A few posts ago I showed a photo of a row cover that i was using to create a warmer micro climate for my heat loving seedlings; tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and basil. I've started planting them under the row covers, so now i have space on my seed starting shelves to start some flowers for the garden as well. I've talked about the importance of flowers for any vegetable garden. They attract pollinators and beneficial insects which help your crops. I'm growing most of these for clients and some for myself as well. One of the best annual flowers you can get are marigolds. Marigolds are great little flowers; you can eat the petals (of most varieties), they keep pests away from your tomatoes, and the roots secrete a substance that kills root eating nematodes! A very hard working little flower. I'm also growing cornflowers, larkspur, calendula, pinks (which are short lived perennials), moon vine and nicotiana. The nicotiana is on the lower right, they are the tiniest seeds! You don't even put soil over the seed, it needs light to germinate, so you just press them gently into the soil. The seeds were so tiny, i didn't realize i'd planted that many, I have a lot of thinning to do when they get a bit bigger!