The first step in starting seeds indoors is to make allies. In this context, the first ally you may consider recruiting is your spouse. Next set of allies is your children or whomever also lives in your home. This is because your activity, (which may be exploiting personal interest to combat stark winter boredom), may encroach upon someone's else space. Unless you have space that cannot be assailed this step is of vital importance. Otherwise, your sprouts and you might become subjects of dire consequences. In other words, I don't know if a homeless shelter would accept a newcomer carrying a tray of tomatoe plants.

I have never asked my wife to sign a permission slip, but I can think of a time when even if she did it would not have done me any good.

I went into the living room and after sitting in my chair studying my wife's display upon a table in front of our picture window I decided I would relocate a few things. Then I placed a rectangle black plastic plant tray on the table and filled it with egg cartons. The top of the cartons was in the way so I took out my pocketknife and cut the lids off. Then I cut little holes in the bottom of each egg cavity. Everything fit nice. Then I dragged a two cubic foot bag of Miracle Grow starter mix into the house and filled the egg cartons with dirt. Then I took a cardboard box that fit upside down over my plant tray and cut the bottom out and made side windows all around. I stretched plastic wrap over the bottom and sides and secured them with scotch tape.

My invention was complete. I took a pencil and poked little holes in the dirt of each egg cubicle. I placed one tomatoe seed in each little hole and covered the seeds back over with dirt. Then I poured distilled water into the tray and watched the soil dampen as the egg cartons bottom fed on the water seeping up from the drain holes. I put my box lid on. I sat down in my chair to admire.

While contemplating the size and quantity of tomatoes my project would yield my wife came back into the living room. It was like she had blinders on. She didn't see my invention. She didn't envision delicious slicing tomatoes on toasted sandwiches. What she did see was four egg carton tops, forty-eight pink egg carton holes, five pieces of cardboard, messed up pieces of scotch tape and dirt on the floor in front of her elegant table that had water spilt on it. And, in the center of her table, my professional kindergarden seed starting project.

Starting seeds indoors is not a good idea if you don't know how to run a vacuum cleaner and put things back where you found them. Yes, starting seeds indoors may require you to polish your diplomatic skills.