A Few Tips for Starting Seeds Indoors ...

Some women are addicted to buying shoes others purses, I have a problem with flowers. Enough is never enough, come May and June if I pass a farmers market or a road side stand I get the shakes. The last couple of years I have started several annuals from seed so I could double the amount of flowers I have but spend less money. I still buy a few flats to satisfy my addiction but I don’t have to buy quite as many.

Monday I finally took time to plant a few seeds I collected from annuals last fall. I usually buy packets of seeds but I wanted to try drying the seeds over the winter and see if they would sprout in the spring. I planted six seeds of each of the four types I collected, they are my guinea pigs. The seeds I planted were Mexican Sunflowers, Tequila Lime Zinnias, Purple Zinnias, and Cosmos.

I am not a professional Gardner, I do not know the scientific names of the flowers I plant, but I do seem to have a green thumb and I truly love gardening. Here are a few tricks I have learned that have been successful when starting seeds indoors.

My favorite containers to first start the seeds in are plastic strawberry containers. I have found this is the best place for the seeds to germinate. After I plant the seeds I slip the containers in plastic bags and seal them, this keeps the soil moist and the condition constant for the seeds. I first did this last spring it worked great.

Before I place my potting soil in the strawberry containers I place it in a plastic bag and add warm water right into the bag. I only add enough water to make the ground nice and moist. Once all the soil is damp I add it to my containers.

If you decide to use strawberry containers I usually only sew six seeds per container. Every type of seed has its own specific needs. So for best results follow the packet directions or go online and look up your specific flower.

Once I have the seeds planted and bagged I write a label with the name of the plant, the date it was planted, and the expected germination time.

I am hoping my little guinea pigs sprout so I can sow the rest of my seeds and if they don’t I will have to grab a few extra packets or flats.