I haven't started seeds of any warm-season crops yet. It's too early for me. I'll likely start seeds of tomatoes, peppers and a few warm-season annual flowers next week on Super Bowl Sunday. If I start them any earlier than that, they get too big and start outgrowing their space on the light shelf in the guest room before the end of February. That's partly because the light shelf is in a spare room with two big east-facing windows and one south-facing window and it gets hotter than I like, even though I close off the HVAC vent to keep the heater from adding any heat to the room. The abundant sunlight and heat make the plants grow like crazy once they sprout. I don't like moving them out to the greenhouse prior to March because some February nights just get too cold for an unheated greenhouse. Sometimes March nights get too cold in the greenhouse as well, but not very often. I have a space heater sitting in the garage and can heat the greenhouse if needed, but I'd rather not heat it.

Just yesterday I started seeds of a few cool-season veggies and herbs. I haven't even set up the light shelf yet, so I just placed the flats outside on a table on the patio during the day and then moved them indoors to the mudroom last night.

I used to start seeds in January every year, but then found they grew so much before they could go into the ground that I was endlessly potting up and potting up and potting up, so have pushed my seed-sowing dates back later and later in an effort to avoid having to pot up the same plants several times before they go into the ground.

I hope to get the light shelf out of the garage and assembled and set up inside the house sometime this weekend so the cool-season flats can sprout and grow under lights, but it won't happen today. My plan for today is to help Chris finish the turkey coop/fenced run he's building to house some heirloom turkeys he is getting on Sunday. Maybe I can get the light shelf set up tomorrow. It depends on fire weather, which is elevated for the next few days. . Every time I try to do anything garden-related, our pagers seem to go off----as they did yesterday and the day before. It is unfortunate that winter fire season coincides with seed-starting and planting season.

I always start seeds in a sterile, soil-less seed-starting mix which reduces the chance of plant diseases, like damping off, to virtually zero as long as I'm careful to avoid overwatering. When it is time to pot-up seedlings, sometimes I make a home-made 5-1-1 mix using organic materials, but if I am really rushed for time, I just buy a big bag of Miracle Grow Moisture Control potting mix and use it. I realize it is not organic, but I don't get all wound up over that. For me, in the windy March and April conditions outdoors where the plants spend their time hardening off before going into the ground, the MG Moisture Control mix holds exactly the right amount of moisture to keep the seedlings happy and get them off to a great start. Because a wildfire can abruptly pull me away from home for the rest of the day, and sometimes for days on end, and there's no one at home to keep an eye on the plants, it is important they are hardening off in a mix that holds moisture well so that they don't dry out before I make it back home. I've come home to dried out, nearly-dead seedling plants in some past years, particularly in 2009 and 2011, so I've tried to use techniques that help them survive outdoors longer on their own if I can't make it back home to water them on a really windy (and fiery) day.

Extras? Do you mean how will I get rid of all the extra plants I grow that I won't have room for? (grin) You know that I give them away.

If by "extras" you're asking what we're growing that is new to us, then I'm mostly just growing more flowers. For years I purchased flats of six-packs of annuals to mix in with my home-grown veggies and herbs, but since learning that most annual flowers are sprayed with neonicotinoids at the wholesale nurseries, and knowing those systemic pesticides are strongly persistent in the plants, I've been focusing more and more or raising my own flats of annual flowers to add color to the garden. I have tons of flower seeds I didn't even use last year because of all the heavy rain and flooding, so didn't even have to buy flower seeds this year.

I haven't broken the news to Tim yet, but in order to grow a lot of flats of flowers, we may need to put together another light shelf since I can easily fill up the shelf system we already have with nothing but veggies and herbs.

I'm keeping a watchful eye on the garden to see which reseeding annual flowers and herbs survived the historic rainfall and flooding. I think most of my perennials did survive, which is a relief, because I was worried about how they'd do in amended clay in almost 79" of rain in 2015 and wouldn't have been surprised if I lost a lot of them. It is too early to tell which reseeding annuals did reseed. I'm thinking the larkspur and poppies did not because I'm not seeing a lot of them sprouting yet, but the chamomile, Laura Bush petunias and catnip all are popping up everywhere. Zinnias popped up all over the garden in November and December, but a freeze in mid- to late-December killed them. Being a seed hoarder, I have plenty of larkspur, poppy and zinnia seeds to sow if needed.

I'm sure this weekend's gorgeous weather will make me want to push up my schedule and sow all kinds of seeds, but I'm going to try to spend my time outdoors in the garden getting it ready for planting time, which is just around the corner, and that should keep me too busy to drag out more flats and seeds to start indoors.

It was too wet to do any garden cleanup all throughout the autumn, but the worst of the mud and standing water has finally dried up, so I hope to focus the whole weekend on garden cleanup. The garden has been full of birds all winter long and they surely have been feasting on all the plant seeds they could find so, in one sense, I hate to go in there and yank out all the standing dead plants because the birds will disappear, but then, it is time to do it so I'll be ready when potato-planting and onion-planting time rolls around. I've left the garden gate open all winter so there's likely bunnies living in the garden as well, so I'll be chasing them out while doing garden cleanup too.

I'm crazy, too! Lucky for the plants I have to use the Jiffy pot seed starter or they'd already being going Where's the sun!? But I bought the first bags of the seed starter that were put on the shelves. I haven't started peppers, yet, but I was going to tonight. I have compost this year that I will use to pot up. Honestly, I didn't really notice how early it was.

Maybe it's the occasional sunshine outside that is edging me on. Or maybe I'm just a crazy gardener.

Remember my holy tennies? Yeah, well. I was supposed to go to Wal-mart and buy some new shoes cuz my husband was like WTHeck? I went to Wal-mart. I did! I swear! But I bought grow lights instead. ROFL Someone gave me their old shoes. I'm good.

Yes. I think I'm just garden crazy! And Dawn just reminded me of flowers.

bon

Yes I did it to. I started 12 peppers. 3 varieties are up--Serrano, jalapeno, and a sweet called Tequila Sunrise. My wife is keeping my house to cold this winter, so seeds are slow to germinate. Which means I will be fighting different sized plants. But that's fine. At least it is greenery.

I probably will start tomatoes this weekend. I do not mind starting early, because I have a small garden. So potting up plants does not bother me. This year it will be about 18-24 plants. I do not know about the tomato varieties yet. I have tons of tom seeds, but I am going to choose just a few kinds. Then when I plant my transplants, I will start more tomato seeds for a fall crop.

I use whatever potting soil I have available to start my seeds. I actually put it in the pots, wet it down, and nuke it to sterilize it. It gets to hot to handle for a while. If it goes to long in the microwave, the pots will start to melt. Seems to work. SHHH! Don't tell my wife.

When the plants are big enough, I put them in a wagon in the garage with lights over the top. That way I can easily roll them in and out of the sun/weather. At night I put a very small heater in the wagon. This works to. I would like to start seriously canning, but I do not have tons of time. And I do not have a canner.

I started seeds on Jan. 25 one year and had a jungle before planting time. I had a homemade greenhouse at the time or I would have never made it work. The peppers and tomatoes were too large to mess with, but I did get good crop.

Well I got mine started and they are all coming up nicely except the peppers. It's only been a week so I will give them a few more days. I only planted 4 flats. When I get the first round of brassicas planted out I will plant more. Some of my tomatoes I want to experiment : )

Not my good ones for market tho. Some of thecherry.

Last year I was inspired when local gardeners would stop by And say we'll I didn't know you could grow that this time of year. We'll truth is I didn't either but yall give me boost to try new things. What's a few $ in seeds if it works. And last year we harvested over 20 cabbages 3 -5# . And they kept making little babies. This year I am going to grow more. Predictions for this area are good for rain this spring according to the local farmers.

i started just one tomato and one pepper about 2 weeks ago. I planned to grow them out in the greenhouse. Ill probably wait until mid february to start the garden plants. I did start some flats of coleus and blue fescue for a new flower bed I made. Oh started some Herbs a few weeks ago too to grow in the greenhouse. I have had a flat of leaf lettuce and kale in the greenhouse all winter. Probably can get them outside for awhile now.

I plan on some winter sowing too. I have everything ready but I have been so sick this week.

I started a bunch of stuff, but most of my seeds are ancient and I wasn't sure they'd sprout. Most of the tomatoes are ones Dawn sent me maybe a decade ago when she offered "a few varieties". But if they don't take I can always try again in a few weeks. I did notice the cat mint and cat grass had sprouted, so the kitties will be happy.

Hey Jen, If you'll email me your snail mail address through Houzz/Garden Web, I'll send you some tomato seed that is fresher than what you have now. I've got plenty of seeds to share, which is one way of saying I am a seed-a-holic.

I noticed some catnip volunteers in the garden yesterday that are 6" tall. Apparently the cats haven't found them yet or they'd be smashed down to the ground and rolled upon and eaten. Any day now they will find those plants. My perennial catmint got huge this fall, but cold weather in January finally froze back about the top half of it. There's only one cat we have that really likes catmint so it doesn't get demolished the way catnip does. I haven't even planted catgrass yet, but I have a spot at the shady west end of the garden where I'm going to plant some. We do have rye grass at the north end of the garden and both the cats and chickens have been feasting on it.

Dawn

Boy I have done gone nuts. I started cold season stuff in coconut coir. Some is just in miracle grow seed starting mix to get that used up. My kale is still thriving out there and will get harvested and processed today. I put it in the ground in October as an experiment to see what would happen and they are still going strong. I am surprised! Now the warm season stuff I have not even thought of yet. But this weekend I am going out there and having my first good weekend of clearing the beds, hauling in soil amendments, etc...

Started my tomatoes last night. I could not wait any longer! 8 varieties, 12 tomato plants total. So that makes 24 potted plants I will be dealing with. Oh! and lets not forget the melons, squashes, herbs, etc. that will come later.

Every time I start early I find myself saying, "I won't every do this again! What was I thinking?!" I'm waiting a bit. Don't have any warm sunny place to put the seedlings, until nights are consistently warmer.

George

I hear you Macmex. A couple years ago I just said what the heck and started over 500 seeds in January which was kind of dumb because we're still getting snow in May. Many were given away to coworkers and friends but until then the living room looked like a greenhouse grow room. Now I just play with the seeds and dream and organize until the end of February. The family has also limited me to no more than 10 flats in the house. They just don't understand...

Like many others, I've been a little antsy to get started! The last few days of warm weather have made it even tougher to hold off.

Maybe it's a good thing it has been too wet until the last couple of weeks to get in the garden to do the needed cleanup from last year. That's one of the things that's helped keep me from having tray after tray seeded up and waiting. Then I remember the years when I jumped the gun and had to deal with oversized plants crowding the greenhouse. Ugh, never again!

I've pretty much settled on starting my peppers, tomatoes, and a few cole crops and direct sowing most everything else. In my experience direct sown cucumbers and squash have always caught up and outgrown the ones I started in the greenhouse.

I will admit to succumbing to a moment of weakness. I purchased a few bunches of onions and put them in the ground about a week ago. If they don't work out, I haven't lost much!

Cabbage and possibly lettuce will be started in the next day or so. Peppers and tomatoes will wait till toward the middle of February. I hope....

Well, if I've lost my mind - I'm in the BEST of company! Will be venturing out today to buy new shelves for my set-up. The ones previously used have gathered new occupants....(how does that always happen?). The plan is after the start of growing season - the shelves will go down in the cellar to hold supplies for the spring as well as my canning equipment.

I won't have extra's of all - but these are the tomatoes I've got started so far. A couple are new to me like the Old Virginia - anyone grown it before?

1. Heinz 1370 – DTM 75/77

Heirloom – Determinate

2. Italian
   Goliath – DTM 76

Hybrid, disease resistant, beef steak,
indeterminate

3. Old
   Virginia – DTM 80

Heirloom, grows well in heat. Indeterminate

4. Black
   Cherry – DTM 65

Heirloom, Indeterminate

5. Sun
   Cherry – DTM 55/60

Hybrid ?, Indeterminate

6. Roma
   Rio Grande – DTM 70/80

Roma, Heirloom, determinate

7. Black
   Krim – DTM 80

Russian Heirloom, Indeterminate

Kellogg’s Breakfast – DTM 80

Orange mid-size, Heirloom, Indeterminate

9. Snow
   White – DTM 50-55

Cherry, Heirloom,

Nebraska Wedding – DTM 105

Yellow, Heirloom, determinate

11. Yellow
    Mortgage Lifter – DTM 90

Heirloom, beefsteak

Cherokee Purple – DTM 85

Black, Heirloom, Indeterminate

13. Umberto
    – DTM 80

Heirloom, paste, pear-shape

Italian Choice (Roma) – DTM ?

I think lettuce and cabbage as well as an experiment with onions will be happening here this weekend too! Looks like a few of us will have enough extras that maybe we can still plan a get-together sometime in April after all!

I will start in about 3 weeks. It's too early for me to start now, but I have received my seeds and my onions are on order.

Thanks Dawn, I appreciate it.

Like Dawn and George, I've given up starting too early because of the potting up that is then required. I will start on the warm bench in the greenhouse in two weeks. (I will get the seed flats filled and warming on the bench 2 or 3 days before planting time.) In the meantime, I have 3 tomato plants that I dug out of the greenhouse as 3-4" seedlings before it got cold out there sitting in a south window in an unheated bedroom. Some years I get something good and some years duds, but we shall see. One of them already has buds. I will pot them up before too long.

And since I have winter greens in the greenhouse to look at, water, weed and eat, I'm not totally plant deprived. I do plan on getting out there this coming week and planting some more lettuce where the bok choy, trying to bolt, just came out.

How do you water your seed cells ?

I bought some seed starting mix at a nursery yesterday, guy told me I could water from the bottom with this mix, that it would draw the water up. I did not ask anymore about that but started to think about it on the way home.

I've never done that. I've always watered carefully, but I think I'm gonna try it, but it seems it might keep the seed too wet ?

You still water carefully when bottom watering so that you avoid overwatering.

To bottom water, pour roughly 1" of water into the flat that already contains your growing medium. Wait roughly 10-20 minutes for the water to wick its way up to the top of the growing medium in the starter cells. Then, as soon as you notice the growing medium is moist at the top of each cell, pour off the excess water.

Check the flats daily (I check each morning and each evening when they are indoors and more often if they are outdoors in sunlight and wind) and bottom water again as needed. That's all there is to it.

You do not leave the excess water sitting in the flat so it can be soaked up over the next few days as this keeps the growing medium too wet and can cause seeds to rot or seedlings to damp off and die. Remember that plant roots grow in the air space in between pores of growing medium and that the roots need oxygen. Thus, if the air space between pores of growing medium are clogged with water, the roots cannot get oxygen and they die.

For what it is worth, I raise many hundreds (lol, likely a couple thousand, but who's counting) of seedlings every year and my seeds and seedlings do equally well whether I bottom water or top water, so I don't worry about it much. For someone who already has mastered how to successfully start seeds (or cuttings) in flats, I doubt bottom watering vs. top watering is a big issue. Or, at least it is not an issue for me. Where it becomes an issue is with folks new to starting seeds (or cuttings) as they tend to "love their seedlings to death" with too much attention, and part of that issue tends to include overwatering and inadvertently causing plant death.

The first couple of years I started seeds indoors in flats under lights, I left the humidity domes on too long (now I don't even use the domes at all), watered too often, and kept the growing medium too wet. I quickly learned that I was my seedlings own worst enemy and corrected my errors quickly. : )

It's been smooth sailing ever since. So, if what you've been doing works for you, you do not necessarily have to change it, you know.

Kind of depends on what you are growing in. Flats wirh plastic cells are meant to be watered that way, with water in the bottom. But you have to lift up a cell to put the water in, wich always annoyed me. And if your shelf isn't level one end gets more water than the other. I also use paper cups in aluminum pans which I prefer to water from the bottom also. Before plants have roots, I mist with a spray bottle. I recently read about wicking...the photo showed fabric layed under the cells, and a strip that went from that fabric to a reservoir of some sort filled with water. They used a micro fiber fabric, but I have also seen it with old cotton fabric. I am thinking about something like this to solve my un-level shelf problems.

Just wanted to let you know, I got the seeds Dawn. You're awesome! Thanks so much. I think I'll wait a couple more weeks, but now i'm really antsy to get planting.

Hi Jen, I'm glad to hear the seeds arrived. I always worry they'll get lost in the mail and then the recipient of the seeds will think I didn't send them.

You are welcome and I hope they grow well for you and that you enjoy them.

It is the "antsy" time of the year, for sure.

Dawn