Gentlepersons, Start Your Seeds

I think I've posted before about how much I love the occasional (I think monthly) emails from Johnny's Selected Seeds founder Rob Thomas. I guess I signed up for emails from John Scheeper's Garden seeds, too (although I haven't bought seeds from them). Last week I got a charming email with the above subject line. It included some handy timetables:

General Seed Starting Timetable: Eight weeks prior to last frost date
Horticultural Zones 9 & 10: Start seeds indoors now.
Horticultural Zones 8: Start seeds indoors in early February.
Horticultural Zones 7: Start seeds indoors in mid February.
Horticultural Zone 6: Start seeds indoors in late February.
Horticultural Zone 5: Start seeds indoors in early March.
Horticultural Zone 1-4: Start seeds indoors in mid to late March.

Vegetable/Herb Seed Starting Timetable (Listed in weeks before the last frost)
Four Weeks: Melons, Bitter Melon and Cucuzzi Edible Gourds.
Six Weeks: Asparagus, Fennel, Onions, Rhubarb, Shallots, Tomatillos and Basil
Eight Weeks: Eggplant, Tomatoes, Chiles, Sweet Peppers, Chives, Sage, Stevia and Thyme
Nine Weeks: Broccoli, Cabbage and Kohlrabi (transplant out four weeks before the last frost date)
Ten Weeks: Celery, Celeriac, Jicama and Lemongrass
Eleven Weeks: Leeks, Artichokes and Cauliflower (transplant out four weeks before the last frost date)
Twelve Weeks: Cardoons and Brussels Sprouts
Sixteen Weeks: Strawberries (for first year crop) and Rosemary.

As a Zone 7 denizen (don't know your zone? Check USDA), my last frost date is officially April 15. It is rarely as late as that in actual fact, although one year in Durham we got a hard freeze over Easter weekend (which was in April that year) that killed some of my prematurely planted out seedlings.

So, I should start my tomatoes on Feb. 15, my scallions (maybe? are they more like leeks or more like onions?) on March 1, and my cucumbers (I think) and melons on March 15.

Everything else gets direct-sown; I know that peas and spinach should go in March 1, and I usually fake everything from that point on (carrots, beets, beans), partly based on space.

I guess my next step is figuring out how I plan to start seeds indoors. I've never done it before, and have no special pots, soil, or grow-lights. I don't want to spend a lot at this point. I may just use some old seedling holders, potting soil, and a sunny windowsill and hope. Probably by early March there will be some days so warm and sunny I can set the seedlings outside most of the day.