There are so many enticing flower and vegetable varieties. Would that we could start them all! But alas, there are limiting factors. Chief among them are space and light. Unless you have a greenhouse (and maybe even then!) there will be many more seedlings you’ll want to grow than that you’ll have the conditions for. Here are some tips to help you whittle down your list.

Tomatoes, Peppers & Eggplants

Start with the basics. Heat loving vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants need a long season to mature and bear fruit, so starting them indoors 6-8 weeks before night temperature are consistently in the 50°F (10°C) range is critical. If there’s a particular hot pepper you must have, or if you’re looking to try an interesting new type of tomato or eggplant that you can only grow by seed, these will be good candidates for starting indoors.

‘Bronze Torch’ tomato produces cascading clusters of delicious grape tomatoes; ‘Ping Tung Long’ eggplants are long, slender, and easy to grow; Orange Pepperoncini peppers are mild chili peppers, excellent for pickling.

Flowers You Love

Perennial flowers are good choices for starting indoors, as they need time to develop, especially if you hope to see blooms in year one. You’ll find colorful new varieties of black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) and coneflowers (Echinacea) on the market. Flowers with small seeds such as Dianthus, Heliotrope, and Foxglove need to be started about 10 weeks before planting outdoors.

‘Cappuccino’ Rudbeckia will generally bloom the first year if started 6-8 weeks before planting out in spring; ‘Lace Perfume’ Dianthus is delicate and very fragrant; Heliotrope, an old-fashioned favorite, has colorful clusters of vanilla-scented flowers; tall Foxglove is a cottage garden classic. Its tubular blooms are pollinated by bumblebees and hummingbirds.

Brassicas

Whether you prefer kale, broccoli, cauliflower, or cabbage, you’ll need to start these cool-weather crops indoors 5-6 weeks before you plant them outdoors in mid-spring.

Dark green Lacinato Kale leaves are loaded with nutrients; ‘Gypsy’ is a versatile Broccoli variety, reliable even in warmer temperatures; ‘Flame Star’ hybrid Cauliflower is beautiful and delectable; mild, sweet Conehead Cabbages are prized in Europe.

Greens and Herbs Can be Sown Directly in the Soil, or Started Indoors

You can start salad greens and annual herbs such as basil by planting seed directly in the garden soil, but starting some seeds indoors will give you an earlier harvest. You’ll also be less likely to lose seedlings to slugs, snails, and other critters if they are planted out when they’re a couple of inches tall. Another advantage: you can choose seeds of unique varieties that you may not have tried before.

‘Boxwood’ Basil has an intense, strong clove aroma, and its tidy rounded shape is nice in a pot; luscious ‘Lollo Rossa’ is one of the most beautiful lettuces; Pac Choi is a fast maturing green, very high in calcium; ‘Bright Lights’ Chard is an excellent choice for edible landscaping. Cut the outer leaves for stir fries, soups, and stews, leaving the fresh new leaves and colorful stems.

Many Flowers and Vegetables can be Sown Directly in the Garden

Some plants perform better if they’re sown directly in the garden. These include root vegetables, peas and beans and most other large seeds, and flowers with a tap root. Here are a few vegetables and flowers that you’re better off sowing outdoors:

  • Beans

  • Beets

  • Corn

  • Peas

  • Radishes

  • Scallions

  • Turnips

  • Bachelors’ Buttons

  • Dill

  • Cosmos

  • Larkspur

  • Nigella

  • California poppies

Some vegetables, herbs, and flowers can be direct sown. But if you want to get a head start, you can also start them indoors. Planting seedlings in the garden rather than sowing seeds can reduce the chances of your tiny seedlings succumbing to insect damage. With these varieties, you can choose: direct sow, or start indoors:

  • Cucumbers

  • Salad Greens

  • Baby Chard and Kale

  • Parsley

  • Spinach

  • Squash and Melons

  • Basil

  • Calendula

  • Celosia

  • Cleome

  • Four O’Clocks

  • Marigolds

  • Morning Glories

  • Nasturtiums

  • Sunflowers

  • Sweet Alyssum

  • Zinnias