When to start spring vegetable inside?

15 years ago

Hi,

When should I go ahead and seed start my spring crop indoors, for a middle of March planting date outside? I am going to start lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, spinach, and other greens. I was thinking that I could plant my onions outside in Feb. late, but would begin inside if advised. Please let me know. I was thinking six weeks prior to planting outdoors that I should go ahead and start my seeds in my seed starter kits indoors? Last year was my first garden and I got allot of germination from my seed started kits, that I mostly made myself. However, the garden failed miserably. I am guessing it was the heat last summer down here?

Thanks

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Comments (6)

t-bird
15 years ago
I have been pouring over my seed packs for the same reason - my plant out date if Feb 1st, under double protection.

Spinach, bok choi, only spoke of direct seeding.

The tatsoi said 3 weeks prior to planting out.

Why tatsoi would be somehow different than bok choi - I do not know.

Eliot coleman really let us down in the 4 season harvest with an overemphasis on late planting for fall/winter harvest - and virtually nothing on starting early :(
seandil
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks t-bid,
I was planning on putting my seed starter kits in front of our windows inside and then replanting them outside around March 13th. I was guessing six weeks of growth before planting outdoors would work for my spring leafy vegetable crop? That would be a 1st of February seed start Date. Do you know for sure if this is a good idea? What would you do different?

Thanks
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Simran12
15 years ago
Thanks T-bird ! I want to say that you have shared informative things with us. And the every person love farming must know about it before growing spring vegetables. Thanks a ton..

Here is a link that might be useful: irrigation systems design
t-bird
14 years ago
seandil -

I failed miserably last year - never got anything together early......had a rotator cuff injury from falling ice skating...

Trying again this year, got one FRC up to try to get some kales etc through winter......wondering again about jumping spring with some contraptions!
soonergrandmom
14 years ago
In my State we have a nice planting calendar to go by, but if I didn't have, I would use the one at Johnny's.

Here is a link that might be useful: Johnny's
ncdirtdigger
14 years ago
Table 1 on this page http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag-06.html gives you a good guide. N Carolina ranges from zone 6 in parts of the mountain, to 8 along the coast. I live on the line between zone 7 and 8 and I started my cabbage and broccoli plants two weeks ago, and my spinach plants last week. I also start some pea plants indoors for transplanting next week. I keep the peas covered with row covers if a heavy frost is forecasted. I'll plant out my broccoli and cabbage in mid February to early March depending on weather and my schedule.