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.
Page 1 of 3 – On page 2, you'll discover the proper kind of lighting for starting seeds inside the house.
