Last month, we talked about planning your garden and gathering the seeds you’d like to start growing this spring. Well, now is the time to get sowing indoors or in a greenhouse. We focused on preparing to sow tomatoes and peppers last month, but they are among several vegetable crops that must be started indoors to ensure their springtime prosperity.

Here is a list of those vegetable crops and varieties that we recommend:

 

When in the thick of starting our vegetable crops, we may overlook the other springtime plants that must also be sown this month: flowers. Ah! Yes, of course! Many annual and perennial flowers must be sown indoors 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost date. For many of us in the U.S., that time is now. If started late and not allowed enough time to grow indoors, these plants will have a tough time all spring long. I’m guilty of starting late, and I’ve witnessed the flowers struggle to meet their full potential in the past.

Of course, you are probably thinking that you can just purchase already-started flowers from the store. You may find what you are looking for—you may not. But we think it’s best to start your flowers yourself because (a) you can control the conditions in which your flowers develop, (b) you tend to have a lot more unique varieties of flowers to choose from, and (c) it is a lot cheaper for the amount of coverage you get.

For instance, to fill a three to six-gallon Bloommaster Hanging Basket with, say, trailing petunias would become quite expensive, seeing as they are one of the more pricey selections at nurseries and stores; however, starting petunias yourself would cut the cost down to a fraction and give you a nice thick bloom with more than adequate coverage.

Check out our wide inventory of seeds for these spectacular varieties and so much more:

 

Annuals:

 

 

Perennials: