Amaranthus, Cosmos, and More Flowers Planted Indoors

It is that time when planting indoors will be very beneficial during the garden season.  I wanted to get as many different flower seeds as possible including amaranthus, calendula, cosmos, statice, and a few more wildflower seeds.  You can never have too many flowers in the garden.

I used the same type and size pot for almost all the seeds except for cosmos.  These are actually a type of sunflower plant, but they do not grow like the typical sunflower that we all know.  They are smaller and grow beautifully colored blossoms that insects and butterflies use for food.  I placed them in larger pots because out of all the flowers they will need the extra room that these other containers have.

I am just going to place these in the windowsill while a week or two later it will be time to start my tomatoes indoors and these will be under grow lights.

Just twenty containers of seeds is a good amount to start with at the moment.  I still have many more flowers that I need to plant, but those will come a little bit later.  I would say around late March I should start planting them.

Getting a Head Start on Melons and More Flowers

It is always a race to get as much seeds planted indoors as you can.  I utilize the sunlight as much as I can and use lights for plants that need it before they can be placed outside for full sunlight.  Right now I am working on getting all the flowers planted right away and then I can start working on other fruits and vegetables that are the main part of the garden.

Each row of containers going horizontally is a different seed.  The first row is calendula, then amaranthus, statice, cornflowers, and in the plastic cups are sunflowers.  They will need more space than any of the other flowers which is why they get large cups.







Queen Anne's Lace was planted as well, but I used peat pots for them.  I find that they can be a bit tricky and this year I want to try using small peat pots that should help in transplanting at least. 

Melons were on my mind today for some reason and when I looked back at when I planted them last year it is only a few days away.  I figured since I was working with peat pots I thought that it would be a good idea to start my watermelon today.  I am using Carolina cross and Georgia rattlesnake this year and see which one has the best success.

Three seeds of Carolina cross and two seeds per pot of Georgia rattlesnake.  I have more sprouting success with the latter than the former.

Lettuce, Watermelon, and More Flowers Planted Indoors

Yesterday I started planting more flowers indoors in order to get them a head start for the garden season.  Getting them blooming as fast as possible is the first thing that I focus on when gardening.  It is also important for vegetables and fruits as well.  Below are pots that contain amaranthus, calendula, queen anne's lace, and statice seeds.

That is why I began with lettuce yesterday as well as watermelon.  Watermelons take quite a while to mature and need more time in order to get a much bigger and tastier fruit.  Starting them inside is the best way to give them extra time as well as a few other strategies that I will use when I plant them into the ground.  More on that at a later time.

Lettuce doesn't take that long to grow, but they need cooler weather and the best time to start them is now because one they are ready I will place them outside at around mid spring which is when their preferred temperatures arrive.  They don't like cold weather like spinach, but much cooler than summer temperatures are desired.

Bought More Seeds That Will Assist in Successful Sprouting

It is always important to have your seeds indoors or outdoors sprout otherwise you will not have a very good gardening season.  That is one reason that you should always purchase new seeds for the year.  I sometimes don't follow this rule myself and I tend to use seeds that are two years old at the most. 

If you are going to use older seeds I would recommend planting a high volume of seeds per row or per pot depending if you are planting them inside or outside.  Instead of one to three seeds in each pot I would at least double it to achieve the sprouting that is required.

The oldest seeds I had will be replaced with the new seeds that I recently purchased from Burpee.  For instance the cucumbers and peppers I had were at least three years old.  I decided to replace them and get some new ones that will be directly grown outside if the ones I planted do not grow.  It isn't a big deal because I can always perform the task of growing them outside which will work just as good.

Some flowers were also purchased because you can never have too many flowers.  Flowers are perfect for bees and other insects that could help out your garden.  For instance calendula and alyssum were on the list for this year.  I even added some queen anne's lace along with statice which can be a great addition since these flowers are rich in nectar which insects and bees need.

What are Some More Fruits, Vegetables, and Flowers You Can Grow Indoors?

For those people looking to start growing more plants in their home or greenhouse, then this simple post is for you.  There are many plants that you could start growing inside to get them their headstart, but only a few are best since they make take some time to grow.

A few that I chose to grow recently would include cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and cantaloupes.  These three plants are what I decided to cultivate indoors because I find melons take a while to grow outside and can take longer if you don't have any bees pollinating the fruits.  I like to make sure that I have some extra time just in case these things happen.

To help in attracting bees you will need to make certain that you have the right flowers growing at the same time as well.  This time I chose cosmos, calendula, and amaranthus.  These are just a few more plants that you can easily start growing at home beginning today.