This was my first year, and mine don't seem very robust. My poppy blooms are much tinier than I expected, but everything seems a little slow to take off. Most are perennials, and they are coming along, hope they survive the winter.

I didn't grow your salvia, but the ones I transplanted into deep-cell 6 packs are doing better than the ones I planted in the ground with a spoon. Those are annuals, and we shall see.

that's funny, all of my ones from the cell packs are great! but the ones from the jugs and such, not so big as i expected. i had wondered if i had done something wrong? the difference. all the cell packs are with the "stay green" soil, i got it at lowes 3 cu ft for 10.97. the one's in the jugs and such was miracle grow. the stay green feeds for 9 mo. while miracle grow only feeds for 3 months. also mine only has soft soil, while the other had little chunks in it from time to time, out of the 5 different bags i got. don't know if that had anything to do with that. "hopefully" next year i will be able to use something really awesome!! LOL
my yvonnes salvia is tall and strong. but i'm not so happy with some of my other stuff. ~Medo

I went into this with some pretty high expectations and am having the same frustration.

This is the time when the neighbors have put in all thier instant flowers from the flats and we're all still waiting.

siiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Hello Newbies: I know exactly where you are coming from. I remember feeling the same way when I started, but I think we are just not used to seeing seedlings at this stage - after all, the ones in the nurseries are at least ten to twelve weeks old. They seem so fragile that it is difficult to imagine them surviving if you do. But once you put them in the soil, they 'take off' at an amazing rate. Leaving them in their containers or potted up will not aid in their development. They need real earth where they can put deep roots down. Last year I was reluctant to put my salvias in the ground, they were so small. But I was encouraged by someone on this forum to go ahead and put them in and I had blooms and even collected seeds for this year. I am still amazed at the little petunias and salvias that I put in the ground last year, and the beautiful blooms I got. So now I am encouraging you - put them in especially if you have good root formation (all matted in the container). You will be surprised at your results.
Northerner.
P.S. Sometimes the weather will thwart your efforts e.g. this year we have not yet had a good hot spell, so things are a bit slow. But they usually get caught up by August.

This is my second year, and things are growing a bit more slowly this year because of weather related issues compared to last year. I do agree with northerner, things will grow a lot faster when there was planted out than in their jugs. I admit I have a few in the jugs still and a few potted up, but their size in comparison to ones I planted out is a LOT smaller. Not in all cases, but most, the ones in the ground 2-4 times bigger than the ones still in the jugs.

My sister buys all her stuff, and she has an "instant" garden. Sometimes I'm jealous, other times I really enjoy the process of watching all the plants grow. I have a lot more options are my disposal as well. It's a mixed bag, but I would hold out until the end of summer and see if things start looking up by then. For those of you would planted out perennials, next year will be really fun.

I've got about 100 seedlings that are still so tiny too! I'm afraid to put them in the ground because they look so pittiful and delicate, so I've been potting up most of them to sit on the front porch.

I did buy some plants at the stores this year so I would have a good mix of things until my seedlings take off, but wish that they would do better.

Just know you aren't the only one going through this so hang in there!

Diana

Some of mine came up rather sparsely so I waited until they got large enough to have some root mass, am too afraid to stick those tiny seedlings in the ground.

Some surprise you they take to transplanting pretty readily, but with all the rain here, I'm glad I waited.

I like sowing my own seeds because there are too many places to run around to looking for plants in the spring, despite my failures, plus I try to grow some varieties that I don't see in the nurseries and other sales outlets.

Only if I stumble across something in the course of going for something else have I bought any, and the irony is what I've spent on seeds, I could have bought quite a few plants. I did order quite a few online, some are doing ok, and some not so good.

I wanted to finish my planting out but we've had so much rain here, still, the ground is saturated, with more rain forecast. I set a deadline for July 1, hope I make it, not too much left to go, but what there is I spent a lot of time and effort on.

Got 8 salvias in yesterday that I had transplanted from deli containers into oversize 6 packs, roots massed at the bottom, much better looking than the salvias I just stuck in the ground, the soil was just too wet to deal with and clay in that spot, usually I have to soak there before I can plant anything the ground is so hard. The rain last night doesn't seem to have hurt the salvia I did get in. I used my bulb planter, and it was hard to pack those soil mixed with clay gobs in, so I hope the rain last night got rid of some of the air pockets I surely left. Salvias did very well there last year or I wouldn't mess with that area.

Sure glad I didn't plant 300 jugs like some did. I did enough for me this year until I see where I want to go with this, what is working the best, and what is still needed for fill ins.

Still, it's so inspiring to see some of the results some of you have achieved.

This was my first year also and I've had mixed feelings. I do know though that they do better once they are in the ground. They need the nutrients that the soil has in it. Some of mine took off and are now a foot high (cosmos, amaranthus). Some are still an inch high as when I put them in the ground (hollyhocks). I really think it is the weather. Some of mine died when I planted them out (poppies, and a few others). I basically got sick of seeing them sit around and decided they were either going to make it in the ground or not. If they didn't make it I would try again next year.

I thought I had sufficiently bullied you guys to get them in the ground at the first true leaf stage! No fear and no coddling. Mine went into the ground in April. It's cooler and wetter than July of course and the little buggers take off.

Next year - be ruthless!

Hang in there. I am a newbie myself. I planted out some WS Marigolds about a month ago and they are bigger than the store bought ones I see in the neighborhood.

Also, the cukes I wintersowed already have tiny cukes on them and they are climbing like crazy.

Slow and steady wins the race, not that we are in a race. Give them time and you will be rewarded, I am already seeing small signs of it.

Gee thanks a bunch for all of your encouragement!

Alas Bakemom you did warn us to be ruthless, and I was wiith some plants that just withered and died.

My poppies no less, I really love poppies and have never had them before, better luck next year.

Okay, so I'll plant up everything left and take that leap of faith. ;o

Charge Newbies!

I agree with northerner on, what you get at the store is already half dead. Why are you buying half dead plants, lol. Especially when you have newly alive plants.
Ollierose, if your plants are perennials, just wait until fall to plant them in the ground. I do that a lot, and it seems to work out best for me. Plus it is too danged hot here already this year to plant another thing!

GGG

Rats! Chitown...that's horrible. but you know, I lose some every year too. The thing is with WS you have so many that it really doesn't matter. My beds are packed and over stuffed. It's actually a joy to lose ones that don't do well or are too invasive, so I can try again with something wonderful. Trudi has taught us that those that don't make it because of the plant and not the gardener is essentially culling the herd.

Still, it sucks to do your best and then get nada.

Actually I have to disagree partly with Northerner about leaving in containers and development. Leaving them in original containers isn't good if the containers were small and you get more than a few seedlings. Potting individual seedlings up to bigger containers is part of producing larger seedlings for transplant if that's what you choice to do. If you have certain plants that are more tasty to slugs, earwigs, ect., then potting them up to gain more vegetative growth is a good thing! Of course not all plants benefit...especially taprooted plants like most biennials or plants that resent transplant like Nigella, Cucurbits or Poppy.
Most seedlings I plant out are as Bakemon say...Big Bully LOL! Other's I wait a little bit longer depending on size. My Hardy Hibiscus have taken off since potting them up a few weeks ago and the purple Datura potted up in individual cups at the same time I planted out the others are in far better shape and vigor! For example there was NO WAY I was going to plant out Heuchera in the seed-leaf stage. It was hard enough potting them up in the 2nd leaf-stage! If you blinked you'd a missed them LOL! I know earwigs love Salvia, so I wait until their a little bigger to handle some nibbling before planting. This year was not a good year...they grew at a snails paste, so ended up planting them out regardless before the heat and opted to collar them.
Speaking of which...not all years will be the same as far how fast things take off once planted. I think a few of us can attest to the slow pace (or lack of growth) that some of our planted out annuals have this year. The weather doesn't doesn't always cooperate!

Plus I am a greenhouse/nursery graduate so I can't knock the industry LOL! Just so ya know not all greenhouses put out crappy products.

Well that is JMHO :)))

Vera

I think it is certainly worth doing because it gives you a jump start if nothing else. But I think sowing and transplanting into 6 packs, then to the ground, yields better results overall, at least for me so far, have losses either way but lose fewer in 6 packs.

What I like about WS'ing is that it is less fussing and work. Eventually the perennials will take off either way if you get them that far, only sowed a few annuals so can't speak to that much.

It's hard to generalize, zones, weather conditions, seeds, so many things factor in. Plus some plants transplant very easily and others not as much so.

I think it takes some years of experience to know what will work best for you with different types of plants.

I am a first timer and will attest to putting them in the ground as soon as possible. I was hesitant at first but everything that was so small when I first planted out has already doubled in size compared to the ones that I did not have a chance to plant out yet and are still in jugs!

I am loving this WS stuff for sure!