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"Indoor Seed Starting for Beginners to Experts" Even though it's still winter outdoors, the new growing season is beginning indoors in the form of seed starting. This is the time of the year to start many different flower, vegetable, and herb seeds which will become transplants for this year's outdoor gardens. It's a yearly ritual for me and many gardeners that signals the start of the new growing season. It's easy to start seeds indoors and there are many reasons for starting your own seeds including being able to grow an unusual, hard-to-find, or new variety or plant, saving money, starting seeds that need to be started indoors early to get a head start, and having fun in the process. One of the keys to successful indoor seed starting is using the right equipment and knowing how to use it. You'll need a seed-starting setup which is comprised of a light source, a timer for the light source, a propagation mat, sterile seed pots and cell packs, and special seed-starting mix for germinating seeds that also must be sterile. Soilless mix for transplants is used when it comes time to transplant the seedlings into cell packs. Proper soil temperature is critical for best germination. A soil thermometer should be used to monitor soil temperature. One that is marked with optimum soil temperatures for specific plants is a helpful tool for germinating seeds. Use the soil thermometer along with the propagation mat to keep an eye on soil temperatures in the seedling pots. Many seeds that are started indoors are no bigger than dust. A seed sower comes in handy to help distribute them more accurately and evenly in the seed pot. The seed sower I use is shaped like a trowel with a thumb-click wheel on the handle. The click wheel causes a vibration that makes the seed "jump" off the sower and into the pot. I find it very handy for those extra-small seeds. I also use it outdoors in the vegetable garden for sowing small seeds like radish and carrot seeds. I start all of my own flower, vegetable, and herb transplants. Every winter I start several thousand seeds for my garden and home landscape, so I have, by necessity, developed a seed-starting timetable of each and every plant. Each plant has its own proper seed-starting time and it varies, depending on the plant, from 12 weeks (which we're near now) to two weeks before the time the plant should be planted out in the garden. My list is based on the average last frost date of May 31. I start by counting backwards (measured in weeks) from that date. I've learned over the years that each type of seed has its own ideal seed-starting method and may require special treatment. Oftentimes if you don't have success with a certain type of seed, it probably requires special attention. For each plant I have notes on soil temperature for best germination, to cover, cover lightly, or not to cover seeds, any special formulation of seed-starting mix to use, any seed pretreatments needed before sowing the seeds, whether to direct sow into peat pots, exclude light for germination or not, and any other valuable information I've discovered or learned on how best to start the particular seeds. Knowing what a particular type of seed needs for best germination makes all the difference in the world. Because each plant is different each step along the way is also different from sowing the seeds in seed pots to transplanting the seedlings to cell packs to getting the seedlings acclimated to the outdoors by "hardening off." Click here to read more about seed starting supplies and order them from Pernell Gerver's Online Store.

by Pernell Gerver

"Money Doesn't Grow on Trees, Just on Money Plant" Q. I enjoy your column very much. I have been given some "money plant" seeds and would like to know how and when to start these seeds. Are they perennial? I know they are very unique. Thank you. A. Money plant (Lunaria annua) is a biennial, meaning it grows the first year, flowers the second, then dies. Money plant is a bushy plant with heart-shaped leaves. It grows to three feet tall. It's said that money doesn't grow on trees, but this plant has decorative seed pods that sure do look like shiny coins. Its round, wafer-thin, translucent seed heads are borne at the tops of its stems. The seed heads ripen in late summer, turning from green to silvery-white. They are often used in dried flower arrangements and autumn decorations. To harvest, cut the stems when the pods are ripe. Gather them together into bunches, secure with a rubber band, and hang them upside down in a dark, dry location for a couple of weeks. Because it is a biennial, money plant flowers and produces seed pods the second year. Its flowers are fragrant and borne in clusters in late spring and early summer. Flower colors are purple, pink, or white. It does best in full sun or light shade. Although it is biennial, dying after its second year, it readily self sows, resulting in many seasons of flowers and interesting seed pods. Seeds of money plant can be sown directly in the ground in spring or summer. To have plants this season that have a headstart, start the seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost. Sow the seeds in a sterile pot with sterile seed starting mix and cover them with a thin layer of seed starting mix. Supply bottom heat with a propagation mat to ensure a soil temperature of 70 degrees. The seeds should germinate in about two weeks. Once they've germinated, provide at least 14 hours of light. The time to transplant them outdoors is after the last frost. About two weeks before planting outdoors, harden off the seedlings by setting them outdoors in a sheltered location during the day and bringing them back in at night. Click here to read more about seed starting supplies and order them from Pernell Gerver's Online Store. Click here to submit gardening questions for Pernell Gerver's online Q & A column. Click here to read previous online columns in the archives.

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