Over the next few days, let’s take a look at what we need to do to get our flowers started indoors for the coming season.
It’s that time of year again, for most of us, to start planting some of our seeds inside to be transplanted outside come early spring. I know the expense of purchasing all my plants from a nursery to give my garden a head start! Thankfully, that’s not necessary! It’s way less expensive if we start our “gardens” inside and transplant them when the last frost is done in your area.
Each plant has its own needs. We’ll look at what kind of medium is best to plant in, seed depth for planting and water & light requirements. As a rule of thumb, you will plant your seeds indoors about eight weeks before the last expected frost date in your area (you may have to rely on an internet search to tell you when that date is expected).
Let’s start with a few basics though. When planting indoors:
- Choose the container that’s right for the size of your chosen flower.
- Select a spot to place the container that has enough light and heat for the seeds to germinate.
- Don’t overwater your seeds! Keep moist, but not wet.
- Always prepare your seedlings by hardening them off before you move them into your garden (“hardening them off” simply means to prepare the plants for the transplant that is to come, possibly by leaving them outdoors for a few days, bringing them in at night, so it’s not a shock to their system when you actually perform the transplant).
That’s just the beginning! Over the next two days, we will cover more information on these topics.