Has anybody started any seeds indoors yet?

I've got 4 difference varieties of onions coming up in regular flower pots so long roots develop and I started my peppers and eggplant. Is anyone else up here in the NE doing eggplant? Mine have come up a bit leggy and I was wondering if eggplant is one of those vegetables that can be planted deeper, like tomatoes, when the time comes for transplanting.

I've also got elephant ears and some begonias started, nothing showing yet; just the little buds were showing on the tubers. Next I'm starting my impatiens which I don't know why I bother with because my germination rate with those is so bad even though I used bottom heat and lights. Anybody here have really good luck with impatiens??

started some seeds this past weekend - t's, peppers, eggplant and trying shallots for the first time - leeks will be next. not sure about planting eggplants deeper and never had luck with impatients either.

I had good luck with impatience 2 years ago. No seeds here, no decision yet.

Basil here with lots more to be sown by the end of the month. We haven't grown eggplant for years since it attracts some pest that endangers the local potato crop.

DH does hundreds of impatiens each year. What's your problem with them?

Maters, all colors of peppers, cukes, to many to name! lol

I planted mini-bell peppers today....started annuals a few weeks ago, & transplanted many today.....had to throw away hundreds of seedlings, & it breaks my heart, but they have to be thinned......Never started eggplants from seed, I always purchase plants because growing season is too short here, & I want plants large enough to produce....however, I don't have much luck even with those!

Pirl . . .I dunno, if I knew then I'd know how to correct it. I get very sparse germination even though I use grow lights, bottom heat and don't cover the seeds. I realize they do seem to take forever to germinate and so I give them extra time. Some varieties germinate well and others, like the deep red and violet mixes don't.

After you plant the seeds in damp "soil", do you cover the trays with plastic wrap to keep in the moisture until they sprout? It works well for us.

We did have a few terrible years with petunias after 20 years of no problems. Now we just buy them locally at a farmer's stand.

I hope to start seeds this week.

I have a bunch of annuals started

Pirl. . . yes, I do cover them with plastic. I would forget about the whole impatiens thing and buy the plants but they don't offer any real variety, just the same old white, pink, nondescript orange, lavender (which I guess is supposed to be their "purple", and dull red..

None

I did something like 15 impatiens seeds 3 years ago and the all germinated. They are so tiny and hard to handle. I use a special germination soil (for all plants). I can remember I took a toothpick and dipped it in water and picked up each seed individually and placed it. I did not cover them with dirt, I pushed them down in the soil just a tad. I place a plastic dome on the germination tray. To water seeds that tiny use a windex bottle.

Have some perennials started, a few mato's, and some things im winter sowing too. Will start my veggies in another week or so, as soon as I get my seed trades done! LOL

I started my tomatoes (all kinds), my hot peppers, bell peppers, basil and cilantro this past saturday.

Its been cold and rainy here the last few days, so I put my seedlings onto a heating pad for the last 2 days/nights on low... hopefully this helps with the germination.

Tomatoes, basil, petunias, snapdragons, nicotiana....tried a few things in damp paper towels in baggles, some in the frig, some out...pretty good results so far: nicotiana sylvestris, dianthus arctic fire all germinated room temp. Chilled so far just a few lupines but I have faith, too soon to tell for penstemon and Heuchera! Whew!!!
And I'm still growing under lights on a city windowsill. I used heat mats in January but now I don't need them.

I started indoor seeds the end of february. This is my first year growing from seed so it is a big investment (stand, lights, etc). I started a blog http://y9fvg.blogspot.com/ that has pics of all my seeds etc. Right now I have brassicas (broccoli, cauliflowers, and cabbages) growing. I am starting my lettuces today. I also have flowers going (coleus, alyssum).

The snow just melted from most of the garden. Soaking rain today. I haven't been able to even get into my community garden plot because of the snow. Hoping I can start warming up my raised beds next week.

Anyone know of salvage areas near Boston with windows for cold frames?

ahh - winter sowing - there are 15 milk jugs out there growing something - markers are all inside the milk jugs

Pfg, I planted nicotiana sylvestris 2 years ago, & I can't get rid of it......it grows to about 3 or 4 ft. & reseeds....

there are a million dust sized seeds in the nicotiana... have to dead head if you don't want them to reseed

I grew N Sylvestris on LI in Southampton for years, never saw a volunteer. The ones that did reseed were langsdorffi, the green ones, and I loved it. Never occurred to me to worry about sylvestris. I did have a couple of them in CT last year--uhoh! I may end up with a plethora when I wanted a smattering!

Yes, you may.....I'm pulling seedlings as soon as I see them......Last summer there were dozens!

Nice strong healthy lookin' seedlings there!

Just added more light--and I still don't have enough room! Sweet peas just germinated, a few more Lupines, everything's growing... Petunias look amazing! My goal this year was to have great looking hanging baskets by plant-out time, instead of a few poor spindly things that take forever to get going and never look lush. It looks like it's going to work. Snapdragons are filling out nicely, they'll be ready when the time comes too.

11 days until I get back to the garden...saving containers to WS, better late than never, I guess..

Pam

petunias do look great!!!

Thanks!

Hope the snow has melted by the time you get back to CB, Pam.....today's paper showed very snowy conditions at the Goshen Fairgrounds.....

If the snow hasn't melted by then I'll really be wintersowing, not springsowing...

Our totals for tomorrow through Thurs. have been upped to 4-7"!

I know I am late starting my tomato seeds... but I bought a new pack of red cherry... and it's treated with something blue... package says not for consumption... what is up with that??????

Many seeds are treated now for rot.....they'll germinate better, but I usually specify untreated seed.....

I finally got all my lettuce, endive, mache, arugula, chrysanthemum, peppers (13 varieties), tomatoes (16 varieties) sowed. And finished off with the flower seeding for containers for the year (coleus, alyssum, mina lobata, spanish eyes, morning glories, nasturtiums, red cypress vine, coleus, coreopsis). Check out pics at my blog http://y9fvg.blogspot.com

Plant out date for peppers and tomatoes May 10th. I'm hoping to get a cold frame up this week so I can harden off the brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) that are crowding my lights. Hoping to get spinach and peas in ground mid April.

I attached a pic of my cheap aluminum foil and emergency shock blanket (mylar-like) effort to get enough light for all my seedlings.

I might steal your blanket idea... thanks!!!

Too early for me but I plan some MG's. Not a really big deal.

I planted valerian, annual dianthus, oriental eggplant and bunch onions yesterday.

My seedlings should have been watered 2 days ago....hope I saved some.....

t-plants are taking longer than usual to germinate - got extra roma seeds today - i might try that foil wrap too!

Here we go - Jim told me to get stuff ready. In other words I will be ordering 2 cases of peat pots (thats 2000). I also need 2 cases of labels (thats 2000).

Germination soil will come in the house with the germination trays and domes.

Shucks - I will have to go buy seeds.

Also need a stand up fan as last year I was watering and backed up into while it was running knocked it over and destroyed the blades.

Green House - here I come

woo hoo.. crunch time!!!

Well we made it to the house...there was snow everywhere from the winter and it snowed all day. So wintersowing it is. I got the tomatoes, Lupines and snapdragons here and have the lights set up. I wonder if I'll be planting out by June? Certainly way too early to start the tenders, basil, nasturtiums, squash, etc.

The house looks great, and is cosy and warm. DH isn't happy because the pellet stove isn't working. It's backed into a fireplace so he needs help getting to the innards. It was too late yesterday and the support line at the company is closed until Monday. Bummer, esp with the price of oil so high. He says this weekend is the cost of a vacation.

My huge bundle of seeds I thought I'd left here is nowhere to be found. It must have been lost or thrown away either in packing to leave or perhaps when the cleaning people came in last week. The saddest loss is my trailing nasturtiums- I had saved seeds by color, and the packages are all mixed.
So now I have an excuse to buy more, from all the great sites I've been reading about on DG!

Pam