Hey everyone,
I usually start seeds in early/mid February and have some really nice looking plants early on. This year on the other hand, I didn't get around to it until early/mid March.
I know my seedlings will be fine but I was wondering - when is it too late to start seedlings, especially things that have a longer date to maturity ( tomatoes, melons - so on). Also, when is too early? What is the "prime time" to start seedlings out?
Thoughts, ideas?
Earliest / Latest to start seedlings?
I'm no expert, but for the tomatoes, you want to plant them after all chance of frost has passed and depending upon where you are, you want to make sure that the first frost doesn't get them before you can get your harvest in. Toms will grow until frost kills them.
I had to contact my county extension agent and get a planting guide. They are so helpful, it'll tell you exactly what and when to plant and I believe it's free everywhere. That's one govt. agency that seems to be pretty efficient and wanting to help people who want to grow gardens.
I'm just learning, but there are different times for different veggies and all of that varies depending on the zone in which you are located.
Here's a helpful chart I got from the Mother Earth News website:
Quoting:
Planting Guide - Spring
Some crops thrive in cool weather, while others only grow well when it’s warmer. So how do you know when to plant what? The key factor that should guide your decisions is your average last spring frost date. Most cool season crops, like cabbage, broccoli, lettuce and many others, can tolerate a light frost and will grow best when sown a couple weeks before your last spring frost. Some, like peas and spinach, are so cold-hardy they can even be planted “as soon as the ground can be worked,” as many seed packets say. But warm season crops like squash, cucumber, and basil will be killed by frost if your seeds come up too soon. Ditto for warm season transplants such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants — if you don’t wait until danger of frost has passed before you set them out, a late frost will kill them.
Thus on seed packets you often see “Plant after all danger of frost has passed.” So, how do you find the average last spring frost date for your area? There are U.S. maps that show last frost dates, but it's hard to find your exact local dates on them. Your best bet is the National Climatic Data Center. Choose your state and then locate the city nearest you, and it will show your average last spring (and first fall) frost dates, based upon weather data collected by the National Climatic Data Center from 1971 through 2000 from that location. You can choose between a 50/50 probability of frost after the given date, or you can play it safe and choose the 90 percent date, which means there’s only a 10 percent chance of a frost after that date. The Freeze/Frost Occurrence Data charts also provide average dates for 36 degrees Fahrenheit, 32 degrees and 28 degrees; for most crops gardeners should use the 32 degree dates.
Here’s a summary of which crops to plant early, and which ones not to plant until after your last spring frost date:
Very early spring (as soon as the ground can be worked)
Onions
peas
spinach
Early spring
lettuce
beets
carrots
radishes
dill
cilantro
cabbage
broccoli
celery
kale
potatoes
After last frost date
beans
corn
melons
cucumbers
squash
tomatoes
peppers
pumpkins
eggplant
basil
and here's some words of wisdom that I copied from another DG'er, referring to the number of weeks before last frost dates that he started some of his plants in flats indoors:
Quoting:
I used to use the -8 week date, but my seedlings got too big before it was time to plant out. Last year I tried starting some tomatoes 7 weeks before the Last Frost Date and some 6 weeks before, and planting them out 1 week and 2 weeks after the LFD, respectively. The later ones did better and produced fruits about the same time, so this year I'm going with the -6+2 week schedule for them all.
(Of course your results may differ!) I'm sowing at -7 weeks for eggplant and peppers.
I used the differential he mentions between eggplant, peppers and tomatoes, but I planted more like two weeks earlier, and it seems to be working well although one each of my eggplant and pepper varieties isn't up yet although everything else is now.
I don't know that it makes much difference if you got started a bit late; I'm not that consistent either, and I always get veggies. Sometimes they just came a little later in the summer, that's all. And you have a decent growing season so you should be fine.