All of my tomatoe, eggplant, pepper, cucumber, greens and what ever else I ordered are in. I live in 7 seven. Which do I need to start now? I usually do starts, but reading here has given me the urge to try seeds. Thanks in advance. O by the way I have heating mats and those little plug thingys. I didn't want to deal with potting soil all over the place.
Yehudith
Starting seeds
when starting seeds the first and most mportant thng u will need are lights to turn on after the seeds germnate. most of us use florsecent lights such as plain old shop lights with some kind of grow lights inside. the lights come in various sizes and you would use whatever size you hae room for. i use 2 ft lights and some use 4 ft lights. once the seeds germinate ou would haveto have them on for about 16 to 17 hours a day and hey shoud be about 1.2 to 1 inch above the seedlings and should be traised as the seelings grow.
ast o when you shoud start your seeds depends on your last frost date.
usualy tomatoes are started 6 to 8 weeks before that date and eggplants about 10 weeks before that date.
i do not grow cukes and greens so someone else will be able to help you there but i think both of them can be direct sowed into the ground.
hope that helps
My husband bought me a hydroponics set up a few weeks ago, so I was going to use those lights. My biggest concern is am I starting them too early, but I'm beginning to think I should go on. I was looking at the last frost dates here in Md and I think I'll be OK. Our last frost date is supposedly April 30, but we're usually pretty warm by then, but then the worst snow storm I remember here was in April so what's the saying "man plans and G-d laughs".
Yehudith, The worst snow storm I can remember was last week!!! It has created havoc with my spring planting schedule. I have 36 plants that really need to go in the garden, but they can't because the hoops over my raised beds have collapsed and 20+ inches of snow still sit on top. I have a 2nd planting of Spinach, Leaf Lettuce. Broccoli, Arugula, Cilantro, Parsley, and Swiss Chard, that I will be looking to put in the garden around the end of Feb. I normally put my peas in this week but that's on hold til some snow melts. I start indoors my Tomatoes, Peppers, and Egg Plant on the 1st of March with a set out date of around the 3rd week of April. Our average last frost date is the 9th of April, I am also in zone 7A. Carrots and beets can be directly seeded in the garden on the 17th of March. I was supposed to start my 1st crop of carrots and beets in hoops this week. With all this snow I really don't know what to tell about spring crops except wait and see.
Hope this helps you.
Butch
Butch
Are you saying I can go on and start my peas and greens outside now? Minus the snow I mean. I'm planning on doing EB's cause we're the low point in our neighbourhood and I don't want everyone's runoff in my food. I guess if I don't fill the bottoms with water until we're above freezing and cover everything there shouldn't be any problem. What do you think?
yehudith, If there was no snow on the ground I would plant my peas on the 19th of Feb. The Maryland Cooperative Extension says March 15th. My raised beds are covered with black plastic for warming, and already were amended with compost in the fall. I started indoors on the 13th of Jan. Arugala, Broccoli, Leaf Lettuce and Spinach. I planned on puting those in the garden under hoops, over my raised beds this weekend. I would not plant greens outside now without some kind of protection, be it cloches, row covers, or even frost blankets. Its just still a little to cold. Today I went out and dug out my hoops. I will rebuild, and be planted by this weekend.
After being uncovered. 3 feet of snow was just a little to much.
Oh my! That scene is so disheartening. I feel like such a whiner for being discouraged by my cold. I so admire your fortitude to live in the tundra.