Seed Starting Dragon Wing Begonia

While sitting by the fire I'll start some seeds since some need a good 12 weeks. It's frigid outside but my area was lucky and we didn't get the predicted snow and icy conditions predicted. My pink dragon wing begonia seeds from Park Seeds arrived on Friday. I'll start them first since they take a good month to germinate. Then they're so tiny it take a good eye to see the seedling.  So I bought pelleted seeds.I'm going to use peat pellets and hope I don't regret it. Will use this tray for vinca maybe tomorrow. They take a while also to grow to maturity but they're hardy seedlings. Tonight I'll get the tray ready and allow warm water to absorb from the bottom.

Isn't there supposed to be a blood moon tonight. Taken with my cell phone from the bedroom window. Bad picture.

Expanded with warm water. I like to open the cells and mix up the peat some.

One pelleted dragon wing begonia seed each. Two packages of 20 seeds although I dropped a couple so there won't be 20.

Seeds should be pressed into the soil but not covered. They require light to germinate. I spritz each seed with water to soften the clay pelleted coating. Begonia seeds are tiny if not pelleted.

Onto the heat mat. The seed medium should be kept moist and not allowed to dry out.

Will have to move these to the bottom shelf after I remove seed starting supplies I store there. Another day.

Will allow the water to absorb from the bottom and cover till tomorrow when I'll sow more seeds. Done for tonight. I had to clean my trays today first. If reused they should be disinfected. I usually pot a little bleach in the water but today I didn't. Only used dish detergent and scrubbed well. Hopefully I have no problem with diseases.

Will start much later. Blacked eyed Susan vine, petunias, wallflower. Maybe I'll do the lemon begonia tomorrow. I've never sown wallflower and I believe it's biennial and doesn't bloom the first year. Maybe I'll just winter sow them.

Tomorrow I'll start coleus, geranium, and vinca. The white packages are from Swallowtail Seeds. What else am I starting later this season? Bush/container tomatoes, peppers, and cucumber. Black seeded Simpson lettuce (I've never grown it), freckles lettuce, and mesclun since I can start it indoors and eat the baby leaves. Basil which my daughter loves. I might try thyme again but had a difficult time with it before as well as rosemary which takes a long time to reach maturity. I'll probably buy starts of each when available. Chives in my yard are doing well so I don't need to start more. Foxgloves, Echinacea, and maybe some other perennials. And the season begins.