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Starting flowers from seed is a rewarding experience that can save you money and provide a sense of accomplishment. With a little planning and care, you can create a vibrant garden filled with your favorite blooms.
Getting a Head Start: Starting Seeds Indoors
To ensure healthy and robust seedlings, it’s often beneficial to start your flowers indoors before transplanting them into the garden. This process, known as seed starting, provides greater control over the growing environment and protects delicate seedlings from unpredictable outdoor conditions.
Key Steps:
- Timing: Begin sowing seeds indoors approximately 4-6 weeks before the last frost date in your area.
- Choose Your Containers: Opt for seed starting trays, peat pots, or biodegradable pots for optimal results. These containers offer good drainage and prevent root disturbance during transplanting.
- Select a Quality Seed Starting Mix: A sterile, well-draining seed starting mix is essential for healthy seedling development. Black Gold Seed Starting Mix is an excellent choice, providing the necessary nutrients and promoting strong root growth.
- Prepare Your Containers: Fill your chosen containers with moistened seed starting mix. Avoid overwatering as this can lead to damping off, a fungal disease that kills seedlings.
- Sow the Seeds: Carefully plant seeds according to the instructions on the seed packet. Cover with a thin layer of potting mix and gently firm the soil.
- Create a Mini Greenhouse: Cover the containers with a clear plastic dome or plastic wrap to maintain humidity. This mimics greenhouse conditions, promoting germination.
- Provide Adequate Light: Place your seed trays in a warm, brightly lit location, like a south-facing window. Supplement natural light with grow lights for optimal growth, especially during shorter winter days. Rotate the containers every 2-3 days to prevent seedlings from bending to reach the light
- Maintain Moisture: Keep the seed starting mix consistently moist but not soggy. Bottom watering is recommended to prevent damping off.
- Thinning: Once seedlings develop their first true leaves, gently remove weaker seedlings to provide space for the remaining plants to grow. Never pull out weaker seedlings, snip them using sharp clean scissors to avoid damaging the delicate roots.
Hardening Off Seedlings for Outdoor Success
Before transplanting your seedlings into the garden, it’s essential to prepare them for the outdoor environment through a process called hardening off. This gradually acclimates them to changing light, temperature, and humidity conditions, reducing transplant shock.
Here’s how to harden off your seedlings:
Start Gradually: Begin by placing seedlings outdoors in a sheltered location for a few hours each day, gradually increasing the exposure time as they adjust.
Protect from Harsh Conditions: Shield seedlings from direct sunlight, wind, and cold temperatures during the hardening-off process.
Monitor Moisture: While hardening off, continue to water seedlings regularly, as small pots dry out quickly.
Bottom Watering: For optimal moisture control, consider bottom watering. Place the seed trays in a tray filled with a shallow amount of water, allowing the seedlings to absorb moisture through the drainage holes. This method prevents overwatering and promotes healthy root development.
Watch for Signs of Readiness: Once seedlings can withstand full-day outdoor conditions without wilting, they are ready to transplant into the garden.
Ready to Transplant:
When roots begin to fill the pot or emerge from the bottom, it’s time to transplant your seedlings. Choose a planting location with suitable sunlight and soil conditions. Gently remove seedlings from their containers, taking care not to disturb the root ball. Plant at the same depth as they were in their pots, and water thoroughly.
Direct Sowing in the Garden:
Soil Preparation: Prepare the garden bed by adding Dr Q’s Paydirt Planting Mix to the top 6-8 inches of soil. This will improve soil fertility and drainage in heavy clay soil and increase water-holding capacity in sandy soil. Sprinkle Dr. Q’s Gold Dust Starter Fertilizer over the soil surface. Water thoroughly and keep the soil moist.
Seed Selection: Choose varieties suitable for direct sowing and follow seed packet instructions for planting depth and spacing.
Planting: Sow seeds after the last frost, when soil temperatures have warmed.
Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist until seedlings emerge.
Essential Care Tips:
Fertilizing: Apply a balanced fertilizer like Dr. Q’s Rose & Flower Food to promote healthy growth and flowering.
Watering: Water regularly, especially during hot, dry weather. Avoid overhead watering to prevent fungal diseases.
Mulching: Apply a layer of mulch to help retain moisture, suppress weeds, and protect plant roots.
Deadheading: Remove spent blooms to encourage continuous flowering.
By following these tips and experimenting with different flower varieties, you can enjoy a beautiful, vibrant and bountiful garden.
A Selection of Popular Flowers commonly grown from seed:
| Name | Height | Spacing | Sun/Shade | Colors |
| Alyssum | 4-6 inches | 10-12 inches | Sun | White, Purple, Mix |
| Begonia | 6-18 inches | 12-18 inches | Shade | Pink, White, Red |
| Celosia | 9-12 inches | 10-12 inches | Sun | Assorted |
| Gomphrena | 18-24 inches | 10-12 inches | Sun | Purple, Pink, White |
| Impatiens | 10-18 inches | 10-12 inches | Shade | White, Pink, Red |
| Lobelia | 8-10 inches | 6-8 inches | Shade | Blue, White, Mix |
| Marigold | 6-24 inches | 10-18 inches | Sun | Yellow, orange, red |
| Morning Glory | 24-36 inches | 12 inches | Sun | Assorted |
| Moss Rose | 3-4 inches | 8-12 inches | Sun | Mixed |
| Pansy | 4-6 inches | 8-12 inches | Sun | Assorted |
| Petunia | 8-18 inches | 8-12 inches | PM Shade | Assorted |
| Snapdragon | 10-36 inches | 6-12 inches | Sun | Assorted |
| Verbena | 9-12 inches | 8-12 inches | Sun | Red, Pink, Purple |
| Vinca | 10-12 inches | 8-12 inches | Sun | Many |
| Zinnia | 12-48 inches | 8-12 inches | Sun | Assorted |
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