Question of the Week: Planting Seeds

Q: Is it too late to start plants from seeds?

A: It is ideal to start sprouting seeds indoors (whether vegetables or flowers) about 6 weeks before the last frost date. This is an incredibly difficult date to predict, especially in Santa Fe.

By starting the seeds early, you are giving them an early start and allowing them to reach their full potential more rapidly. Once the seeds have grown, you want to slowly introduce them to the outside so they can adapt to the fluctuation of temperatures.

Place them in the ground once the last frost has passed and continue to care for them. Some seeds need cold stratification: Larkspur, Milkweed, Primrose, and Shooting Star, to name a few. Instructions on how to do cold stratification can be found online.