YAY!

BTW: IIRC, you're from the west side of the Michigan, correct? Do you have any recs for good nurseries in the Grand Haven/Muskegon general area? I'll be traveling to Newaygo county on business in about a month would like to take a side trip and check out some nurseries.

I used to be from West Michigan. I didn't get as far west as Grand Haven or Muskegon very often, and if I did, it was to hit the beach, rather than nurseries. If I were to recommend any nursery, it would be Horrocks in Grand Rapids, though I rarely went there, since I grow almost exclusively from seed.

Thanks! I sometimes shop at Horrocks in Lansing, so I'm familiar with them -- the Grand Rapids location probably doesn't vary much in terms of nursery stock. Guess I'll have to Google.

How are the seedlings doin? Dont forget to post their updates :D

Rhine,

I have been remiss in posting updates. My seedlings are doing wonderfully, but the weather is discouraging. This weekend, the Twin Cities had their first blizzard since about 2004. Definition of a blizzard is: Sustained winds over 35 mph, visibility under 1/4 mile, and all sustained over greater than three hours. It actually started Saturday morning and was still going strong Sunday at 5pm. This will slow the warming of the soil, so transplant opportunities are further delayed. It's funny how you learn new things when you move to a new place. The snow will also slow the melting of ice off the lakes, since the sun reflects off the snow, rather than warming the waters. As a result, the normal opening of fishing season is also delayed. That is a huge economic deal here in Minnesota, the Land of a Thousand (frozen) Lakes.

Anyway, here are my sprouts, under their lights.

I have zinnias, two types of cosmos, verbena boniarensis, Mexican Sunflowers, and two types of Monarda. I am thrilled with my results. I hope they harden off well, eventually. I'm used to wintersowing, where hardening off is not necessary. And I don't have easy access to gradual outdoor light, from my apartment downtown St Paul. I will take them to work and put them in the shade and hope for the best. If all else fails, I can start new seedlings again, soon.

Martha

A better picture, as I transplant Mexican Sunflowers and zinnias.

Oops

The seedlings look great! Good, healthy growth.

Here's another update. Two weeks after an epic, historic April blizzard--that set all-time records across Minnesota--I have a second round of seeds starting, and I'm searching for places to plant the original wave. I took the Mexican Sunflowers, Orange and pink cosmos, and native annual coreopsis to the hospice house that is part of my healthcare organization. We want to establish a butterfly garden there, but haven't finalized the location. I planted in one of the few even partially sunny spots, and we'll see how they do. I was not able to harden them off, since I have no outdoor space. I plan to plant seeds when the ground is a bit warmer, maybe next weekend.

But, I couldn't resist sharing a pic of my zinnias. I will put them in out door pots, or sneak them into unlandscaped areas near work.

Can anyone tell me if sun in a window is more powerful than old fashioned shop lights. Obviously, the shop lights did a decent job. But, the heat poring into the windows is amazing, since the sun is higher. I have been carrying them back and forth, so they have gotten a mix of different s weekend.

Martha

" Can anyone tell me if sun in a window is more powerful than old fashioned shop lights. "

Direct sun usually runs about 5000 foot candles and the window glass could cut that some (at the beach on a really sunny day, direct sun could run 8000 foot candles -- need that sunscreen), whereas shoplights are hard put to provide 1000 foot candles near the plants. The shoplights get their effectiveness from longer periods of being on. Nice looking zinnia plants.

ZM

Thanks for the reply, ZM. I was hoping the natural light would be stronger. At least I'm providing a small step toward survival in the outside world.

Martha