seedlings or direct seed in zone 10a?

How-dy!

I need to start my garden for fall crop, but don't know if I have to do seedlings (which I know is best) or if I can direct seed.

I have all sorts of ants in my soil currently, so don't know how to get them out safely.

but! the main question is if I can just direct seed now?

....and if I really should start seedlings, anyone have any links to REALLY CHEAP setups for seedlings?

thanks.

bumping up. can anyone assist?

How cheap does it have to be? I thought this set up was very reasonable and everything has sprouted nicely:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001XLSGQ

Mindy

Thanks, Mindy:

right now, trying to do this for food, money's tight, and I can't even swing the cost of that light. I don't know how I'm going to pay for my son's uniforms for high school next year. All my seeds (what I have) are donated.

but thank you for responding.

I have an aquarium light, but looking around to see if there's a 'regular' bulb for the ballast. if I can find one, I'm golden.

What are planning on growing?

well, I'm still trying to determine what will grown in 10a in the fall. I need to get on the ball and take care of it now, though....

was thinking all sorts of salad greens (none of which I've been able to get to germinate), tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, squash (still trying to determine which variety is best), beets, and corn

I'm open to suggestions.

thank you. ☺

SoFla ~ yes, I think you need to get on the ball but of course you have a milder winter than we do. Our first freeze arrives around Thanksgiving.

I am going to suggest you start your seeds in good soil, in pots. Not direct sow and the reason is... when it is this hot, it is difficult to keep the soil moist at all times. The seeds must remain moist to germinate. I also wouldn't be too concerned about lighting. I set the seedling pots in the location with the most sun and they germinated just fine.

I understand having no money to spend but would use good soil to start the seedlings. It will only take a small amount. You could even reuse those plastic 6 cell packs that plants come in. I don't throw much away here.

Right now, you can be planting successive plantings of cucumbers and beans. The beans are easily started in ground. Squash, pumpkins, etc can also easily be planted direct.

The salad greens and beets will like cooler weather. I put onion sets out in Oct and they will grow thru winter to be harvested around May. I've never started them from seed so unsure there.

I wintersow the spring seedlings in milk jugs like little greenhouses. After I put the plants out in the garden, I cut off the jug tops and save the bottoms to reuse for planting the fall seedlings. I had started the Fall tomatoes at the end of June and planted them in ground last weekend. By the time they begin to bloom, the temps should have cooled enough for blooms to set fruit.

Do research those plants you want to grow in your zone and garden on the cheap!

I am starting tomatoes, peppers, and beans by direct seeding. Don't know how it's going to turn out. I have soaker hoses to keep things watered. We too are trying to help our food budget and have to keep at it until I learn what I'm doing. I have been at this for years but always before I was working and just as soon as my gardens would get to looking really good I would end up working overtime and they all went to weeds and bugs. So after all this time I'm still a beginner!!

Heya neighbor! Try Amdro as ant bait, it helps me get rid of them in my house and yard for years now, better than the commercial company coming out, treating the lawn and house!
I use water jugs or foam cups for seed starting. Cukes and zucchini and squash I sow directly now ( check out the farmers almanac online for the best times). As for squash, so far the calabaza squash worked best for me, since it's a tropical squash anyway. Pick a piece up at P****x, that'll give you enough seeds. Tomatos and bell peppers get a start in cups because of pests, such as nematodes and mole crickets.

Go online and access the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide, a publication put out by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. You can find it at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021 . It has a lot of good information, as well as tables that list proper planting dates for various parts of Florida, recommended cultivars for Florida, and a table that will show you which crops transplant easily, and which ones you can direct seed. Personally, I purchase or start seedlings of the plants that transplant easily (peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, kale, broccoli, etc.), and direct seed those things that are difficult to transplant. Another good U of F website is http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu . You can also contact your local cooperative extension office at http://www.pbcgov.com/coextension for more information for your area. Hope this helps.

Texas A&M has some great information on gardening. I've read a lot of it. What I find lacking is dates. It must be difficult to say just WHEN to plant WHAT as it varies so much by climate. And the weather has been so hot this year. How is that going to affect planting times?

Does anyone plant by the almanac? If so do you see any real difference in growth and productivity?

Yes, ladytech, I only plant by the almanac. One time I tried okra seeds in a "good time" and others in unfavorable conditions. And not only were they slower to germinate, they did grow slower as well. While the good ones were20 inches, the others were still doodling around 5 inches. Some plants might be more susceptible to that while others aren't. Could have been a pest problem as well, since it was in the ground....