Starting plants from seed is a great, inexpensive way to get exactly the plant varieties you want to grow. Starting seeds indoors requires the same basic elements as growing plants outdoors: Light, Seeds, Soil, Water, and Food.
Lighting
The hardest element to provide indoors is light. It is possible to start seeds in a room or on a windowsill that receives a full day (at least 8 hours) of bright light. Most gardeners will need to supplement their seedling lighting with special plant or grow lights that simulate the full spectrum of the sun. Even then, the lights will need to be left on for 12 - 15 hours per day, for your seedlings to grow as strong and healthy as they would in sunlight.
Seeds
Another difficult aspect of starting seeds is deciding what seeds to grow. There are so many choices, it’s tempting to want to try them all. But keep in mind that as your seedlings grow, they will need to be moved into larger pots that will take up even more space. So choose wisely. Buy seeds of plants you’re certain you can’t find at local garden centers or plants that you want to grow in large quantities inexpensively. You might want to join forces with other seed starters and arrange to grow and trade different varieties.
When to Start Seeds
When to start your seeds is always a bit of a guess. First you’ll need to know when your last expected frost date is. Then check your seed packet to see how many weeks growth are required before setting outdoors. Count back that many weeks from your last expected frost date, to get an approximate date for starting those seeds. It’s approximate because weather does not always live up to predictions, but you’ll be in the ballpark. Different plants will require different timing, so use a calender to make down when to start what.
How to Start Seeds & Cuttings
Planting the seeds is the easy and fun part. Starting seeds indoors is no different than starting seeds outdoors. Maintaining seedling indoors will take a bit more diligence though, since you can’t rely on rain and sun to do the work for you, and your seedlings will need the right nutrients to get off to a good start. But the effort is enjoyable, especially if you are snowbound or suffering from cabin fever.
While you are starting plants from seed, you might want to consider starting some plants from cuttings. You could create more foliage plants from your existing houseplants. And if you brought cuttings of bedding plants indoors last fall, chances are good they have grown large enough to take even more cuttings.
- Seed Starting - How to Successfully Start Plants from Seed
- Taking Cuttings from House and Garden Plants to Make More Plants
Self-Seeding Plants and Saving Your Own Seeds
If you saved flower seeds last fall to toss directly in the garden this spring, it might be time to put them out now. Some plants’ seeds need a period of chilling or even freezing, before they will germinate. So when to seed outdoors depends on your growing zone. (And if you didn’t save seeds of your favorite varieties, make plans to harvest some seed pods this year. It’s easy and helps guarantee your favorites will come back, no matter what surprises the winter weather brings.)
- Self-Seeding Annual Flowers - Garden Volunteers
- Seed Saving - Saving Your Garden Favorites to Grow Next Year
- Saving Tomato Seeds - Seed Saving for Next Year's Tomato Crop
