Have you ever wondered about why some growers start some seeds indoors and sow others directly into their gardens?
My first year of growing, I planted even the tiniest seeds directly into the ground, and many of them blew away before they could germinate in my hard-won beds. Since then, I’ve learned a lot! 
Today, I’d like to share with you the criteria we use at TWF to decide how we’ll start our seeds. We consider:

1. Light. Seeds that need light to germinate can be difficult to direct sow. The wind can easily blow them away, but a controlled environment lets us protect surface-sown seeds. If a seed must be covered by soil to germinate, it’s a better candidate for direct sowing.
2. Temperature. Seeds that germinate at the soil temperatures which naturally exist outside in our climate can be direct sown, but if we need a colder or warmer soil temperature for germination, we choose to start indoors on a heat mat or the cool barn or basement.
3. Size. Very small seeds produce very small seedlings, and a blustery early-spring environment can be too harsh. If seeds needs extra growing time in a controlled environment to “beef up,” we start indoors. Caution: don’t baby your seedlings too much, or they’ll never be strong enough to weather the weather. We start the hardening-off process in a passive solar greenhouse as soon as possible to prevent stretching and to promote root growth in cooler growing temperatures.
4. Time to maturity. If a variety needs a longer growing period than my seasonality allows, I will start indoors to give the seedlings extra growing time before planting in the field after our last late-April frost.
5. Availability/Difficulty. I am more protective of very precious seeds. If seeds are hard to obtain, if they are extra-tricky to germinate, or even if I just want to observe and “love on them” a little more, I’ll choose to start indoors.

Other Posts in This Series

• Making a Plan for Success in Your Cut Flower Garden
• Push Through Fear and Make Your Gardening Plan
• A Brief History of Triple Wren’s Humble Beginnings
• Your Reason for Growing Flowers Matters
• Our Bouquet Palette for 2022
• Start Big and Work Small for Successful Garden Planning
• Don’t Fall Into the Trap of Trying to Grow Everything
• Use a Spreadsheet to Make Detailed Plans for Your Flower Garden
• Cut Flower Garden Planning Inspiration