What is the plant-out date in your part of the country? Ours is April 15, so I started my seeds a month ago. You want to give your seeds plenty of time to grow mature enough to survive outdoors and harden off with good sturdy stems.

It's really pretty easy. Just start with a good seed starting medium. Most big box stores (Lowes, HD) have small 'kits' - the little soil pods that you just add water to and they expand. Easy instructions and you add the seeds, keep them warm and with plenty of light & moisture initially and in a few days you'll see sprouts. You don't want too much water. You have to learn what's 'just right'.

I keep a spray bottle and water my seedlings daily with the spray bottle rather than drench them. Easier, especially at first to keep from disturbing the seeds when first planted. When the seedlings produce their first set of true leaves, it's time to divide and repot up to a slightly larger pot. I keep a few plastic pots from the previous years to put my divided seedlings in. Again, you'll need a bit more soil for this.

I have a set-up that includes a heat mat and a grow light (an adjustable fluorescent light) in a space under our house for my set-up. The light is on a timer so the seedlings get 12 hours of direct light/day. The heat mat is set to 70-75 degrees so there is consistent warmth. I have beautiful seedings right now but I do have to water daily.

I tried this several years ago and didn't know what I was doing. I didn't realize I needed to have a grow light for them, so the tomato seedlings were extremely spindly and none survived. I'm in northern CA. I hope you have good luck!

I've grown tomatoes indoors. I put rows of BIG deck pots in front of a south facing sliding glass door. Then there was NO transplanting, just setting outdoors a few hours a day to harden off.

I planted my tomato seeds on Super Bowl Sunday. I'll probably move them out into the garden in early April. They're under grow lights now.

I'm no gardner..but I always start elephant ears, jumbos, indoors. I am pretty much in the woods and have a medium sized back yard with a ugly fence to keep wild life out. I transplant the elephant ears along the fence line. They are so pretty and tropical looking. My leaves usually get as big as a hood on a car. No more ugly fence.

My favorite hobby! Growing from seed... not always successful, but it's fun to try! I have a 4 shelf set up with lights and a heat mat on the top tray for germinating. As they sprout and grow they get moved to different levels under the lights.

My husband asked if we could curtail the # of tomato plants this year - last year I had about 15. He said 2 of each type would probably be good. I have 5 types so... that's still 10 plants. : )

This year I'm trying to grow more flowers. Much harder than the tomatoes and peppers seem to be.

I'm also doing a few containers of winter sowing. I've had some success with that in the past. The instant gratification of seeing the sprouts daily isn't there, but I'm hopeful in a few weeks I will see growth in the containers too.

I made, and used, a DIY light system for many years, but this year SILs discarded a lot of garage stuff for me, including my big garbage bag of light system! I think I will bring in a shop shelf, and hang my grow lights from that. I don't plan on doing so horrendously many as I have in the past, but tomatoes, and peppers primarily, plus annuals. I do container vegetable gardening now, with the Rubbermaid 18 gal. boxes and self-watering. I did the straw bale gardening a couple of years, and that was fun.

I am in Florida. I started seeds indoors in December. I have tomatoes on the vine and the squash are growing rapidly. All will be done by July due to the heat.

Sun/light is not an issue until the plants are about 1/2" high. A plant light is better than the sun and the closer the better. Bottom heat is extremely important. Once the plants get to be about 2" tall, fertilize with a weak solution and again when they are about 5" tall. Once outdoors, shelter the plants from winds until they are about 12" tall and the stems are thick.

Remember that nature is not perfect. Sow more seeds than you think necessary. Plant only the healthy ones and don't be afraid to toss the iffy ones once they are ready to be moved outdoors.

If you have lots and lots and lots of questions once you have read all that is here, then contact your local Extension Office. They might have a pamphlet that would be appropriate for your area.

Seed starting is one of my passions. I
grow all sorts of plants for myself and to donate to several clubs for their
plant sales.

In addition to the advice given, read the
back of the seed pkg. for useful information. Special treatment may be required
such as soaking, scarification, stratification. You'll also find the planting
depth, soil temperature, germination, maturity and other conditions required.

I use a spray bottle with chamomile tea to
prevent damp-off disease.

Mamapinkyo do you start your elphant ears from seed and is it too late now?

Phyllis I just saw something on FB this morning about straw bale gardening. Looks fun and easy and definitely going to try a bale or two. I always love trying new things. Right now I'm growing celery from a celery stalk in water. Another fun, easy thing to try.

CindyMac I'd be so thrilled to find free plants by the road! That's so nice of you to do. Yours looked great last year.

Share_oh - I agree with you. Finding free plants by the road only happens in my dreams. LOL.

You can grow all sorts of things in water. I've also done lettuce and napa cabbage among other things.

share_oh

Please tell me how to grow celery in water. Might be able to do it in my small apartment. Sounds like fun.

Share_oh and Summer, I'll admit it gives me a bit of pleasure to know I'm making someone happy with something so small. There was a time I tossed my extra plants in the compost and then realized that was crazy. I don't usually have as many as I had in that pic from 2 years ago, but this year's count might match it. We're having a cold snap, so I'm holding off on transplanting until Thursday.

Seniorgal - Don't know how Share_oh grows hers, but I've tried the celery, too. I cut the stalks off leaving the base (about 2 inches) and place it in a shallow bowl with water. After about 2 weeks it can be planted in soil.

Yes Summer, that's what I'm doing. Only I'm not planting mine just yet. My plan is to get a big pot and plant it and keep it indoors till it warms up enough to go out. We'll see! If not, I'll just start over with another one.

Just supposed to change the water every few days. The center stalk could probably be eaten when it gets a little bigger but not sure it would continue to regrow. After it's planted you're supposed to pull off the outer stalks to eat and let the plant continue to grow.

CindyMac, I go to a plant swap in the spring and take my extra tomato plants. When I plant seeds I try to only plant a few so that I don't have to weed them out - I hate pulling out baby plants and throwing them away! There's something about letting a living plant live. ; )

Share_oh, I know what you mean. I sowed a bunch of milkweed seeds in the garden a couple weeks ago and I swear every single one must have germinated. I started thinning the other day and was tossing more than keeping. I'm going to let the rest get bigger and then try to transplant as I finish thinning.