A seedy proposition

When our nextdoor neighbours left for a year-long sabbatical, I, land-hungry gardener that I am, volunteered to do their garden. I filled it with plants started from seed and grown under lights in my basement. By midsummer, tall cleomes and lavatera provided a backdrop for shorter blue salvia and white snapdragons. I harvested yellow pear and cherry tomatoes and three varieties of basil. Best of all, I loved "gardening" in the basement long before the outdoor season had begun.

Not only are seeds a boon for impatient or budget-conscious gardeners, they allow you to grow a greater choice of varieties. Instead of a standard petunia mix, you can choose the precise shade of blue you want. You can grow uncommon plants, and when it comes to tomatoes and vegetables, there are scores of heirloom and new hybrid varieties that put supermarket varieties to shame.

Seed sources include garden centres and mail-order seed companies, which send out enticing catalogues in January and offer the widest selection. Order your seeds in January or early February because choice selections tend to sell out early.

Building an Indoor Plant Stand
To start building your plant stand, click through to the next page to download the pattern.

It's All in the Timing
Most seeds started indoors should be sown between March and April. When-to-sow information is usually given on the back of seed packets. You should sow tomatoes, for example, six to eight weeks before the last frost date (the date it's safe to plant frost-tender annuals outdoors in your area). If you don't know the date, contact a nursery in your area, or check your library for Environment Canada statistics.

Avoid sowing too soon; you'll wind up with spindly plants competing for light, water and fertilizer weeks before it's safe to move them to the garden. To determine sowing dates, count backward from the last frost date and note on a calendar what to sow when.

The Right Stuff
Seed-starting supplies are available at garden centres and hardware stores, and from seed catalogues. Propagating kits come with cell packs; trays or flats that catch draining water; and plastic dome lids that keep soil moist until germination. Containers, including plastic pots and multipacks from nurseries, may be reused every year provided they're washed with hot, soapy water and a little bleach (nine parts water to one part bleach). Containers should be at least four to five centimetres deep and must have drainage holes.

Lighting the Way
To grow and thrive, seedlings need bright light, which they're more likely to get under fluorescent lights than on a windowsill. Our easy-to-build plant stand has three standard hanging fixtures (each with two 48-inch tubes), available at hardware or building-supply stores. The lights hang from chains, so you can adjust their heights. You don't need expensive grow lights; the standard cool white 40-watt fluorescent bulbs provide adequate light for seedlings. You can put the plant stand in any heated room. For ease, plug lights into a timer set to run for 18 hours beginning at 6 a.m.

Getting Ready to Sow
There are two ways to plant: sow individual seeds in the containers in which they'll grow until they're ready to transplant to the garden, or sow many seeds in one container, allowing them to grow together for several weeks before transplanting each seedling to its own cell or container.

The first method eliminates the job of transplanting fragile seedlings. It's ideal if you're raising small numbers of plants and don't need to conserve space under lights, and is preferable for large seeds that grow quickly. For tiny, slowgrowing seeds, such as begonia, the second method is a space saver.

Generally, you'll want to end up with one plant per container, but some annuals, such as lobelia and portulaca, and herbs, such as thyme and chives, can be grown and transplanted in clumps. Many seedlings look alike, so it's a good idea to label containers with a waterproof marker.