Who among us can’t remember the first time we pressed a seed into soil and with some water and a wish, waited for the plant to emerge?

Starting plants from seed is often the first gardening experience for children or adults. The process is as magical as it is scientific. In its simplicity this marvelous experience — watching a new life come into being as a result of our own handiwork — is one of the most rewarding a gardener can have.

There are many benefits to starting garden plants from seed. For many home gardeners, the primary benefit from starting seeds is that it generally is less expensive than buying commercially grown plants. While I wholeheartedly support patronizing local greenhouses and nurseries, growing some of our own plants from seeds is one way to cut costs while improving knowledge of horticulture.

Another benefit of starting plants from seed is that we generally are able to grow a wider range of plants than that available through local outlets. Seed catalogs offer such an extensive range of plants that it’s not practical for every greenhouse and nursery to carry them all. Although many specialty nurseries carry some of the less well-known varieties, hard-to-find plants are often not available as seedlings or full-grown specimens.

So, when you find yourself in a free-spending mode this winter, pick up a seed catalog and order some of the more obscure varieties of your favorite plants — or of plants you’ve never grown before — and do some experimenting.

The easiest and most inexpensive way to start plants from seed is to sow them directly into the garden. While this method has its benefits — it requires only garden space and seed as opposed to medium, pots and artificial lighting — it does present a few problems. Not all plants can be seeded directly. Some vegetables will never yield in our short growing season if seeded directly into garden soil. The tender new roots of some plants find our clay soils inhospitable and require the more well-drained commercial potting soil in order to flourish as seedlings.

If direct seeding isn’t in the best interest of the plants you’ve selected, you’ll have to take the more high-tech route of potting into containers and starting seeds indoors. Most seeds will germinate in cups, egg cartons, plastic trays and peat pots with great success.

Select a container of an appropriate size. If you are starting seeds in late April to get just a couple weeks’ jump on the growing season, you probably can get away with starting them in the cells of an ordinary egg carton. If you are starting tomatoes in late February, you’ll need to select a larger container. Although plenty of gardeners have had success transplanting seedlings into larger containers multiple times before the plants reach the garden, transplanting always adds stress to a plant.

Light, temperature and water are critical factors to consider when starting plants from seed. For plants that are seeded directly into the garden, nature generally takes care of light. Barring a frost, temperature is pretty well regulated, too, as long as we consider the specific needs of the plants we grow.

For example, peas and larkspur can be seeded in the cool soils of April, but cucumbers and cosmos must wait until the soil warms a bit — usually mid- to late May.

Some of the plants we seed directly will require irrigation to supplement rainfall, but direct-seeded plants generally are more adept at flexing with the climatic conditions nature throws their way. Their root systems have never been taxed by transplanting and are well-adjusted to the soil environment in which the plants are growing.

Plants we have grown from seed indoors are another story.

We can consider these plants to be a bit more spoiled, more needing of our attention as nurturing gardeners. For most species, the light from a southeast-facing windowsill is enough for early growth. As plants mature, supplemental lighting from a fluorescent grow light is usually required.

Seeds grown indoors must be guarded carefully against over- and underwatering. The soil containing the root mass must be allowed to dry slightly for most species before watering as opposed to being constantly wet.

Temperature is critical for germination and growth. Plants respond to temperature differently, but in general, plants fall into two categories: plants requiring temperatures over 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and those requiring temperatures under 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Seed packs will tell you what range in which to germinate and grow your seedlings.

After seeds have germinated, plants generally prefer to be kept at daytime temperatures between 68 and 80 degrees, depending on species. As a rule, nighttime temperatures should be 10 degrees lower. Again, consult your seed packages for details.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, c/o MaineWeekend, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.