Starting Seeds Inside and
Container Gardening
For a lot of gardeners, the growing season begins indoors with a packet of seeds in a pot on a sunny windowsill. Here are some guidelines to follow to get your magickal herb garden underway!

When to Sow
As a general rule, sow seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date. Some smaller-seeded annuals need more time to reach transplant size. Read the back of your seed packet - it is your best guide in knowing when to sow. Time indoor plantings so that your seedlings do not outgrow their containers before it is time to plant them out in the garden! Seedlings kept indoors too long will be weak unless you have very good conditions; they will grow slowly and bloom poorly.

Sow those babies!
Choose a container at least 2 inches deep with drainage holes - a terra cotta or plastic pot, a plastic growing flat, or a clear-lidded deli container with holes punched in the bottom works. Later, you'll need to transfer the seedlings to small individual pots, multi-cell packs, or peat pots that you can plant directly in the ground outdoors in the spring. Recycle cardboard egg cartons as seed-starting equipment. Sow one or two seeds in soil-less mix in each compartment. On planting day, carefully peel away the cardboard without disturbing the root ball.
To avoid disease problems, use fresh potting mix. Commercial seed-starting mixes good. Soil-less houseplant mixes containing perlite, vermiculite, and peat moss and work well, too. Moisten the seed-starting mix; then fill containers and level the mix. (Continued next page)