Hi Rick, Seeds can be planted indoors anytime provided they have enough light (preferably a grow light) and are in a warm location on a sunny south facing window. Seeds will germinate in 1-2 weeks in good potting soil but will get long and lanky without full sunshine. You must prick out the seed starts and pot them into individual small pots or pods with long root runs, or plant 2-3 seeds per pod and pull all but the strongest one out. I leave 2 until they are healthy or cut the root system in half if they both do well, but there is a risk of killing them that way.
Once plants start to get good leaves, nip off the tips if you want full bushy plants. That works especially well for flowers, beans, peas and other bushy type plants. Once your seedlings have a good full root base that fills the pot they are ready to plant out. Make sure the roots are dense enough to hold all the soil together, but not so dense they start to grow a tangled mess in the base of the pot. They will weaken due to lack of nutrients in the soil and be more apt to attack by disease and pests. Then you must harden the plants off, by setting them outside for up to 2 weeks covering them at night under a patio or bringing them indoors or into a greenhouse if frost is a risk. If you are in a warmer climate, just acclimate them to the sun gradually. If your plants are tall and lanky, guard them
from wind until they get stronger or they will break in the wind and die. The sun will help strengthen them, make them much greener and help them grow faster.
The biggest risk in trying to plant seeds is over watering and or covering them too long with a lid or plastic wrap. There is a high risk of mildew rotting the seeds or starts. If you are planting indoors do not cover the seeds unless you have to go away for a few days and need to keep them moist longer. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. You can sow seeds indoors as early as February. Just remember, the point is to get a cost effective plant grown to put out in your garden. They still need to go in the ground when it is recommended for your climate. I live in a very cold climate. I start seeds in February but do not plant warm crops out until May or June for cold tolerant plants and July for hot crops. That means I have to keep potting my starts up to bigger pots as the root base fills the smaller ones and then put them out when recommended. This website will tell you what month is proper for each plant by zones. Hope this information is helpful. Enjoy your planting. It is a miracle every year to see these little life starts pop up in a few days. It never ceases to amaze me.
