I went all inincludingstarting flower seeds indoorsin early spring.

Save yourself the heartache and learn from myseed-starting mistakeswhen attempting to grow your own flower garden.

When you should start or sow the seeds depends on yourUSDA Plant Hardiness Zone.

Seedlings planted in pots on a nursery table

Credit:Jordan Lye/Getty Images

I purchased a seed-starting kit, complete with fertilizer and 60 peat plugs.

I purchased two cut flower garden kits from my local seed house.

One kit includedstatice,cherry stock,strawflower, andcelosia.

pouring flower seeds into seed-starting peat pellets

Credit:Jacob Fox

The other kit includedzinnia,aster,phlox,globe amaranth, andsnapdragons.

I placed the plastic lid over the tray so that the moisture would stay contained.

I watched my seedlings grow weaker and weaker each day, unsure of what to do.

thinning vegetable tatsoi seedlings

Credit:Jay Wilde

Here are the mistakes I won’t be making again:

1.

As I look back, I realize that conditions were too damp for my seedlings.

Too Many Seeds

Another mistake I made was overdoing the seeds I was sowing in each plug.

I sometimes only did 2-3 but other times 5-6.

This process helps acclimate the indoor-grown seedlings to the wind and harsher light of being outdoors.

This helps the stems and leaves toughen up so they can withstand outdoor conditions better.

Each kind of plant requires various amounts of light, moisture, and soil to cover them.

If that round of seed-starting goes successfully, I can add in more types the next season.