Is anyone else starting seeds?

[houseodessey]

I've got 2 types of broccoli, 2 types of cabbage, cauliflower, dill, basil and some green zebra toms ready to pot up. I know the toms are early but couldn't wait to see if my saved seeds would germinate so they'll be my first maters of the season this year. I'll start peppers and eggplant in a couple of days and want to start some squash to see if I can beat the vine borers by setting out larger plants at the beginning of the season. I'll be seeding lettuces, cilantro and greens in the beds, too as soon as the cold snap is over.

[hiven]

Wow, you are very early Houseodessey... we just passed our heavy winter frost and the snow just melted but our winter is not over yet.
I might be sowing some leek, spring onions and any other onion seeds plus some winter spinach, mache, and brassicas at the week end.

[houseodessey]

Last year, I got busy in February and had no winter veggies except a few straggly broccoli plants. I didn't get to start toms and peppers 'til March and the heat and drought came early so I got almost no production there, either. I think I'm overcompensating for my losses but I'm determined not to have a crappy garden again this year. I'll probably be transplanting 2 foot tomatoes come April but that's okay by me.

[moonlilyhead]

I have my lettuces, arugula, and spinach all coming up now in pots. I'm trying my "salad" stuffs in containers in the sunroom for a change. Last year I put them out too early and they bit the dust during an extra-rough late frost.

[flowerpower]

Jan 13, 2009 20:04:19 GMT -5 houseodessey said:

I'll probably be transplanting 2 foot tomatoes come April but that's okay by me.

There might still be 2 ft of snow here in April. I am going to start some onion and leek seed next week.

[flowerpower]

For those of you who like to go by the moon phases for planting, here is a link to the Farmers Almanac page.

www.farmersalmanac.com/home_garden/gardening

[stevil]

For us perennial veggie gardeners, the busiest seed sowing time is in winter.

I've cut down this year and only about 150 varieties have been sown so far this winter. They are now all outside stratifying under a good snow cover and will germinate when they are ready.....

Question to the biodynamicists here. Should also perennial veggies be sown according to the phase of the moon?

[ottawagardener]

I've wintersown a bunch of stuff including some perennials, alliums and brasscias.

[landarc]

I am getting the stuff ready to throw the pepper seeds down. Time to get the slow starters growing.

[Kelly]

Unfortunately I won't actually be starting seeds until mid February - our first frost date is the beginning of May here (but I usually eek by with the end of April), but I was thinking of winter sowing some bee balm and the two lettuces I ordered (when they arrive of course). It'll be my first foray into winter sowing instead of just starting everything indoors under a light, so to make sure I get lettuce and bee balm, I'm going to be starting some indoors with the rest of the seed as well.

When I look at how long away my last frost date is, it makes me homesick for Vancouver!

[ottawagardener]

Kelly, I hear ya, our average last frost date is May 5th but in reality, you only want to risk it if you have some protection handy. I plan for May 14th and stand by with row covers etc...

May I just say to everyone that today we have a HIGH of -29 C.

I am not, repeat, not going outside.

[johno]

House, how are you going to deal with transplanting issues with the squash? or are you starting them in place with protection?

For those starting tomatoes a little early, fertilizing with fish emulsion and keeping the lights on for 16+ hours a day helps keep them in the vegetative phase until transplanting.

Greenzone and I were talking a while back, and he said something that I guess I had noticed, but never really thought about consciously - non-C. annuum peppers take longer to get going than Capsicum annuums. So I'm going to start the non-annuum peppers within the next couple of days. Probably should have done so already... I'll start the jalapenos as soon as they start coming in from donators to the project and from seed companies I'll be ordering from today or tomorrow. After the peppers are going, I'll start the eggplant, then on to tomatoes!

The area where I made hotbeds for the low tunnel last year is the richest soil in the garden - big surprise... so I'll keep that in mind when I locate the low tunnel this time. I move some of my indoor starts out to the low tunnel as space demands. Solanums get first dibs on staying in the house, but as the frost-free date (April 20 here) approaches, I move them out there to harden off, too.

Stevil - good reminder about sowing seeds that need stratifying! Thanks. I need to sow poppy seeds soon. Do Purple Coneflower seeds need to be sown this early, anyone know?

[plantsnobin]

You can go ahead and sow them now, Johno. I grew some E. 'White Swan' last year and they were big enough to transplant in just 3 or 4 months if I remember. The coneflowers will self seed readily around here. I have resorted to ripping them out when they pop up where I hadn't planned on them.

[deborah]

Hello. I'm brand new to the forum. Glad to be hear!

It's too early for me here in northern Minnesota (-5 F for a high today). My last frost is around May 10th and I don't usually put out tomatoes, peppers, eggplant 'til Memorial weekend or later, last year not 'til June 1 and they still got a cold start. I'll start onions and leeks in early February, along with heliotrope, snapdragons, and lobelia. In the meantime, I'm testing old seed for viability and starting some arugula, mache, and mesclun under lights (to eat! not to plant out).

Every year provides new gardening dreams and opportunities. Good thing! 2008 will go down as one of the worst gardening years ever for me...a very late, cold start followed by one violent storm after another (torrential rains, hail, damaging high winds). I am soooo pumped to begin again!!

Deborah

[houseodessey]

I hadn't thought about the transplanting issue. Thanks, Johno. I wonder they'd be okay if I grew them in newspaper pots or styrofoam cups..something that I could rip off and not disturb their roots too much. I could probably also grow some in large containers in the greenhouse. Then the vine borers couldn't get to them. I don't get full sun in it so I fear that they may not produce in there, though. I guess I could move them outside when it's time. Lots to think about.

And I always forget about flower seeds that need to be sown this early so another thanks to Stevil and Karen for reminders.