Want success with seeds? There are plenty of resources

Whether you're on a strict gardening budget or want to grow plants you cannot find at local nurseries, seed companies' offerings are rapidly expanding. From new varieties, tropicals, natives, organic, drought-tolerant, heirloom or endangered selections and collections to entice hummingbirds, songbirds, butterflies, beneficial insects or bees, seed packets greatly expand a gardener's horizons.

Unfortunately, growing seeds to the flowering or fruiting stage is not as easy as Jack growing beanstalks. Some, such as zinnia, nasturtium, sunflower, larkspur, forget-me-not, morning glory and Chinese lantern, readily sprout where they are cast if you plant them at the right time, follow their light requirements (some need light to germinate; others need darkness) and keep the seedbed moist. Others, including columbine, euphorbia, bluebonnet and perennial phlox, require special attention, such as scarifying (nicking the seed casing), stratifying (artificial chilling period) and humidity.

Well-regarded seed catalogs include seed-starting tips on their Web sites. Some have photos or videos of the process step by step; Botanical Interests, a family business based in Colorado, even has an iPhone application (www.botanicalinterests.com).

The Taunton Press, which publishes Fine Gardening magazine, has a useful special issue titled "Starting From Seed" ($7.99, www.finegardening.com). It answers questions you didn't know you had and also showcases seed-starting products and lists some of the best annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables to start from seed.

The magazine clearly takes you through the complete process, starting with seeds you scoop out of a sun-ripened tomato you find tasty. If you are a tomato connoisseur, the magazine is worth buying for that story alone.

Every page has interesting tips.

Among them:

Juice and milk cartons cut down to half their height, eggshells, liter plastic bottles and plastic lidded tubs that held roasted chickens purchased at the grocer's (useful because they have attached tops for preserving humidity) are among the containers that can be recycled as pots for starting seeds. They all should be soaked in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water before each reuse.

Presoak most seeds to speed germination.

Start seeds in a commercial soilless seed-starting mix. The ingredients are sterile, thereby preventing soil-borne diseases from killing your seedlings.

Before transplanting seedlings outdoors, put them outside for a few hours a day, in a location protected from direct sun and wind, so they gradually adjust to the new conditions and to avoid stress. This generally takes about a week.

Growing garden plants from seed requires specific techniques, carefully followed, and patience, often not a virtue in gardeners. Aside from the money saved and the vastly expanded plant palette, seeing the effort through from tiny seed to fruit or flower is one of the most rewarding aspects of gardening.

(c) 2010, The Dallas Morning News.