Last year I traded seeds with friends. I didn't share seeds to save money, but to grow things which I loved from people I admired. Because I live in a cold climate, planting seeds indoors is a necessary activity for me during the long dark months of winter. It soothes the spirit and keeps the soil under my nails!

But in the early months of spring, one of my special delights is to plant seeds for annuals directly in the spot where they will grow and bloom. I like to call this the "sow and grow" method. This way you can avoid those yogurt containers, sprayers, soiless mixes, cell packs, domed lids, hanging lights and fungicides. And your window sills will be free of clutter. There are seeds that are perfect for "sow and grow" planting, but which do not do well in nursery cell packs and typically do not survive transplanting. Morning glories and nasturtiums are examples of plants that are seldom sold by nurseries. Now that April has arrived it is a good time to decide what you want to start outside and prepare for planting day.

My seedbox, waiting for the last frost date.

If you have a seed packet, read its "direct sowing" instructions . Some seeds can tolerate cool weather, like sweet peas, but others must wait until all danger of frost has passed. Your local nursery can tell you when this date is. For me it is the very end of May. The packet instructions will also tell you how deeply to plant the seeds.

There are a few things you should do before you place the seeds in the ground. Choose a site where you have not used herbicides because they can prevent seeds from sprouting for up to two years. Prepare the spot by removing grass and weeds. Work the soil into a fine texture so the seeds will make good contact with it. Some people pour boiling water over the planting area to reduce the number of weed seeds.

Then it is time to scatter the seeds. I prefer to sow the seeds in a straight line or a semi-circle. This way I can see what is a seedling and what is a weed simply by its location. If the seeds are planted closely together, the seedlings will need to be thinned, but if you sow your seeds sparsely, they will have room to grow. One way to do this is to plant three seeds, move over a foot or two, plant three more seeds, and so on. This is easier with seeds that are large, like sunflower seeds. When sowing foxgloves or columbines this is harder because they are almost as fine as dust. Once the seeds begin to germinate, try to remember what the seedlings look like, so when they reseed in the fall or the following spring, you will not mistake them for weeds. I once made that mistake and weeded out baby hellebores!

Save the self seeders! I used to weed out these baby hellebores before I learned to recognize them.

Last spring I created a cutting garden by directly scattering seeds in a long 5' x 30' bed in my vegetable garden. After weeding and working the soil (I added aged compost) I marked out irregular areas where I planted patches of seeds for poppies, larkspur, nigella, lupine, a few wild strawberries and my favorite low white cosmos. I repeated these patches several times along the row, watered them as needed, and was happy with my success. When fall came, some self sown seedlings were already emerging.

My "sow and grow" bed. Whenever I walk past this spot I think of Judith , Ann and John who traded seeds with me.

I also directly planted hyacinth bean vines around a tall pole and they grew beautifully. They enjoy heat, so they must be planted as soon as all danger of frost has passed.

This hyacinth bean vine is a real treat in August. Later its purple seed pods are a sensation.

In the center of the vegetable garden we made a teepee out of bamboo stakes, covered it with chicken wire and grew sweet peas all over it. I'm going to repeat that this year! It was like a Christmas tree all summer long. I mixed several colors, but you could make a splash with only a single color if you like.

My sweet pea teepee. Try this with scented varieties.

Linaria among the lilies.

You will have your own personal favorites to try, perhaps Cleome and snapdragons from a neighbor or sweet williams from a dear friend. These are what I am trying this year:

A single hollyhock near the barn.

You might also want to try a cantaloupe (something I "sow and grow" each year) or a pumpkin or zucchini plant for bright yellow flowers.

Trading seeds with Taryn, Brian, Monique, Plantohaulic, Cathy, Julie, Joe, Herbert and others means that they will be forevermore in my thoughts and garden. Nothing could satisfy my soul more!

Thank you, seed buddies!