According to the Farmer's Almanac, Denver's last frost date is May 3. To use the chart on the link below, just count backwards from that date. This chart is for vegggies, but their website also has one for herbs:
http://www.almanac.com/garden/herbs/growingherbs.php

On the perennials, the flower packets should say when to plant in relation to your last frost date, or you could chose to winter sow them outdoors. Check out the Winter Sowing Forum and click on FAQ's to learn more, or check out the Wintersown.org website for more info.

Hope this helps,
Bonnie

~Yago

Today, I will start seed for the first time this year - snapdragons and pansies. Next week, it will be peppers, cabbage, broccoli, and onions. I will, however, save half the seed in each packet and plant every variety again 7 to 10 days later than the first sowing. That second sowing is insurance that I may be jumping the gun.

There doesn't seem to be much info on the website regarding herbs. My experience is that they are generally tiny seeds and take quite a long time to grow to be good size plants.

Have fun!!

digitS'

Don't get over anxious, then you have to keep the lights on longer and the plants get bigger and more cumbersome to handle before you can get them out.

Good luck.

Except for doing stuff like artichokes, which I now have at least a dozen up, and the shallots from seed are thick as hair (I thought I'd throw that in to make everyone envious).

--->Rob

Planted 3 gal plants in NM and they shot up a good 2' each year with a half dozen heads (average size) on each plant. Haven't seen them as plants here. Will be interesting if they do well in CO. Do you know if these are unique for our area? Anything special that you did in planting the seed?

Another plant in NM I tried was Kiwi. They were vines and wasn't around long enough to see fruiting. Wonder if this is also possible. The link below states Salt Lake has grown them well and are available from Lazy S's Farm. May take a chance on a couple as they need to be planted male/female.

I've wondered about that kiwi as well. It might be worth a try.

Margaretmontana, about 8 years ago, at the end of the season, I had a hanging basket with a wave petunia that I brought into the greenhouse and hung by the south window. Under it were some empty trays full of soil, and seeds from the plant fell, and eventually germinated. I had all these different off-shoots of the wave petunia, some with small flowers, some with huge ones, some didn't even flower. I grew out a couple of the really good ones, and ended up with a petunia that has huge 4" magenta blooms and the wave habit, so it grows to at least 5 feet in diameter. Makes for spectacular hanging baskets. I propagated by cuttings for all those 8 years, but this year, I let the thing dry out and die. I am annoyed with myself. I've got the hanging baskets from last year, we run a line of a dozen or so of them down the walkway between the back door and the greenhouse. I sure hope some seeds come up.

Course it all depends on whether I get moved or not. I might have tomatoes this season or I might not, but I'll start them and give them away if I get the house sold and can get out of here.

I plan to try two lettuces in a whiskey barrel. Anyone ever do this? Sow directly, or start seedlings?

My pepper seeds say to start "6-8 weeks before the last spring frost" which I was thinking meant late March since my neighbors use Mother's Day for last frost day. Am I being too conservative?

Also, I want to plant sunflowers since I had a gorgeous one come up as a volunteer last year, and I was thinking of starting some indoors as well since the bloom time is pretty late. Any advice on when would be a good time? (The sunflower seed packets aren't as informative as the veggie seeds.)

-Francesca

Emagineer and David52 -- thanks for the artichoke info. I have been procrastinating on planting them, but you have inspired me. I guess I will start them tonight. Anyone try asparagus from seed, that is my other experiment this year (yeah right, only one more, who am I trying to kid?)

Just an FYI. I started my tomoatoes last year around this time and I did transplant them twice, to 4" and 1 gal, but they were big and strong enough that they survived two good hailstorms and produced about 20 pounds of fruit on about 15 very small, less that 2' plants.
Also anyone ever try starting Butterfly Bush from seed? If I can get them started, I will have some to trade in May.

Billie

8 weeks before Mothers Day - - would be the 16th of March (if I counted right). Of course, they cannot be set out until about 2 weeks after the last frost.

By way of contrast, sunflowers only need about 3 weeks to grow indoors. And, they can go out while it's still fairly chilly.

As Billie says, sunflowers are touchy and with such a few weeks indoors, there's limited advantage in the practice. They do seem to appreciate the higher indoor germinating temps, however. What has worked is daily watering once their roots have been disturbed with transplanting. That's a very pretty flower in the picture!

No experience with either asparagus or butterfly bushes here, Billie.

digitS'

Asclepias exaltata , incarnata, and tuberosa, Sow at -4 to +4ºC (24-39ºF) for 4 wks in moistened sand, move to 20ºC (68ºF) for germination

Skybird

Billie

My seedling beds are on a large shelf under a south-facing window in the guest room, which gets down to about 60°F at night, so I guess I'll start the peppers a little early.

I have some asparagus seed as well... Definitely overcommitting myself for my first year, but since asparagus takes three years to get going I thought I'd better start early. Maybe I'll try winter sowing some of that, although I'll need to look for a sheltered space outside that my toddler won't upset the trays. (The snapdragons I started earlier got well-shaken yesterday.)