CLOSED: starting seeds now?

This message was edited Mar 9, 2015 10:42 AM

Does anyone here use the Farmer's Almanac Calender to plant by? Just curious? My grandmother always swore by it and she always had the most awesome garden. I haven't done any research into Almanac planting vs planting when you can, I was wondering what your thoughts on the matter are?

I have have pretty good success using the moon signs as a planting guide, but I am about to do some comparisons by planting on both fertile and non-fertile days to see how it affects the germination rate. There are so many factors involved, soil temp,moisture,light, .location, ect. I wonder if it is possible to duplicate the exact conditions on any two given days. I just love a science experiment! Even if it is "mad science" lol. Grandma please forgive me for breaking the planting rules you taught me....

I like planting at the new moon.

Blomma, you are my seed-starting hero. I've gotten a lot of information and good ideas from you, I am so grateful.

I should get a Farmer's almanac, good idea.
Here's pics of this years seed set-up, at least until it gets too hot to leave anything but the tomatoes in there.
1. Tomato seedlings in buckets (with big holes in the bottoms).
2. Plants started from seed in the fall.
3. My little baby basils.

Nanny, Iv never used it to plant by, but my GF swears by it for trying to potty train a kiddo. Its always worked for her so Id give it a go.

Blomma is a Daylily Growing/Hybridizing/ and Anything Else Specialist in my book! She has a LOT of good advice that can be used for most plants. The method above is a good way to grow. :)

Dome! I am so jealous! haha I wish I had all that growing space!!! I would be in hog heaven!!! The plants look great!

Beautiful little set-up Dee, no wonder you grow such cool stuff...nice!

well I know firsthand that it works for breaking babies from the bottle, you pick the days that the signs are below the bowels, ie knees, feet, thighs, or legs. It worked for me with my daughter, she only cried for it once and that was it. The bottle was history. You don't even have to buy an almanac, go to www.farmersalmanac.com and if you register you can get up to 3 months of whatever calendar you are interested in. Best Days, Gardening, ect. and you can print a list of the days right from your computer, well you do have to have a printer, but it is free. I use the website quite often. Domehomedee you have a nice greenhouse! I have a greenhouse but mine is full and I need another one! These pics are from when it was first built in November 2010. It was all shiny and new!

Badcat, plan on doing some killer salsa w the ghost chilis, to kick it up a bit! I'll already have the tomatoes, onions, garlic and cilantro so what the heck! I actually saw that episode of man vs food! Didn't he lose? I remember him losing a few, I think the giant pancakes in Hawaii was another where food won..

Great info as usual, Blomma! I really do think you should write that book!

Nanny, I am trying a few of the planting dates in my farmer almanac. Well see if it works, hope so, my MIL also swears by it, and she has always had a greenthumb.i have never ever heard of it being used for child raising, I'll need to look into that FOR REAL!! And beautiful greenhouse btw!

Oh domehome, I have greenhouse envy yet again! One day I'll have one too and then my friends and family will report me missing, only to find me later.. Dirt covered, unkempt and with hairy unshaved legs. But my plants will be beautiful! ;)

Yeah, that sounds like me alright. I'm always disappearing down at the greenhouse.
Nanny - wow that's a nice one, mines the economy model built with pvc and rebar! Me and my daughter put it up three years ago. It has a dirt floor so I have to weed in there! I really need to get some ceiling vents in, but I'm waiting for the plastic to need replacing which isn't going to be too much longer. This stuff gets brittle pretty quick, I'm thinking I'll be lucky to get another year out of it.
I'd love to put up another one too, just for veges. That open space in the picture is for melons, I use it as a hot house in summer, protection for potted tropicals in fall and winter, and for growing seeds in winter and spring.

I have wanted a greenhouse most of my adult life and never could seem to find the extra money to get one. So I had been saving my change for 10+ years in hopes of taking an extravagant vacation, but after serious consideration, I decided to cash in my stash of coins and buy something that would give me more satisfaction, it has been both a joy and a pain.
In this part of the country, we have winters with temps well below freezing,so the thing has to be insulated to conserve heat. I am still trying to find the most efficient heating method that keeps both plants and wallet happy. I have tropicals and they don't like cold air. Regulating the temp has been a struggle this winter, because of the way below normal temps we have had. I can just imagine the issues people up North must be having this winter. Hopefully the worst is behind us.
Stillplays you crack me up!!! I have been known to disappear into the greenhouse, but somebody always finds me before I need any "intervention" lol.
Domehome looks like you did a fine job on your hoop house. I have thought about building one for my perennials, so it wouldn't have to be heated. I guess I better start saving change again!
Somewhere I have some pics of the inside, I can't seem to locate them. Will have to take some more I guess.

I put my hoop house up for $500. using some plans I found online. I did decide to make the ends solid as I couldn't imagine a door in plastic being very effective. That worked out well as it gave me a place to mount some fans. I don't get much freezing weather, that I am thankful for, I don't think I could afford to heat a greenhouse.
Post pics of inside, we'd love to see it.

here are few pics taken last year. I have made a few changes since then and will post the new pics after I get some more taken. I worked out there today ,but forgot and left the camera at work. I will post a before and after for comparison.

I changed the orientation of the benches and hung new bubble wrap and added a rail for hanging baskets and we ran a water hose through the floor so it could be attached outside in cold weather without leaving a gap in the door. I did have to run the hose in and out the door, while not a problem on warm days it was a significant problem on frigid days. The greenhouse temp always goes down a bit when you water, anyway, but with that door open even a little bit...BRRRR!

I need to work out another way to hang pots. I originally was using that thing in the middle of greenhouse until it became the stabilizer for the shelving.

Domehome, I saw a lady using clothing racks as a hanging pot station in her greenhouse. Such a good idea as it's on wheels. The bar has to be strong too since clothes can get pretty heavy. I have a imaginary greenhouse in my head, always filing a good idea away for later when I can afford to put it into action! Lol

So many pretty plants, Nanny! I worked outside all day too, got 30 feet of gutters up to catch rainwater. This is no easy task when you are attaching them to a metal shop building! Still not done but hard parts over. Oh well..

Thanks Becky!That isn't even half of the plants! They wont all fit in the greenhouse anymore. I have some in the garage, some in the house,dining room and basement...they will survive at least, not the best looking right now, but with days getting longer the plants will get more light ...that will make them happy again. We have had a lot of cloudy, yucky days.
Domehome Becky has a pretty good idea, you can get commercial clothing racks that might do the trick. I have one that is a rolling rack,it has wheels and a double bar, it is sturdy enough to hang baskets on. Have you got any places that sell used store fixtures? They have a variety of styles and they aren't usually terribly expensive. I think I gave $10 or & $15 for mine. It has been well worth the money.
Another thought...could you extend the upright by sliding a pipe or piece of metal conduit into the ends on your existing setup? I can't tell exactly how the top is made, but if you add maybe a foot or so up .you might have to give up the very top shelf but you would probably have room to hang baskets. Providing you have enough clearance to the roof.

No place around here for clothing racks, at least not cheap. 200 miles from the nearest big city. I could make something with pipe, like what I already have there in the middle. Those galvanized shelving units I have I bought from IKEA for like $15.00. Hell of a good price for such nice shelves. They probably have some kind of clothing rack at IKEA online. I'll have to check that out.

DHD-200 miles? Yikes! And I thought I lived in a rural area! Those shelving units look nice. Affordable shelving and benches in a greenhouse can be a real challenge.
I was lucky enough to buy mine (aluminum benches)at Harbor freight's end of season sale in October 2010.(Who else is crazy enough to build a greenhouse in October??? )They had the best deal I could find, so I drove 35 miles to our closest big city to get those shelves expecting to pay $59 for a single bench with a wall shelf or $79 for the double w/shelf. When I got there they were marked down to $9 and $11. Needless to say I bought 6 which was all they had left, sure wish I could find more, but they have been discontinued :(
My greenhouse is Aluminum frame and I wanted benches that would not rust and be lightweight enough for me to handle by myself. When the weather gets warm enough to move the plants to the outside I line the benches up on the outside North side of the greenhouse to harden off my seedlings. I also move one bench around to my covered patio for the shade lovers.
I have some shelves that hang from the standards in the walls so the shelves don't take up valuable floor space, my greenhouse is 8' x 24' so space is limited. I had my banana trees in there, but they kept smacking me in the face, so this year they went to the heated garage instead.
I sure wish you luck on finding a workable,economical solution to your hanging basket problem.

*taking mental notes for my future greenhouse*

Good idea Celene! I wish I had been a member on this site back when I built my greenhouse, lots of great info and experience on here! Someone is always willing to help.

Oooh, we do have a Harbor Freight within 30 miles. I should get on their email ad list. I buy all my tarps from them, as I like the chamoflage ones.
I'm not so much rural, the small city I live close to tries hard to keep the riff raff out, the big box stores and department stores are only beginning to make their way in. When Costco finally paid their way in to the outskirts of town it was like Christmas.
My green house is like 12 by 30, lots of room, but not very heatable!
I looked at IKEA.com and found they do sell clothing racks and the cheapest is $10.. I think it would hold four plants, two would be enough most of the time.
The $15. galvanized racks from there are light weight but need to be mounted to keep them from falling forward. You can order them mail order, they assemble easily. Each shelf holds one large germination tray. I have had mine for 3 years and they are all in good shape, even the ones I have outside year 'round.

Thanks all for the good ideas...and thanks Dee/Nanny for sharing photos. I always wanted to have a greenhouse! Just didn't think of saving my change, but I can live precariously though others on this site...keep it coming.

Mipii, when I started saving my change it was ear marked for a vacation, but after a few years it became my "mad " money, so if I get "mad", I figure I can take a "vacation" every time I go to the greenhouse.
It is my therapy ;)

The 1st pic is the original setup. the rest are of the current setup with the new hanging basket rails along the top. My friend did an outstanding job. It exceeded my expectations.I don't know if you can tell, but they are anchored to the side supports the attach to the roof and the floor.

That was a clever way to do it. You can put up your bubble wrap and hang on the framework too!

My grand daughter who turned 3 today thought they were monkey bars and wanted me to lift her up so she could grab hold and swing...lol

OMG Nanny, your greenhouse looks like heaven (I'm sure heaven is one large greenhouse). I bet that's real good therapy! The time I most want to putter in a greenhouse is fall and spring...whenever it's too cold to be out in the wind. Don't mind me, just dreamin out loud. I'm really happy for you guys though.

Mipii, I believe you are right. Heaven must be one big greenhouse! My greenhouse is what keeps me sane some days. Nothing like watching things grow. It is a lot of work,but most everything worthwhile is. I don't mind a bit, dream out loud all you like. I dreamed the same dream for a lot of years before it finally came true. Thanks to a dear friend of mine who helped me with the labor, I don't think I could have done it all by myself.
I just went out there to check my heaters and it is sleeting and freezing rain, I almost didn't get the knob turned to open the door, it was frozen shut. It will be rough going in the morning I'll bet. Anyone who is out and about is going to have to be careful!

I'm all excited about my Delphiniums today. I tried last spring to grow some and none came up and this year . . . well . . . I have pots and pots of seeds from many different sources. And finally I had one pot full of little seedlings. So I transplanted most of them into 4" pots and a couple right into gallon pots. I don't have a clue where I can put them when they need to go into the ground, but I don't care, I've wanted Delphiniums for a long time and if I have to fence another garden for them I will!

Congrats DHD! I sowed some Delphinium seed (Pacific Giant Mixed) yesterday. This is my first round of seed starting, we are about 8 weeks away from our last frost date here.I don't want to start things too early cause of limited space to hold them in the greenhouse. I am going to sow some more varieties (blue) as soon as I locate the seed. I hope they sprout for me, I haven't tried them before so wish me luck! I have a lot of seeds to start, this is just the beginning.

Lol! Domehome you sound like me with my love of bluebonnets.. No seed I sowed ever sprouted so last year I transplanted a dozen or so from the roadside, babied them, managed to get them to flower, drop seed, now this year there is no sign of them :(

Delphiniums are picky about where they want to grow. They want deep, rich, evenly moist soil and not too hot an area to grow. In the right situation, I'm told they're fairly easy, except for some staking. I hate staking, so I grow larkspurs, which are similar. The flower heads are not nearly as large, but no staking, and they grow practically anywhere and reseed in a pleasant and non-annoying way. My Larkspur reseed with Campanula medium and verbena bonariensis kinda sorta wherever they want.

Congrats on your Delphiniums, you still may get many pots more...good luck with those Dee.

Nanny, your friend did an amazing job with those brackets for hanging pots, I value quality workmanship. Even if I'm paying for it, a quality job is a huge gift.

Deep rich moist soil in the sun is hard to come by in California. I'm in a wooded canyon so the soil is as rich as it gets and it's still really sandy. That description does help with where I should plant these out. These are probably the shorter "larkspurs" as they were labeled "blue larkspurs". I also have pots with "Pacific Giants" on the label yet to germinate. I wondered what the difference was, thanks. I put out a lot of verbena bonariensis seed, and I have some Campanula seeds to go out this year too. I'm a flower junky.

Mipii I just tell him how I want something and he figures out how to get it done. He also fabricated the bracket to hold my exhaust fan in the end of the greenhouse and figured out how to install electrical plugs without having to mount them to the greenhouse frame. . The Snap and Grow greenhouse is a great looking greenhouse, but the engineers that designed forgot a few important features. So I had to improvise. My next project may be drip irrigation or a misting system to help keep it cool. On a warm day temps have been known to rise to 120, that is without shade cloth or insulation. I also have to devise a way to screen the vents that have auto openers, so my ladybugs won't fly away. They are quite the escape artists, I am trying to use natural pest control as much as possible. Because let's face it...greenhouses are a great place for bugs as well as flowers and they WILL take over if you let them.

Iv been dealing with tax stuff all day. (4-5 hrs) I have the best headache EVER!!!!!....said no mom EVER! One of my babies woke up with pink eye today I would love a break today! These seedlings keep my mind happy knowing something Iv got going on is doing good. Martagon seedlings went in the fridge Feb 28, these pics were from 2 days ago. Off to the dr with my squirt.

Ladies, your greenhouse and seedlings are looking fab! Im sorry I hadnt said something sooner, but I have had a full plate this week.

x Amanda

I tried some safflower (again). They never sprout. I see on the intertubes they should be sowed in situ, I do have enough left over to do this. Mandevilla laxa is also on my "never germinates for me" list that I'm trying again. Hope springs eternal...

Amanda - What can I say . . . taxes suck. Good luck with the lillies, I have grown some bulbs from seed before and they do come up, it can just take some time to get them to bloom.
I have like four hundred cardiocrinum lilly seeds in trays in my green house. It supposedly takes two years to germinate them. It's the second year . . . we'll see. They are quite valuable, I can dream.

Celene - I looked up Safflower and it looks like a good one to try. Anything that the gophers don't eat is welcome in my garden. I hope yours come up. I have baggies of annuals to put in. Many will be in "situ". Biggest problem with that is the birds. I will be covering all the little seedlings with tray covers and recycled roasted chicken boxes and any clear plastic I can find. I have been using plastic cups with the bottoms cut out for my transplanted seedlings. They are doing a great job at keeping the birds and the bugs and slugs off. And just think of what a happy day it will be when I can remove all the plastic "trash" from my yard!

Nanny - I use shade cloth, I have learned to put it over the outside of the greenhouse or I am constantly trapping butterflies and bees inside between the plastic and the cloth. I tried misters and didn't like them. But I bet your begonias would.

Dee I thought about putting the shade cloth on the outside, but it is very windy here a lot of the time, so I a afraid it might come loose and go sailing off into the wild blue yonder. I
I have some safflower seeds that I haven't tried yet. In fact I have a lot of seed that I haven't tried yet....so many seeds, so little time. I recycle that clear plastic food containers too! They make great mini greenhouses. See?

Wind can be a real problem. We don't get wind during the hotter times of year.