it is to use, customers agree 'the numbers are easy to read.'

'It picks up the temperature of the soil quickly and efficiently. Solid construction in simple to use,' another reviewer writes.

For early spring in particular, it's been a seed life-saver for those who already have it in their tool kit:

'Knowing the temperature of the soil guided me to delay planting until a warmer time,' one person writes.

'[It's] easy to read and fast to register temperature. Would recommend for any gardener,' they add.

Shoppers are also satisfied with the accuracy of the reading this Amazon soil thermometer gives:

'It's very accurate, I even tested it against kitchen thermometers and it's spot on,' one reviewer shares.

I'm finding it tricky to spot a downside to this soil thermometer: it's incredibly inexpensive, gives accurate and instant results, and makes growing of any kind much more successful.

Having said that, I would argue it might be worth spending a little more money to get a soil meter that tells you much more than temperature.

For example, this $33 digital 4-in-1 soil meter from Amazon identifies temperature, pH level, moisture, and sunlight intensity in any particular spot of your yard.

Nevertheless, if you're feeling uncertain of your planting times and need a quick solution, you can't get much better than a $12 tool doing the work for you.

Early spring is a great time to check in with your soil health in general. If you haven't already, consider testing your soil now before getting your plants in the ground.

Love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news? Sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox.

Shop Spring Gardening Essentials