In Issue 01 we discussed the easiest summer flowers to start from seed.

While sowing seeds at the location you want the plant to live (called “direct sowing”) is indeed easiest, not all flowers can start this way. Some seeds need to be sown indoors, then transferred to their final growing location as seedlings.

Grow lights and greenhouses

You don’t need any special equipment to start seeds indoors.

If you do have access to special equipment, like grow lights or a greenhouse, it opens up the volume and types of flowers you can grow from seed. But without those things, there are still plenty of seeds you can work with.

Getting started

What you’ll need: a window that gets lots of sunlight, a plastic seed tray, and potting soil or seed starting mix.

And seeds, of course.

No matter what you’re planting, you’ll begin the same way. Fill a bowl with potting soil or seed starting mix, and add water. The goal is to create a mixture that is moist, but doesn’t drip water when you squeeze a handful of it in your palm.

Fill your seed tray with the moistened soil, making sure to tamp the soil to get any air pockets out.

Check the packet to see if the seeds require light or darkness to germinate.

• If light, sow on top of the soil or top very lightly with soil

• If darkness, cover the seed completely with soil

After sowing, place the seed tray in front of a bright window and watch the magic happen.

Three seeds anyone can start indoors

Each type of seed will vary in terms of when to plant it, when to transplant it, and the care it needs in the interim.

What the following seeds have in common is a high success rate. And they can be grown indoors without any special equipment.

• Sweet peas: One of the first seeds you can sow in the new year. Start them 10-12 weeks before the last frost. Some recommend soaking them or laying them on a damp paper towel for 24 hours before sowing, to soften their hard outer shell. I haven’t found this necessary. They develop a deep tap root, so plant in seed trays with deep cells or in toilet paper rolls filled with soil (and a flat seed tray underneath). Pop them into the seed tray (1-2 per cell), cover them with soil. Mist regularly, until germination. Plant outside 4-5 weeks before the last frost.

• Pelargoniums: Another early starter, sow these seeds in early to mid-February. They are very slow to develop, but easy to care for. Place the seeds in the tray (1-2 per cell) and cover with soil. Germination may take days or up to four weeks. When the seedlings have 3 sets of leaves, transfer them from their seed tray to pots (3-4” wide), one seedling per pot. Plant outside after the last frost.

• Tomatoes: When it comes to seeds, edibles follow the same rules and patterns as flowers. Tomato seeds are best to sow indoors, 6-8 weeks before your last frost. Place the seeds into your seed tray (2 per cell) and cover with soil. Mist regularly until germination. Plant outside after the last frost.

📖 Book I’m reading

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman. A collection of short stories and poems by one of my all-time favorite authors. Best read on a grey, rainy day.

👩🏻‍🌾 Seeds I’m sowing

Sweet peas, believe it or not! I had a lot of success with these last year, but didn’t have a place to put all of them. They are climbers and require a good trellis or support structure to climb up, so I’m trying to do a better job of planning ahead and making sure I have enough support ready when it’s time to plant them.

🍄 What I’m inspired by

Emily Dickinson’s herbarium. The famed poet started studying botany at nine years old. She gathered, categorized and pressed 424 flora from the northeast region. Emily collected them on “rambles” through the woods, calling the wildflowers her “beautiful children of spring.”

Have you started seeds indoors before? Are you going to try this year? Reply and let me know what you’re planning!

xx

Courtney