Hi! I'm down here about 40 miles or so south of indianapolis. Having the same problem you are with wanting to start some seeds, but it's a little early yet. I do have some artichoke seeds I'm going to start within the next day or two because they take 180-360 days to harvest. I thought if I'd start them early inside and treat them like a houseplant before I set them out, maybe I might get one or buds this year. Also going to start some lettuce inside shortly. I do have some walls of water and other ways to protect some plants if decide to start anything else early. Thanks for starting this thread.

In Central Illinois, I planted 144 Copra Onion seeds two weeks ago today. I planted six Ventura celery a week ago today. Today I will plant 12 Ventura celery.

110 of the 144 onions have sprouted, but none of the celery has come up yet.

Here is a link that might be useful: BsnTech Gardening Blog

44.101 lat -79.613 lon here (just north of Toronto)

I just finished with the snow blower (4-6") and we are expecting another 6-8" of snow before Saturday. It seems like winter never got going...until now! :-)

I have started the onions and the leeks two weeks ago as they get planted out at the end of April. Lights are up and running!

In upstate NY (finger lakes region), I started my broccoli and kale seeds indoors yesterday (Feb 23rd).

Last year I did the broccoli this same week and was able to put 4" tall transplants outside in the cold frame at the end of March. I harvested huge crowns at the beginning of June.

In about 2 weeks (March 6th) I'll start a bunch of other cool weather crops (lettuces, spinach, arugula, bok choi, etc.).

I'm also experimenting with winter sowing this year. I've put out containers of broccoli and kale onto the deck. This way I can do a side by side comparison of which propagation method is best. The winter sowing people say that method is better, but I need to see it for myself.

I'm in Cincy so the farthest south so far.

Up and growing:
Cotton
Cilanto
Basil
Oregano
7-pod peppers
Jicama
Alpine Strawberries
Missouri Sorghum
Cayenne, Hungarian Hot Wax, Habenero, Tepin Peppers

Sowed and waiting:
Coffee
Eggplants
Peppercorns
Valencia Peanuts
Black Pearl, Pequin, Jalapeno, Trinidad Scorpion, couple other types of peppers

Blooming or near:
Celebrity (baby tomato formed)
Goliath
Legend
Better Boy (baby tomato formed)
Cabernet
Delicious

Mike

I'm just about to start my early tomatoes. About the time they outgrow the lights it will be time to start the main crop, and I'll have to move them in and out of the house on warm days. Hopefuly they should be flowering fruiting by the time they go in the ground.

I dont have info on zone 5. But in general you can start seeds inside of coole crops:
Onions, chives, broccolies, cabbage, choys, chards, cilantro, garden cress, lettuce, aurugula, fenugreek. spinach...These are all frost hardy and can be transplanted any time.
You may also want to start some tomatoes and peppers too.
hold on Basils, eggplants, beans, squash, ...

Zone 5 in North Central Kansas. Started tomatoes to be planted in High Tunnel. Started broccoli to be planted into movable high tunnel. I need to start peppers this weekend, maybe some lettuce, spinach, chard, beets, turnips to transplant early in high tunnel.

I have to finish/repair high tunnels first!

I live outside Detroit. I have started leeks, onions, celery and parsley this week. I started roman artichokes last week. I started them at the same time last year and was rewarded with artichokes last August. I have also started violas and verbena.

Well, I started sweet 100's on dec 17th! One has flowers just starting. Purely an experiment. Planted other early tomatoes 2 weeks ago to go in hoop house. Sowed some mache and spinach in cold frame last week. Waiting for March to plant other cool crops in cold frame.

Yesterday some of the 15 inches of snow melted next to the porch and I saw that my daffodils are sticking up an inch or so out of the soil, but then they got covered up by more snow today. Should I shovel some snow and plant my peas? LOL

spiced ham ,,It is not going to do any good. Peas are not going to grow, until temp. range gets to 30- 48F or better. The soil has to get to certan temp(I don't know exactly what it is) for the peas to germinate. By then, it has to get even warmer (say 38 -55F) for the peas to grow slowly.
I have planted some at the end of Jan., gambling that the weather will be favorable. BUT it did not happen. So I am going to plant again, maybe today. I see 15 day forecast looks better.

Checking in from about 50 miles west south-west of Boston. Nothing started yet because I have the worst luck w. starting seeds indoors. It doesnt matter how much light, heat, or water I give them. They are always leggy. I can start the light about 2" from the top of the seedlings, and they wont do a d*mn thing until I move the light about 4 or 5" away, and then they get spindly and useless. Maybe I'll try again, but I doubt it.

I am jonesing to get started outside though, but Mother Nature has had other ideas this week. She teased us w. a 51° day on Monday, and then snow for the next three....

Hardiness zones have to do with winter weather not growing season weather.

I'm near 48°N, so farther north but experiencing some of that Vancouver Olympic's winter warmth. Some of the snapdragon and pepper seeds have gone in the starting mix and just about everything will be planted indoors over the next 3 weeks.

Some of the cool-season, quick-growing starts can be transplanted into a tunnel if I start them now. If the plants are for the open garden, I'd better wait just a few more weeks before sowing lettuce/cabbage family seed indoors even with this warm of a winter. It couldn't be much more tempting but I've never sown seed more than a week earlier than this for anything.

There will be more peppers and half the tomato seed next . . .

digitSteve

I usually write to the Square Foot Garden forum, but thought I might get some good info here. I started my alpine strawberries in mid-January and put them under lights. They are doing well and have 3rd set of leaves and about inch and a half tall. Started my broccoli seeds yesterday, also soaking my parsley seeds.
Keski

I'm attempting to grow some peppers from seed this year. This morning I sowed:
Giant Thai Hot
Habanero
Summer Sun Hybrid

I'm using the coffee filter/ziplock method.

bomber,

Don't move the lights up. Water the plants, I like to dissolve Tomato-tone in water - one tablespoon per gallon and feed it every other week. This helps roots grow which will in turn cause the plant to produce more leaves and in time vertical growth.

I have four 7-pod peppers upstairs that sprouted the first week of January. They are only about two inches tall but are three inches wide and have four sets of leaves.

YMMV,

Mike

I'm down here in Manhattan, Kansas. I'm growing watermelons just like every year. I will most likely be planting orangeglo, Crimson sweet, a yellow kind maybe, and more of the classic reds. I'm already preparing pots for the in door stuff, and looking over my seed options. Good to all you gardeners out there, here's to a great year!

NW IL on the Mississippi. Seeds started for container tomato, pepper and cukes, all doing great. 5 varities of HOT peppers started already since they take so long to germinate. Celery sprouted yesterday. Will be starting Broc and cabbage this weekend along with 10 new flowers for the landscaping, gotta fill the empty spaces! Will start the rest when we get home from Daytona Bike Week on 3-8. Come on SPRING!!!

40 miles east of Indianapolis. I haven't done anything yet except buy my seeds. I'll probably start cool season crops next week and then tomatoes about mid march. Most of my stuff just gets direct sown in the garden.

Yikes, it's the end of February and I haven't started anything!

I guess it's time to start indeterminate tomatoes, tomatillos, ground cherries, garden huckleberries, chiles, and broccoli inside. I need to scatter some spinach seed in the low tunnel where we have been harvesting winter carrots, then plant some more spinach, carrots, parsnips, lettuce, and peas outside. At this point the ground won't freeze solid where the potatoes are going, and the potatoes are sprouting like crazy, so if it doesn't snow tomorrow I'll probably dig some in and mulch heavily.

And finally, I'll put some alpine strawberry seeds in a flat and bury them in the 3 feet of snow on the north side of the house to get their dose of winter and improve germination.

Catherine

Lansing, MI here. I've had hot peppers going for about 2 weeks now and am just waiting for them to sprout. I'm trying to decide what kind of tomato seeds to get, then those will be going in soon too. Now all I need is the sun and I'll be all set!
~Laura

Northwest IN here (right by Lake Michigan). I've started my onion seeds so far, but was planning to wait until mid March for my tomatoes, spinach and peppers.

Then mid April for chard and end of April for my peas.

Should I be doing things earlier??

Thanks, Kim

East central Wi--Still blowing snow & ice fishing.Under lights onion & peppers up

I just planted broccoli, peppers, onions and some herbs.

I also started celery and 3 pots of lettuce to see what happens. Lettuce, celery and broccoli are in stage one of at least 4 plantings.

Kim I would start some peppers at least... Depends on what you have to plant for the year?

I plan to start my tomatoes next week.

I'm most anxious to start the edamame, which of course I will ground sow.

How do you guys keep a log of what you are doing and what is happening? I have just started a blog on blogspot for me to track things.

Central Indiana here!

I haven't been on these forums for a while and checked back here since growing season has started at least indoors. I saw this thread and saw some of the posts and I realized I need to get started because I want the longest growing season possible.

Today I got seeds and plan on starting them tomorrow, they are:
Onion
Cauliflower
Turnip
Radish
Kohlrabi
Spinach
Broccoli
Lettuce
Sorrel?
Cilantro?
Parsley?

I need to get Cabbage, Kale, and Collard seeds. And some garden soil!

I've been "gardening" all winter up here in NW KS. From my greenhouse, I'm harvesting Brussels sprouts I started last fall, and radishes I started in January. I have some cabbages about to start heading, and Brussels sprouts about to start "buds", and lettuce and spinach getting close to picking time, all from December and January plantings.

Been too cloudy this winter. Not much growth happening. I just started in my basement some more Brussels sprouts and some cauliflower and tomatoes I will try to grow in the greenhouse this spring.

Planning to start my outdoor peppers sometime this weekend, and my tomatoes about the 27th of March. Guess I should have started a few peppers a month ago, to try in the greenhouse, but didn't think about doing it.

Tom

I think I may have jumped the gun a little on tomatoes and peppers. I started tomatoes 2/28 and 3/2. Peppers were started 2/21 both hot and sweet. Cabbage has 2 true leaves and is ready to go out in the garden in 2 weeks provided it's not a muddy mess. Broccoli and cauliflower are about 2-3 weeks behind that. Onions are going started 2/1 as well as celeriac (first time ever growing that). This is my second year starting tomatoes and peppers from seed, last year I tried just a few and started 3/2 and were pretty small when I transplanted them but they survived and produced better than the seedlings I bought from a nursery. The only safe place in my house (4 kids between 18 months and 6 years) is in the basement and it's pretty cool down there, could be the reason things aren't growing real fast and take a little longer than 6 weeks to get a transplantable tomato.

Yesterday I started broccoli, red cabbage, pak choy and two types of romaine lettuce. I also sowed some serrano peppers and some petunias. In a little over a week, I'll sow the rest of the peppers (jalapeno, anaheim, california wonder, and orange bell), plus some alpine strawberries. Then late in the month I'll start my tomatoes and other annual flowers. It is good to get started! Last year I started mid-Feburary and managed to get everything to survive with plastic cloches and such but it was just too early. Now, if only my husband had that cold frame built already.... ;)

Lettuce, onions and broccoli have sprouted!

Woohoo. Even though its only 42 out, I'm excited to be on my way....

Onions were planted 2-3. They been trimmed and looking nice. Just started my cabbage, broccolli, brussel sprouts. Next week I'm thinking hot peppers. I hope to sit my onions outside this weekend. It's supposed to be upper 50's with lots of sunshine.

I started onions & Leeks begining of feb, as well as my peppers. Onion came up great but are not doing well now, Peppers are germinating a little better than last year, but I got a heat mat. Still not as well as I would like.
I planted some lettuce. I am going to try and grow a plant or two inside, to get something early, this is a first so no idea if it will work or not.
Planted some herbs too.
I will be planting broccoli, tomatoes in the next week, and cucumbers, zukes end of month.
I direct plant most of my root veggies, carrots, beets, and also my snap peas.
Green Beans are going to be new this year so not so sure about direct seed. I try and do something new ebvery year or experiment with different planting times to try and get long harvest. I dont consider my self a proffesional, just a guy that likes to play in the dirt and hopes to ge a little something out of it.

I started my Bhut Jolokia's about 3 or 4 weeks ago, got 2 of them up now. Started all my other peppers the other day...I couldn't wait any more haha. Planning on starting my tomatoes in 2 or 3 weeks. Probably going to direct plant my cucumbers, zucchinis, and bush beans when the time is right...might get ancy and start the cukes and zucchinis a few weeks early.

I'll be starting my onion seeds this weekend. Next weekend I'll be starting the mater's & green peppers.

I am SOOOOOOOO ready for spring. But...we all know...haste makes waste.