Planting Time: Get Your Garden Started With Seeds
Garden catalogs have a lot to answer for. They arrive during the doldrums of January and offer glimpses of spring and summer gardens full of bright flowers and luscious vegetables. Unfortunately, when you look outside, it seems like gardening weather is still a long way away.
There is hope. You may not be able to hasten the arrival of warm weather, but you can at least get going on a summer flower or vegetable garden by starting the seeds for one. Not only will you save money (a packet of seeds is far less expensive than a flat of seedlings), but you’ll be able grow the exact plants you want, whether exotic perennials or your family’s favorite tomato variety, and fill your home with summery greens even when it’s cold outside.
When to plant outside? Check the ideal outdoor transplanting date for each plant, then count backward to determine how early to start the seeds. Cool-season edibles and other plants can go outside when the soil is considerably cooler than heat lovers can, but even so, most plants should not be set outside before the last expected frost. If you start your seedlings too early, you may find yourself with plants that are ready to go outside before the garden is ready for them.
10 Easy Vegetables for First-Time Gardeners
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2011/03/how-to-make-recycled-newspaper-pots-for-seed-starting/
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2011/08/starting-seeds-in-eggshells-cute-and-yes-even-practical/
Marianne ~ Nice article with great information. Thanks.
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Timely article - I just started some basil and some coleus seeds today (in the Vancouver, BC area so it isn't too early here, 14C yesterday). Looking forward to having a plentiful supply of both. I tried starting from seed (basil) for the first time last year and couldn't believe how easy and inexpensive it was, not to mention the quality of the plants. I highly recommend it!
Nice to dream of spring, but they completely omitted the concept of winter sowing! Seeds started indoors are much more needy. Winter sowing takes the guess work out of seed starting, no damping off, just healthy sturdy plants ready to go in the garden come spring temps . I guess Pamlazo made the same point, snow, cold, freezing temps don't faze the winter sowing gardeners (:)
Go to your hippie grocery (coop) and buy the seeds they sell for spices when possible such as coriander/cilantro/dill. Plant those - organic and incredibly inexpensive. Since our ground is too wet in the early spring I sow spinach and lettuce in the fall - if there is a decent amount of snow the spinach grows all winter - slowly. If I wait til the ground can be worked in spring to direct sow i get a bout a weeks worth of produce and then it goes to seed - which I let do on purpose as it plants its self in the perfect places - little edible surprises. Works particularly well for arugula and lettuce.
Do to remodeling, I don't have a big enough spot indoors this year to raise seedlings. I live in zone 8b and am thinking of taking a couple of skylights from the remodel and putting them next to the house to get the passive solar gain from the house, then planting seedlings and putting them under the skylights. Do you think it will work if I cover the skylights at night with blankets?
Cover them (the glass) with pieces of rigid insulation (ideally make a small insulated, cold frame that butts the house to gain heat loss from the house). I'm concerned the plants will fry on a sunny day if you don't have heat spring operated vents.
Ive always had trouble starting seeds. Thanks for the help. My go-to place is the sustainable seed co. I live pretty close to their retail shop but they have an online store with a seemingly endless number of veggies. http://sustainableseedco.com/Organic-Seed/ if anyone is doing any seed shopping.
One of the biggest differences in starting seeds is to keep them warm at night - especially bottom heat. Most everything of mine starts pretty reliably - eggplant and peppers less so - I usually wait for bit and then if they are not coming up I put some seeds in a paper towel and wet it and cover it and put it on top of the refrigerator and out in the solar addition on sunny days and start the seeds out of soil and plant sprouts instead.