I have gone thru period of starting seeds and not... but regardless of a not period, every year I do lupines and this year is no exception.

Alstroemeria (ligtu hybrids), aquilegia (chocolate soldier), and Japanese anemone. Wish me luck.

I love lupines too, though I've never started them indoors. Have you planted them already?

Molley, good luck with your early starts! Keep us posted on how they do for you.

The sunny weather forced me to get an early start on some dahlia seeds so they're planted and in a west-facing widow. I'm excited with how quickly the little geranium seedlings are progressing.

Take care,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Fireworks' dahlia mix that I just planted indoors

I am into cyclamen this year so I am growing a lot of those indoors. They like growing in cool temperatures 55-60 so I am keeping the laundry room cool and they are growing well. I have lots of different forms of c.coum and c.hederafolium, some with silver leaves, christmas tree patterns and different markings. It is fun to see the variations in the leaves. I am surprised to see so many different patterns right from the very first leaf. I am also growing some of the other species like alpinum, intaminate, cicilium and others. It is nice to see something growing this time of year and it is keeping me busy until spring.

Your cyclamen seedlings sound really fun. I love watching seedlings that are variable develop. I've purchased the hardy small-flowering types of cyclamen for my gardens (C. hedarifolium mostly), but haven't tried them from seed. Have they been easy/quick to start? I bet they look really cute when they're so small.

Some of my little dahlia seedlings are already up, and the geraniums have tiny tiny true leaves starting to form. Geraniums are really fun to watch develop as their small leaves are copies of the large ones, only tiny.

Keep us posted on how your seedlings are doing, and if/when anyone is starting anything new indoors. Sometimes it's hard to pace myself!

Take care,
Grant

I haven't even decided what I am going to plant this year, let alone ordered seeds. Guess I had better get busy. My yard is so torn up from the winter storms that I am a bit discouraged with all of that work that I have ahead of me. I usually plant mid February though ~ so I guess I better get moving!

Well, the geraniums are growing like gangbusters with one true-leaf each and a second on the way (though the first leaf hasn't finished fully expanding yet, so the plants are still small). The dahlias continue to sprout but no true leaves yet and after almost three weeks the red hot pokers (Kniphofia) are starting to sprout, as are the hybrid rose seeds from Renee's Gardens' seed (purchased at Ravenna Gardens in U Village).

This weekend I'll go through my embarassingly large seed stash and see what else would enjoy a head start indoors, or that just tickles my fancy.

If you've started your seeds, let us hear allll about them!
Take care,
Grant with ever-crowding windowsills

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Angel Wings' rose seeds from Renee's Garden

I don't start seeds indoors anymore. Mainly for these reasons--cost of electricity--damping off---bug infestations---keeping moisture at right levels. I now winter sow anything I really want. Much easier.
Duane

I don't really start many seeds indoors, having a greenhouse makes a difference. I got a head start last fall, I started some Russell Lupins (from the original strain) and Cyclamen coum, several varieties, Lupins are up and going, Cyclamen just popping through. I have lots of little Helebore plants coming along from seed I planted the year before, 5or6 different colours. Maybe I'll have a few blooms next year. I get my seed from Ashwood Nursery in England and have always had good luck with them. I do sprout my Tomato seeds indoors in moist paper towel, then pot them up and grow them on the window sill till they get their 2nd leaves, I then take them out to the greenhouse. I also soak bean seed for a few hours indoors before I plant them outside.

A...... a.k.a. Dancing in the Weeds

I don't start most seeds indoors either, except for palm seeds and fern spores, sometimes. Right now all I have is Ceroxylon quindeinse and C. hexandrum. The C. hexandrum is just starting to come up. The C. quindiense are not growing; I think the seed was not fresh. I sow most seeds outdoors at various times, and in the greenhouse mostly in spring and a little bit in fall. I did more fall sowing last year, which worked fine for everything that I started before about Sept 15.

Thanks for the latest. I always start a ton of seeds outside in fall and winter too. Ever since I was a kid I noticed that some seeds of hardy and self-sowing plant seed did better outdoors than when I kept them safe indoors to start. I keep an old florist cart that currently has twenty or so pots of "winter sown" seeds in it....things like columbine, gas plant, euphorbias, etc.

But that won't work obviously for tender things like dahlia and coleus seeds, and is iffy for kniphofia seeds too, so I do start a few things indoors. I really have to limit myself though because my house is small and I have plant-eating window-hogging cats, lol.

I'm glad more people are winter-sowing things as you're right: it really is easy for plants whose seeds can survive the winter.

I've been planting some bare-root plants this week so there's plenty of freshly exposed soil around them now, so I'll so sprinkle some hardy annual seeds on them just for fun.

Happy gardening!
Grant

All heirlooms: tomatoes, peppers-sweet and hot varieties, eggplants, hollyhocks. I'm really curious about the hollyhocks. They are from the old company, Abundant Life Seed Foundation. Supposed to be smaller than the usual hollyhock, white flower. Supposedly from Israel and called, Garden Tomb of Jesus.

I emailed with Abundant Life for a while, but nobody could give me info beyond what was in the catalogue, so we'll see what happens. The seed is old now and I've never grown it. Hoping for good results.

Several people have emailed me for Seedling Updates, so I thought I'd just post them for folks who are curious. It's been about five weeks and the zonal geraniums, red-hot pokers, and dahlias, have done great. The roses sprouted quickly, grew a true leaf each, and then quickly died. Oh well, it's fun to try and the seedlings I'm really excited about (the geraniums/pokers/dahlias) are doing great. I've got lots of seeds planted in pots outdoors (some sprouting, some not (yet)) but here are the ones that really benefit from an early start indoors( all are in four-inch pots):

Geranium Seedlings March 1, 2007

Dahlia seedlings March 1, 2007

Kniphofia seedlings March 1, 2007

I've recently planted variegated snapdragons, variegated-leaf tomatoes (fun white-swirled foliage with white-striped green fruit that turns red and tastes pretty good actually), Lopezia, and a few others too.

If you're curious, take a look, and feel free to send in an update of what you've started indoors, and how it's doing.

Happy seed-starting,
Grant