FEBRUARY I MARCH 2021 birdsandblooms.com 39
Teach children how
flowers and veggies
grow by planting seeds.
Common blooms
and veggies that are
easy to start inside.
FLOWERS
Aster
Bachelor’s button
Calendula
Cosmos
Phlox
Salvia
Sunflower
VEGETABLES
Beans
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Lettuce
Squash
Selecting Seeds
Deciding what to grow from seed is up
to you, but Richard notes some things
aren’t worth the bother. Begonias, for
example, have tiny seeds that are hard
to germinate and slow to mature. It’s
much easier just to buy those plants at
the garden center.
Fortunately, there are plenty of
easy and readily available candidates,
including flowers such as marigolds,
zinnias, petunias and impatiens, and
vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers,
cabbage, kale and broccoli.
Those who live in hot climates —Zones
8 or 9, for example —may be able start
seeds as early as December. Northern
gardeners, like those who grow in Zones
3 or 4, should wait until March or April
to start most seeds, depending on the
plant’s germination period.
Don’t fret if you have to wait a little
longer. Extra time offers the perfect
opportunity to order seeds—preferably
as early as possible to get the best
selection. Seed packets often include
recommendations on when to plant
indoors based on your average last
frost date.
Richard cautions not to start growing
too early. “Something like cucumbers or
squash germinate and grow quickly, so
start these inside three to four weeks
before they can go outdoors,” he says.
Tomatoes need five to six weeks indoors;
peppers require seven to eight weeks.
Getting Started
Richard starts vining vegetables in
peat pots, which are biodegradable cells
made of compressed peat moss that can
be set directly in the ground without
disturbing roots. For most other plants,