Plants you can grow from seed
There are lots of plants you can grow from seed. They include annuals, perennials, house plants, ground covers, shrubs and even trees.
Perennials are plants that survive the conditions in your area from year to year. Sometimes your winters are too cold for some plants, or it may be too hot or dry for others. The US is made up of zones that can provide you with a guide on what plants will work for your location. For example, I live in central Illinois and that is zone 5. A lot of perennials will work here although we have pretty cold winters. When you purchase seeds or plants, especially on online sites, that information is provided regarding their hardiness for different growing zones. The description may say “hardy”, or it may list zones where they can survive. Sometimes growing zones can shift, and that is what the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) shows us with this new map released the latter part of 2023. Climate change can be beneficial for some areas and catastrophic for others. To see the new zone map, click the link below.
https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/
Annuals are plants that won’t last until the next year. They usually provide a lot of color in our zone and die when temperatures get cold. Some, which are listed as half-hardy, have seeds that will live through the winter and sprout new plants in the Spring. Some plants like geraniums and petunias will die in Illinois in late fall, but will survive in the southern states.
From the University of Georgia, here is an interesting article authored by Sheri Dorn and Bodie Pennisi on growing from seed with lots of details and examples. https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/publications/files/pdf/B%201432_3.PDF
New Guinea Impatiens from seed
House plants are plants you would grow in your home. For example, African Violets, Philodendron, Spider Plant or other foliage plants are possibilities. You can also dig up some of your annuals before frost comes, and winter them inside your home.
You can grow shrubs and trees from seed, although that is an exercise in patience as many of them can take years to grow. For this website we will concentrate on the faster growing plants that you may see results in no more than a few weeks. You can grow beautiful flowers or delicious vegetables and fruits. Some easy vegetables to grow include spinach, lettuce, radishes, corn and beets. Some flowers that are simple to get started are zinnias, marigolds, sunflowers and nasturtiums. These easy ones can be sown outside in the soil depending on weather conditions. Some have to be sown when conditions are warmer and there is no danger of frost, and many plants like salad greens, radishes, onions, beets and peas can be germinated in cool temperatures. Again, your seed companies’ information can be helpful either when you order them or on the seed packet itself. Perennials and some annuals are started indoors under a plant light setup to get a head start on the growing season. For growing plants indoors go here.
https://seedgrownplants.com/planting-seed-indoors/
For seed planting outdoors, go here.