When is the best time to start seeds indoors    • Article by:
Nancy Rose   • Contributing Writer   • March 6, 2002 - 10:00 PM
QWhat vegetable and flower seeds can I sow indoors and when
should I start?  ASome flowers and vegetables grow rapidly from
seeds while others take much longer. Ideally, the seeds should
be sown early enough to produce sturdy transplants by the time
outdoor weather conditions are right, but not so early that
plants become lanky and pot-bound.  Proper planting time varies
depending on whether the plants can tolerate colder air and soil
temperatures (pansies, snapdragons, broccoli and cabbage are
examples), or whether they must have completely frost-free
conditions before planting (impatiens, tomatoes, peppers).  So
how to divine the precise moment for sowing seeds? Many seed
packets and seed catalogs provide information on when to start
particular varieties. The timing is usually put in terms of "sow
seeds X number of weeks before planting time."  Late February is
still too early for s