Who's starting the garden, help me get motivated

[gixxerific]

I have been thinking garden but not like I was thinking garden this time last year. I am way behind. WAY BEHIND.

Has anyone started any seeds or am I jumping the gun again. I remember I need to slow it up this year compared to last year. but I need to get my head in the game.

I think I need to look into my seed catalogs today that might get me going. But my new puppy is taking up most my time.

[soil]

now is when I do all my prep for spring seed starting. mixing soil, getting cold frames ready, clean the greenhouse and set up shelves, organizing seeds and which is going to get planted.

[rainbowgardener]

You probably do need to slow down a bit. Your season isn't that far ahead of mine, here in 6B, maybe a couple weeks. Last year reading all these southerners talking about starting their tomatoes so early, induced me break my long standing rule of start tomato seeds on Valentines day. I started them a couple weeks too early and ended up with tall leggy seedlings, many of which snapped in half while being moved around in the hardening off process.

That said, I did mail off my seed order about a week ago; hopefully seeds will be arriving any day now! Some of the cold weather stuff like broccoli, and some of the cold hardy perennials, I will start pretty much as soon as the seeds arrive.

[Ozark Lady]

I am looking through seeds, working on my database, and reviewing what I would like to grow this year.

I plan to start the cool weather crops immediately, as well as the peppers.
But tomatoes, Valentines day would be early, but do-able. No later than March first would be good for my zone.

I know, I always wait too late to start mine... always, so I am trying to move them all up a bit this year.

I tend to not get interested in seed starting until March, and that is just too late for cool season types.

January and February tend to be organizing and planning and gearing up time for me.

[applestar]

I really want to have some good sized onion transplants this year.
I started them two weeks earlier last year than two years ago when I tried for the first time, and this year, am going to start them even earlier. Right now, I have 4 seedlings that are about 1/4" thick and a 4" square pot of just emerged seedlings. I'm going to start another container by this weekend.
-- this is the year I figure out exactly the right time to start them!

I'll start my brassicas when rainbow posts that she's starting hers (so be sure to post a heads-up please .

I started the toms on Valentines Day last year, following her lead, and it worked out well. So I think that's what I'll do this year as well. My earliest tomato plant out time -- with adequate protection -- is 3rd Week of April.

With regard to the slow growth period, I should note that after being germinated on heating mat inside and grown to true leaves stage for uppotting, my seedlings are put out in the unheated garage where the air temp sometimes plummets to subfreezing -- mid to upper 20's -- during Feb and no higher than 40's in March. They have holiday lights 24/7 around and beneath the drip trays and overhead fluorescent tubes for 16 hours to help raise the temp somewhat.

[farmerlon]

The only thing I am "seeding" right now is lettuce... with a cold frame, I can usually keep lettuce production going all winter. So, I keep a few seedlings starting indoors, and move them to the cold frame every couple of weeks.
It won't be long until I will start seeding the other Cool Season crops.

For inspiration, Winter is my favorite time to read books about gardening.

[rainbowgardener]

I really want to have some good sized onion transplants this year.
I started them two weeks earlier last year than two years ago when I tried for the first time, and this year, am going to start them even earlier. Right now, I have 4 seedlings that are about 1/4" thick and a 4" square pot of just emerged seedlings. I'm going to start another container by this weekend.
-- this is the year I figure out exactly the right time to start them!

I'll start my brassicas when rainbow posts that she's starting hers (so be sure to post a heads-up please . Will do!

I started the toms on Valentines Day last year, following her lead, and it worked out well. And I broke my own rule and started them two weeks early, which did not work out as well ! So I think that's what I'll do this year as well. My earliest tomato plant out time -- with adequate protection -- is 3rd Week of April.

With regard to the slow growth period, I should note that after being germinated on heating mat inside and grown to true leaves stage for uppotting, my seedlings are put out in the unheated garage where the air temp sometimes plummets to subfreezing -- mid to upper 20's -- during Feb and no higher than 40's in March. They have holiday lights 24/7 around and beneath the drip trays and overhead fluorescent tubes for 16 hours to help raise the temp somewhat.

So you start onion seeds indoors for transplanting out? I always heard root crops don't like to be transplanted, so I always just direct seed my onions. But they don't get very big that way. My solution to that is to over-winter them and let them get bigger the following spring. But that is somewhat theoretical. Since I don't have fields of onions, just what I can intersperse in my few beds, it's hard not to go ahead and use them any way as green onions....

[applestar]

I like the *idea* of self-sufficiency in the garden. So I try all kinds of things.
Compost, for example, is a no-brainer.
Heirlooms and OP and selecting for local adaptation is another.
Making full use of our cookie-cutter subdivision lot for productive garden instead of maintaining yet another cookie, too, has been my goal.

Now, this doesn't mean I'm trying to grow ALL our veggies because I don't really think I have the space even if I turned every scrap of lawn into food-growing. AND there is an added issue of maintaining a certain amount of buffer zone along the perimeter to avoid oversprays and runoffs from the neighbors (Heh, notice I didn't say for looks! )

So to get back to your question, onions and potatoes have been my enigma. We use them a lot, but I have yet to be able to grow them from year to year on my own -- I always have to buy sets and seed potatoes. I can't carry over seed potatoes because I still haven't figured out the storage issues. I think it has to do with timing too because I usually harvest potatoes mid-July to August -- most likely early-mid season potatoes, and my potato planting time is first of April. This year, I'll try late-season potatoes and see if I can <1> grow them <2> save seed potatoes. I'm also playing with saving and growing from actual (true) potato seeds.

I'm still experimenting with onions. I tried buying plants one year and they were flabby sad looking things. I might do better now because I have a better idea of where to source them, but I'm kind of hooked on the idea that I should be able to grow them on my own. I still need to work on onion growing techniques even with sets. But that's all part of the fun -- to figure it out until I can say "Yes, I know how to grow onions"

p.s. Onions are technically NOT root vegs. They have a very shallow root system and the swollen bulbs are base of their leaves. Also, onions actually sit pretty high on the ground, unlike garlic bulbs which definitely grow (pretty far) underground -- though this may be me planting them deeper than they need to be. I'm still not convinced that they won't freeze during the worst of the winter around here (We have occasional negative single digits and daily high of 20's and nightly low of teens for a solid week two or three times during the winter). Same reason I'm not sure that onions could be wintered over.

[farmerlon]

...So you start onion seeds indoors for transplanting out? ....

Yes, starting transplants from seed is a fine way to have a nice Onion crop.
That also allows you the ability to select varieties that you would prefer (for day length, storage, etc...), instead of being limited to the typical 3 varieties available as Sets.

[cherishedtiger]

Was hoping to get the greenhouse started this weekend, not sure how thats going to play out but I at least want to get old dirt out new dirt in, and clean the greenhouse itself (Its a little indoor one nothing fancy).
Still not totally sure what all I am planting this year, so I still have to figure that out. But do plant on reattempting the ghost chili's again, and starting some beans and other yummies I have waiting!

[Dixana]

I've never had a problem starting onions in the house.
BUT I might this year!!! I need to start them NOW NOW NOW and none of the stupid stores have any seed starter.
UGH. I ALWAYS save some, but ended up using what was left last year to add to homemade potting soil.
I could kick myself

[sprout]

I am tending my winter garden along and harvesting carrots, beets and greens every other day. Also shopping catalogs and spending alot of time looking at reviews of seed companies I have not tried yet. But I haven't started planting any new seeds. I will wait till after we get back from our mini vacation- A bit too long to not tend a seed flat.

[TWC015]

applestar:
I think you will have luck trying to overwinter onions, especially types such as Walla Walla. While it is not quite as cold here, recently, we have had temperatures in the low teens for lows and highs not above freezing. All of my Brassicas and onions/garlic have been fine. The plants freeze externally when they get frosted or temperatures stay below freezing, but they "thaw" eventually and are fine. The onions do break easy when frozen though. I think it has to do with acclimation. The plants gradually get exposed to colder temperatures and get prepared for these very low temperatures. Also, for me, onions are the easiest plants ever to transplant. I grow them rather squished and when I transplant, I just rinse the soil off, stick them in water, and pull apart. Since onion roots are all about the same size and they have few root hairs/branches, I usually only break 2 or 3 roots while separating them.

I'm behind on starting my cool weather stuff. I need to start the Brassicas immediately so they will be big enough to plant. I also need to get a few seed orders completed.

[jal_ut]

About onions: I have good luck with sets or plants planted in early April. This should work well for you in zone 5. I do not like Walla Walla onions. It seems only about half of them want to get big. The rest are runts. They are supposed to be day neutral, but I suspect about half of them are short day, so they bulb too soon and don't get large. We should be planting long day onions. (North of 39° Lat.)

I have had good luck with Yellow Spanish onions. Red onions do OK too but are not as good of keepers. The onions that get the largest here are a variety called Big Daddy. I buy the plants in the spring at the local garden store. These guys can get to 2 pounds each.

I also grow some from seed each year. Direct seed as early in the spring as you can get on your soil. Usually that is early April here. These make loads of green onions and the ones let to grow all season will be around baseball size for dry onions.

I also plant a few large onions each year and let them bloom and go to seed, just for the seed. No use buying what you can grow.

Last season I planted some bunching onions from seed. These gave me some delightful green onions all season. They kept getting larger all season, but didn't bulb. They were a good seller at the Farmer's Market. Green onions are great for summer use. Good in salads or for cooking. I kept a few in the ground because I want to see what they will do next season. If they survive our crazy winter, I suspect they may divide out and bloom like a clump of chives.

Onions planted from seed in the fall may overwinter and develop into nice onions in the spring, if they didn't get too large in the fall. A larger onion will just want to bloom and go to seed. Same goes for the sets we buy for spring planting. You don't want them to be too large or they just want to bloom. The small sets about the size of a marble are the best. They will usually grow a fine bulb without blooming.

Don't forget the Egyptian onions. If you have a clump of these, you always have onions.

Onions are heavy feeders and need good fertile soil. As has been said, the onion bulb is the base of the leaf. Lots of nitrogen supports good leaf growth.

It seems I did a pictorial on onions a while back? I wonder if that is still around?

[garden5]

I'm actually waiting to start later this year than I did last year. Since I grow my plants in the 72 cell trays, they seem to get root-bound by 6 weeks, so I'm going to hold off and plant a little later this year and just put them into the garden later.

Oh, and [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19073&highlight=onions]here[/url] is Jal's onion harvest. Now, if that's not motivation to go out and grow onions, I don't know what is.

[applestar]

I also plant a few large onions each year and let them bloom and go to seed, just for the seed. No use buying what you can grow.

I KNOW he said this before, but sometimes, ideas just tumble around in my head and not "germinate " until something triggers it.

Last night, I was cutting up an organic yellow onion that came in a net bag. Someone had ripped the bag open, and I was thinking "what a waste the bag is ruined", then realized since both crimped metal holders were intact, it was in a perfect shape for a melon sling . I cut off the tag to look over later, started to cut up the onion,and then it hit me!

-- Might I not plant this onion and expect it to flower and seed? --

I grabbed the tag and to my delight, it was "distributed" from Washington state -- which hopefully means it's a long day onion.

[Stella Blue]

The only thing I've started so far are peppers. After reading here about overwintering peppers indoors, I thought why not try to start them super early. I have 36 plants germinated, and put in 3.5 inch square pots, with 12 per day under the grow light and on a heat mat. I also put a fan on them a few times per week for a few hours to try to toughen them up. Mix of hot, sweet, and ornamentals.

If this fails, I'll do a 2nd planting closer to spring time.

Has anyone here tried something similar to this, or have any insight (positive or negative) to what I'm doing.

[jal_ut]

I grabbed the tag and to my delight, it was "distributed" from Washington state -- which hopefully means it's a long day onion.

Very likely a Walla Walla onion.

[url=https://www.sweetonions.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32&Itemid=43]Check this out![/url]