What ya' got sproutin'. Share here.
Seed starting MAF 2014
So far I've started a few heirloom tomatoes, to try container growing them in the GH. Some spinach, chard, and Romaine lettuce, they are hatching well and I should be able to start transplanting early next week. I also started some broccoli and cabbage I'm hoping to be able to set up a cold frame without having to shovel snow away before they get ready to set out.LOL I have some morning glory to start and will soak them overnight in 50% peroxide. I hope to have my Swiss giant pansy's in time to set out, last year I was a little late, they grew well but were small when set out. I can't find last years planting calendar.
This message was edited Feb 28, 2014 10:44 PM
I'm starting vegetables indoors for the first time ever.
The peppers came up a couple of days ago. So exciting to see the little guys! But I think I may have started the basil a little too early. They were old seeds so I sowed a little too thickly and now have to do a bit of thinning.
I have two different types of begonia that are coming up. They are the tiniest little seedlings! Literally no bigger than a dot and very slow growing.
I'm hoping to have enough survivors to share in May.
This message was edited Mar 3, 2014 10:07 AM
I am sort of late this year. My seed order from Pinetree Gardens still hasn't come in. Will be getting my peas planted out as soon as tonight's weather event goes away and melts.
Would love to see some pics of people's seed starting set-ups including heat and light configurations.
typwc, The only peas I'll be planting for about a month will be snow peas. :-(
I hope this is our onion snow, but they're not planted yet either. I still have 8"s of snow pack on the garden. At this rate the tulips on the south side foundation will be over before I sink a spade.
Today I made pots outside for some seeds from swap sowed Mistflower, two kinds of Ruellia, Ratibida Mexican Hat,..and , primroses, Nicotiana..
Right, I should sow lettuce indoors now. Looks like I will tomorrow , not going anywhere. I had a gift card for Lowes to use and Burpee had a good selection in packets.
Hoping to run out in the AM, rake a bed, and throw down more Columbine, but will probably be looking at freezing rain and saying, Uh, no thanks!
Thanks for the thread Ric!!
Fun thread!
SSG, I always sow basil thickly because I use Tom DeBaggio's method of "clump transplanting" when the seedlings are small (I've done it when they have 4 or 6 true leaves also, but it's easier when they have 2 -- looks like 4, because of the 2 cotyledons). For photos, see http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/862/
The benefit of starting basil "too early" is that you can pinch the seedlings back several times for fresh basil to eat!
typwc, I did a "Seed Starting 101" article series a few years back, focusing on methods I knew worked well for a bunch of folks... there are photos of my setup in them, I think. The first one was on setting up light shelves, and there are links at the bottom to the rest of them (or click on my name, go to my member page, and do a "find" for "starting"). http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/464/
So far, I've wintersowed just a few things, including several varieties of alpine strawberries from The Strawberry Seed Store. I held a few seeds back thinking I'd start them inside, but I need to get some torenia & hot peppers going first. :-)
Thanks, Critter! I gotta go read that article about basil.
Sally and Ric, I read somewhere that lettuce should be sown directly in the ground when it warms up a bit because they don't like to be transplanted. Do you always start them indoors? In what kind of containers?
starting parsley today. I'm going to top the pot with snow and hope that 'soaks the seed' well. How would I ever get those little parsley seed out of a dish if I soaked them in water overnight?
Spinach would have done well if I'd gotten that planted out yesterday. Last year I got super germination by leaving my whole packet of spinach seed out in the rain, LOL.
And hope springs eternal with me and Swiss Chard. I either have to amend, or grow in a pot. Something about my garden it has not liked. Starting some seeds today, 'Neon Lights.'
Thanks Critter!
Terry, I just planted two kinds of lettuce, in two four inch square pots. I've started it indoors before, and transplante it OK. I also see letuce a lot in those displays of starter plants at the nurseries.
Rodale encyclopedia says you can do either.
I decided to top all my pots with snow for the "moistening". Seems nice and natural to me. These are cold tolerant seeds which are going to start in the basement anyway.
Great idea about using snow, Sally.
Most of my potting mix is frozen. :-(
Sally, thanks for reminding me: I should have mentioned that all of the non-commercial seeds I shared at the swap should be cold and moist stratified for at least 60 days. Stratification in the fridge probably is best at this point (it will get warm outside soon, right ?!).
Most of the lettuce I started is Romaine, most of my leaf lettuce I direct sow either in a flat or garden. As plugs they transplant well. I take my flats and slide the contents into a bed when I'm done with it, so it goes to seed for the finches. It usually bolts early and the birds love it, they do such a good job on the seed I get very few volunteer plants in the fall. No thinning required. Spinach and chard do well as plugs since you are not disrupting them a lot, more like up-potting them to the garden. Keeping the soil slightly moist till they stand erect is important. I have also tried this with beets with less success.
I'm probably late with my pansys again this year, I have to remember to start them in mid- January, since they take 2-3 weeks of cool dark to germinate. I'll take a couple of pics of my set-up for later.
Got my seeds in this weekend. Lots of new flower seeds I'm trying this year! My biggest problem is that space under grow lights is at a premium with all of the coleus I've been overwintering.
One new plant that's really got me scratching my head is this one: Blackhart Barley. I got this to grow for it's ornamental qualities. Has anyone grown barley? Any tips about growing this?
."... My biggest problem is that space under grow lights is at a premium with all of the coleus I've been overwintering." typwc
Wondering about that myself. I'm getting the itch to take cutting from a larger coleus that I brought in and is now all leggy, but don't want to fill my shelf with them, and seeds on the way.
I have a couple sprouts of lettuce! I'm hoping to keep them all in a four inch pot until they can go outside.
I've never grown it, but according to plant files, you're supposed to direct sow it as soon as the ground can be worked: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/197768/
You'll have to post pictures of it a few months from now!
Coleus does fine in a sunny window... you can also keep cuttings in a rooting glass for an insanely long time.
Thanks Muddy!
Jill, Thanks for the reminder about rooting in water. I mean I really should have remembered that: I have leftover cuttings that I left in a cup all winter long and they are doing just as well as the cuttings in soil. I'll probably do that with many of the big plants that are space hogs. I had to give up all my sunny windows to the kids, as the best windows are in their rooms. I only have about 1 square foot of counter space next to the kitchen sink that gets sun. It'll serve for the coleus cuttings though!
Gita is going to freak out when she reads about leaving cuttings in water. I know she hates that! ;) Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
thanks for the suggestion Jill, might do that! I'd like to have them ready for swapping
Poor typwc- how could you give the sunny windows to the kids? Sad isn't it? My daughter is away at college- I hauled the a big Strelitzia up to her west facing room to give it all afternoon light. Soon as spring break is over, she might get even more plants for the warmth and light...
I got a lot of seeds started this weekend - rwo 72 cell flats of heirloom tomatoes and annuals (nigella, cleome, five spot, viola, holly hock). I've had success before with tomatoes, but annuals are a different story. As Ric mentioned, the instructions on the viola said 2-3 weeks in darkness before they germinate, so it may be a bit late for getting them started. Instructions on the other annuals said to start indoors or direct sow outside. Other info indicated that they might not transplant well, so I'll have to wait and see what makes it even if I do get the seeds to germinate inside.
Haha, DH is upset with me for taking all the sunny window spots from the cat! :)
This year I've experimented with various seed starting mixes and pots.
Least favorite mix: Espoma organic seed starting mix. Too wet!
Least favorite container: Jiffy Peat Pots. Too wet!
My favorite mix and container: cheap brands from Ace whose names I've forgotten!
What do you all use?
ssg I have not done a lot yet, but so far I have used a few re-used plastic pots, and home mix made from potting mix like Scotts with rice hulls- looking for a light mix. I have three things sown, in three pots about four-5 inches square and tall; my challenge seems to be that little cells can dry out suddenly. So I may continue that with tomatos- going to start a couple together in one pot and divide them rather than try cells that I might forget to water. We'll see!
Hm I think you pretty lucky the cat hasn't tried to get those sills BACK by force...
Agree or disagree: I have just as much success with seed starting mix as regular potting oil (NOT Miracle gro b/c it has fertilizer in it).
Peat pots: I can take 'em or leave 'em. Successfully grew poppy seeds using them since their roots don't like disturbance but I find that the pots don't break down fast enough for my liking.
rather, I have just s little success no matter which I use- so I don't bother with 'special' mix
Mark just started Texas Bluebonnets in a pot indoors, from the swap table, Muddy was that you that brought those?. (packet said direct sow in May but I didn't want to burst his bubble today)
I just use ProMixBX for seed starting, but this year I did get a bag of PGX, it's a little finer.
I usually cover my seeds till they germinate.
This message was edited Mar 10, 2014 7:45 PM
I can't keep regular potting soil moist enough when sowing seeds. I should learn to make my own seed starter mix, though. Peat, vermiculite, perlite... can't be too hard!
Sally, yes I did bring the Texas bluebonnets. I saw them in Home Depot and made an impulse buy. I lived in Texas as a child and brought my mom wildflower bouquets on a regular basis...now I think about all the seeds I took away from that field : ) Maybe Mark should just leave those in the pot, and you can buy another packet to direct sow...what a nice controlled experiment. I'm going to direct sow mine.
I have also found that those peat pots don't disintegrate fast enough. I think I'll try cutting out the bottoms before I use them this year.
we only planted half the packet so we can try both.
Peat pots, ugh. I have to tear off the bottoms before planting and also be sure not to let any of the sidewall stick up above the surface of the dirt, or it acts like a wick to dry up the rootball. I do like the cowpots, but I don't often bother with them except for something that really doesn't like to be disturbed.
I sowed seeds at the end of last week... after just a few days on the heat mat, things are popping up! Alyssum and basil and polka-dot plants are sprouting, tomatoes were starting to show (snatch them off the heat at once when they germinate, or they'll get super leggy), no sign of peppers or petunias yet. I think I saw a few tiny sprouts pushing up in the tray of Torenia seeds.
I start almost everything in seedling trays rather than seeding directly into pots or plug trays... the lid helps keep the moisture just right, and as Sally mentioned I've also had a hard time with seedlings suddenly drying out in little cells. After the seedlings have 1 or 2 pairs of true leaves, I'll up-pot them into 48 cell or deep 36 cell trays.
I've gotten pretty used to pro mix bx for seed starting, although I'd have tried the finer one I got from Ric if the bag hadn't been frozen to the ground. I often lighten it with extra perlite, and I always add some moisture crystals. Dr. Carolyn says tomatoes do better without added fertilizer until after planting out... everything else gets some osmocote or similar when I put them into individual cells or pots.
About Lupinus texensis (Texas bluebonnet): The LBJ Wildflower Center says "If planting this species in areas where it has not formerly grown, it may be helpful to inoculate the soil with a rhizobium (soil-borne bacteria which form nitrogen-rich root nodules) for lupines" and "Scarification will hasten germination. Put seeds in the freezer overnight and then douse with boiling water to crack seedcoats. Soaking seeds overnight is also effective. Drain water, add rhizobium, and plant." http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LUTE
Hmmm...I'm not sure mine are going to get rhizobium.
Well are these the same nitrogen-fixing bacteria that beans and peas use? Do you have soil in which you planted legumes in last year? Maybe they are the same and you could piggy-back on those helpful little rhizobium.
I have no idea. Just speculating.
I think it has to be a lupine-specific bacteria, and I didn't grow any veggies at all last year anyway. I'll just scarify the seeds, plant lots of them, and see what happens.
Where are you getting the lupine seeds, Muddy? Is it too late to ask you to order some for me, too?
Time to transplant the basil already! The roots are coming out of the drainage holes in large masses.
I sowed several seeds per 1-inch cell because the seeds were old, but I got close to 100% germination. I'll be using the clump method to transplant them into cups for now.
good to know the tips for lupines. I have never grown any.
good for you ssg!
I generally prefer for those set up to start and grow out seeds to do so. North Creek Monarch Group Buy needs a few more takers for Lupines perennis to complete a flat. Six plants for for $ 7.20.
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/plantName/Lupinus-perennis-
I'll take the Lupines!
Critter, the BurpeeTexas bluebonnet seeds I brought to the swap are (I'm pretty sure) Lupinus texensis. I'll still have packages if you like, although I'm learning that they are iffy in our area.
Today I sowed the 'Mammoth' Sweet Peas that I soaked overnight in water. Adele helped me by dropping the seeds in the holes. This will be my first year with the sweet peas, but 3rd year for garden peas. I'm hoping that I will get lots of pretty flowers for cutting this summer.
Although I still have to sow my regular ole' garden peas for eating.
At the slow rate I'm going, I may never sow any seeds inside before Mother's Day!
#slackersower
This message was edited Mar 11, 2014 8:46 PM
Coleup, am I already signed up for the lupine, too?