My apologies! We are out in Catskill, NY. (Greene County)

Sure, lots of perennials don't bloom the first year, so I don't get in a hurry planting them till May or June. Most annuals it's still too early to direct seed.

Should i also pose this question to the Hudson Valley thread? I am new to this site as of last night so bear with me...LOL

What information would you want from them? I told you that you're definitely not too late. You may note I'm even farther south than you and I won't be direct sowing warm season annuals till at least April 15th.

Not too late, for most things too early :-)

First, have some idea what you want to grow. The first year in a house, try not to be too ambitious. You'll need to figure out a fair amount about the property.

The 'official' last frost date is June 1st. It has been later than that, but those cold snaps have always been in the forecast. That is the date you use to calculate when tender annuals are started. Most seed packets will say to sow indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. So that would be early to mid-April. Hardy annuals that can be direct sowed are planted early May. Perennials are less concerned with timing, so can be started any time after the tender annuals are started. Unless you have lights, or are starting shade plants, starting too early isn't a good idea since it is hard for plants to get enough light inside.

I'm near Kingston, so about half an hour south of you.

In a new property it's always a good idea to hold back on the digging and observe for the first year to see what is already in the garden. See what bulbs and perennials come up as the season progresses. You might find there's a lot of stuff already there.

Welcome - glad you joined!

I know it's hard to sit still and observe/assess the first year in a place -- remember you can always put out some patio pots of annuals or a couple vegetable plants in pots to grow something to tide you over while you plan.

When we moved in, id say early summer, there were already a spattering of things as far as annuals/perennials were concerned...lots of iris, day lily, (though not sure varieties on either) . The previous owner had been there from what i understand almost 20 years and my partner thinks pretty much 80% of the shrubs/trees should go.. I think because it's her first house she is a tad more excited to plant stuff. We have 25 acres of woods. I told her i wouldn't be surprised if we had bulbs popping up out there too! It's just overwhelming.

In your first post you said you moved in in August so the summer would be going over. You will not have seen all the spring and early summer bloomers. I'd say be patient. You can show pictures of anything in these forums if you want advice on whether to keep or jettison. Pruning could be all that some things need. The Name That Plant Forum is the best place to get ids for anything you're unsure of.

post in whatever forums you wish .. you never know where you will find your muse ... or an actual active forum.. lol ..

to germinate ... generally ..... seeds need a constant soil temp of around 70 degrees ... in our z5.. no matter what the day temp is.. nights can easily fall into the 30s... 40s in april.. and 50s into late may .... and thats is what stalls germination ....

its not that they wont eventually germ ... unless there are vermin .... its just that it takes a long time ...

there is no reason not to try .. thats how we all learned ...

one trick might be to take one dedicated plot ... and plant all your seeds in it.. like a veg patch ... and when they get to appropriate size .. move them out ...

one thing i learned when i moved from suburbia.. to 5 acres ... was that if i spread stuff all over the garden... i lost them ... and babe seeds do need some daily care and if you forget about them for a week or so ... it can mean failure ...

ken

ps: another thing i learned.. was no matter how bad i had the fever to garden.. on acres it simply is a multi-year project ... start where you plant to sit ... the deck or patio .. whatever ... and move out from there .. and if all you get done the first season.. is 25 feet in each direction.. at least you have a nice place to relax and enjoy what you did accomplish ... and to plant for whats next ... and just forget about the back 20 acres of forest .. probably forever.. lol ... call it your nature preserve ... where ma nature can do her thing.. without you having to change it and care for it ....

forgot to say.. welcome to the forums ... ken

Thanks a lot ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 ! So far i've found this site and these forums quite informative to say the least.

The thing that bothers me with the seed thing is .. I used to do that when i was younger...My parents owned a business back in Sullivan County and we did it ALL..Pharmacy, Gift Shop, Florist, Greenhouses. We started 80% of our stuff from seed..Annuals and Perennials. I would sit with my mom in early January or earlier and go thru the seed catalogs...

Basically what i'm saying is i knew all about starting seedlings and transplanting and having to cover things at night if we had a temperature fall..

Thanks again Ken.

Jess