Winter has been long, cold and dry this season. Coupled with the uncertainties in our world, I crave for things familiar, serene and safe. I long for my shady, green garden, soon to be alive with my favorite plants. I look forward to the excitement of newly discovered plants.

So, with March ending, the gardener spirit in me can hardly be contained. Tempted as I am, I know it is far too early to put plants outdoors, even though I have seen delightful crocus blooms and the welcome green of daffodil foliage. The fluctuating weather of early spring and the cold soil do not foil avid gardeners. They merely begin seeds indoors. In fact, I suspect many of you have already begun this process.

A windowsill or corner of the basement can be turned into a mini-greenhouse. True, neither is elaborate, but both will be sufficient to nurture a few seedlings and keep them going until the soil warms and balmy weather is here to stay.

Seeds need water, air, warmth and light (or the lack of it for some species) in order to germinate. A sunny windowsill is a handy place to start if you plan to grow only a handful of seeds. A bay window complete with window seat offers even more space. For more ambitious projects, build a simple greenhouse in the basement or other area where you can control the warmth, light and humidity.

Seeds can be planted in just about anything. Egg cartons work, so do peat pots. If you saved containers from plants you bought last season, clean them with a 10 percent bleach solution, fill them with growth medium and plant the seeds. Keep the seeds warm and moist. Soon they will germinate, their leaves peeking through the soil as they grow.

New plants may benefit from artificial light. Some seeds, like phlox, are inhibited from germinating in light. If you are not sure about the light requirements, start seeds in the dark. If no germination occurs, bring them into the light. However, seed packets provide instructions about light requirements. In addition, a warming mat can be used to keep a constant temperature to the seed tray. This promotes growth.

Protection from intense sunlight streaming through the glass pane may be needed as plants appear. The same sun that awakens life in a seed could scald tender seedlings once they emerge. Plants growing on a sunny windowsill will need protection from the windowpane. Do not allow their leaves to touch the cold glass.

A few years ago my husband set up a greenhouse in an unused corner of our basement. He built two waist high tables with a three-inch lip along the top. The tabletops are lined with heavy plastic. On top of the liner, he placed sand to absorb moisture draining from the containers. The moist sand provides extra humidity to the tiny greenhouse.

Grow lights are suspended from the ceiling. The chains are adjustable so the lights can be lowered and raised. Since young seedlings need plenty of light, we keep the lights close to the seed trays at first. As the plants grow taller and need more room, the lights are raised. I use a timer to control when the lights turn on and off.

A low capacity humidifier adds moisture to the air and a small oscillating fan provides circulation. The entire area, less than 75 square feet, is enclosed in plastic. A makeshift door grants entry, although a slit in the plastic would work just as well. Luckily, watering the seedlings is convenient since the basement has a faucet and sink nearby.

If you want to build a temporary greenhouse, start scouting out places to construct it and make some design sketches. In the meantime, there’s always the windowsill.

— Carol Boncella is education coordinator at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and home and garden writer for the Journal-World.