Starting special plants indoors

Special seeds from friends' gardens get their best chance of becoming big beautiful specimens in my garden when I start them indoors. If I cast them directly outdoors I'm bound to forget about them, let them get too dry and watch them become a bird's lunch. Indoors though, they are under my watch each day & I love to care for them. Here I have started pink double poppies and red Hollyhocks from Carol's garden, Helga's violet Lupine (which resist our PNW diseases), and bright blue Salvia from Marne's garden. There's something special about seed sharing, and I just relish these plants as they sprout, grow true leaves and become strong healthy bloomers.

I'm also starting an herb garden for my mom for Mother's day here. The Cilantro has gone to the devil & hopefully will show up this next week? I collected Borage seed from a start Helga dug for me from her garden, and here it is in the lower left, looking quite robust considering it's delicate, edible blue flowers that are to come.

The Parsley is doing surprisingly well.

The Tomatoes and Basil are ready, yet waiting for really warm soil. I'll start hardening them off this week and plant them out mid-late May.

Light Blue Columbine seed collected from the garden at my last home. Watermelon, Butternut Squash and Yellow Pear Tomatoes from Reesie. Cerinthe, Pumpkin and Larkspur also started.

Calla Lily from Helga. Thai Basil and Italian Parsley from Reese.

White, Pink and Dark Red Hollyhocks from Helga. Lavender Poppies with curly leaves from Betty who lives down my street. Thank you to all my friends, I love sharing the wealth.

Do you think it's time for me to pot these tomatoes up to a larger pot size? I can't believe how big these have gotten. I'm learning this is what happens when you start them a bit too early. Next year I'll try to do it differently, but for this year, I can't complain about these giant heirlooms.

I did get them into gallon size pots this week, and tied with stakes made from Buddleja prunings.