1) Choose the right plant at the right time- Choose plants like Chamomile, French Sorrel, Dill, Yarrow, Catnip, and Cilantro that can grown in this moist, cool weather. If you start them inside, they may get too pampered and not do well outside when you transplant them, so try to find a fairly warm spot to start them outside in the ground or in pots.
2) Plant the Seeds- Get some potting soil and some 4" pots (reused is ok, but wash them first with mild biodegradable soap). Water the soil before you start, and let the water soak in. To start small seeds, just scape the surface with a fork, and sprinkle the seeds on the surface. For bigger seeds like Calendula, put your index finger into the soil 1/2 way to the first knuckle in up to 5 spots in the pot, put a seed into each hole, then cover back up with soil and gently pat the soil back into place.
3) Care for the seedlings: Cover the pots with a sheet of glass, plexiglass or plastic sheeting to keep the moisture in and warm the soil making sure to keep the plastic directly off of the soil (you can use chopsticks or skewers to hold it up). As soon as you see some of the seeds starting to sprout, give the plants some air or take the covering off. If is cold, just lift the covering off during the day or lift the glass up an inch or two to get some air flow in there. It may take 1-3 weeks depending how much sun, rain, and wind we may get this spring.
4) Transplant the seedlings when they are big enough to hold their own in the garden. Make sure they get enough water, but not too much- put your finger into the soil and see if it is holding moisture. If so, don't water. But that said, do not let it completely dry out between watering.
I would like to take this time to say that you should sit down with a calendar and plan a little time out- in other words,plan to do this project when you can be around to check in on the plants. The first time I started herb seeds I did it before a week long trip and needless to say, they didn't get watered and not many of them survived.- Learn from my mistake! The calendar can be your friend-you can write down notes to refer back to later, and it is always hanging around where you are.
Sorrel Plant:
