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Growing plants from seed also can be quite rewarding — to your spirit and your pocketbook. Especially if you have a large garden, or pride yourself on having plants to give away to friends, sowing seed is the way to go. As you spend time coddling the small seedlings in their respective containers and a starting medium (such as vermiculite) under grow lights, you’ll enjoy getting to know your plants from the very beginning. Not only will you witness their development, but you’ll end up with better plants than you may find at most nurseries because they haven’t suffered any wilting or transportation stress. The whole process can be just plain fun and satisfying. If you have young children around, get them involved in the process as well. Some good starter herbs include chives, echinacea, calendula, catnip, chervil, parsley and marjoram.

Settling In

Whether buying plants or starting them from seed, you can help your plants settle in and flourish. Plants that have not been properly hardened off to outdoor conditions need several days to acclimate to their new environment so they won’t go into shock once planted. Bring them outside during the day in a holding area protected from direct wind and full sun — such as a shady porch — then bring them indoors at night. Leave them outside for increasingly longer periods, gradually moving them into the sun if that is where they are to grow. Tender plants purchased early in the season must be kept in a protected spot until it’s safe to plant outside. (Check with your county extension office for your local estimated last-freeze date.)

You may want to wait to buy plants until after your beds have been prepared and are ready for planting. This will keep healthy plants from taking a turn for the worse by spending extra weeks in their containers if bed preparation is delayed. On the other hand, the longer you wait, the less selection you’ll find at the nursery. Be conscious of both factors as you balance your springtime garden chores.

Plants will have an easier time adjusting if transplanted when it’s cooler, such as on an overcast day. If no clouds are in sight, plant late in the afternoon rather than in the morning. Loosening the root ball at planting time also will make it easier for plants to spread out new roots into the soil. By making things easier for your plants, you’ll also make gardening easier and more enjoyable for you.

Kris Wetherbee, a freelance writer and frequent contributor to The Herb Companion, lives in the hills of western Oregon with her husband, photographer Rick Wetherbee.

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