There are very few liquid or water soluble organic ferts. And that is what is required if a) you want to be fully organic, and b) the plants will remain indoors and in starter pots until ready to plant outside. Granular organics do not work effectively indoors or with potting soils or seed starting mixes due to the severe lack of soil microbial life in potting soils. And soil microbes are a requirement for converting the granular stuff into plant usable forms.

Once planted out in the ground, you can use whatever organic ferts that are readily available. Most independent retail nurseries and garden center carry them.

Thanks for the courtesy and helpfulness of your replies.

The starter plants, which will be moved outside, are under 4' shop lights with T-8 bulbs. They're suspended with small gauge linked chain and "S" hooks so I can elevate the lights as the plants grow taller.

Cukes & zukes are already up, same time as last year and they were fine once transplanted; produced fabulously!

I direct downed the Pak Choi & Daikon last year and did well.

I ordered liquid organic Alaska Fish Fertilizer for indoors and Jobe's Organic Heirloom Tomato and Vegetable Plant Food Fertilizer (both OMRI listed) at, of all places, Home Depot.

My Cilantro and Arugula always bolt way too soon. Should I somehow cover/shield them and my spinach, lettuce, and Pak Choi (which wilts each day but recovers) from the direct sun?

Both cilantro and arugula are very fast to mature....and even faster in hotter weather!! Ideally, these should be direct sowed (I would never bother with starting indoors) for a succession planting....a small quantity sown every couple of weeks.

"Both cilantro and arugula are very fast to mature....and even faster in hotter weather!!''

THAT makes me feel better; Thomas Jefferson planted a spoonful of lettuce seeds a week, didn't he?

What about covering the leafy greens?

Yankee:

I am in SE WI and to me it seems like some of what you started is a bit too early. You mention you did it before and it worked well so that is good. Just an FYI that tomatoes grow real quick. I start mine from seed around April 11th and plant out in the garden around May 25th. Grown under lights in my basement until they go out in May to harden off.

peppers....slower than tomatoes so I start them mid-march

cukes/squash...I normally direct seed in the garden but others I know start

them 2 weeks prior to planting outside. NOrmally they

transplant best when small with just 1-2 true leaves on them.

Not sure if this is of help to you but glad to hear you are starting your own plants!

Very helpful, thanks; a work in progress with much trail-n-error to go.

Peppers went in on St. Paddy's Day, along with the San Marzanos.

Still waiting on kale, jet star tomatoes and sun coleus seeds.

I have a friend in southern Norway that needs some help, is this an international forum? I'll forward this so he can begin his own plea for help.

A thought on organic fertilizer for Yankee? Would fish emulsion work as a source of nitrogen while the plants are under the lights? Just wondering.

Gardengal: I have no experience using it

but recall it was available 30 years ago in the Madison, WI area so that is why I bring it up. Not sure if the same brand even exists anymore but would it work for a nitrogen fertilizer for plants in soil less growing mix? Or would fish emulsion have to be broken down by microbes to be available to the plant?

It is not fully soluble but it is better than nothing if one wishes to stay organic. Dr. Earth also makes liquid organic ferts but have not researched them enough to know how complete they might be and how they were processed. The issue is how to successfully process organic fertilizer materials - which are by definition NOT water soluble - into a water soluble form so they can be taken up by plants without the intervening actions of the soil microbes.