Can you start... as seeds indoors?

Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:23 pm

Ok, so the weather is supposed to be decent this weekend, so I have gardening on my mind...

Slowly deciding what to plant and I know I would like to start some things from seed inside, so I was wondering if you could start the below inside for transition to the outside once it warms up:

Pumpkin
Yard-Long Bean
Sunflower
Strawberry
Onion
Broccoli
Bok-Choy

I really want to get everything nice and going before just plopping it in the ground and was hoping that by starting from seed indoors I might have a fighting chance this year...

Just looking for thoughts or ideas, there is so much more I want to plant and grow but space is limited. Especially with pumpkins!

Sat Jan 15, 2011 12:47 am

Yes, on all of them, but I buy strawberry plants.

Eric

Sat Jan 15, 2011 2:09 am

Bean, sunflower and pumpkin are said to be sensitive to having roots disturbed (will require extra care, probably not for beginners) and are better direct seeded.

Strawberries if started from seed should be the varieties sold for that purpose -- i.e. That will fruit the first year.. I believe Johnny's recommends starting in Jan for Mother's Day strawberry baskets.

Sat Jan 15, 2011 4:30 am

I would start the onion, broccoli, and bok-choy indoors, the pumpkin, sunflower, and bean outdoors, and buy strawberry plants.

If you want to do onions from seed, I recommend starting them as soon as possible so you will have plants with some size to plant. They start out slow and it is a pain to plant them if they haven't been growing for about 2.5 to 3 months.

Pumpkins grow much too fast for me to start indoors. Once their leaves are up, they grow an enormous amount of roots and will outgrow pots in a few days; they would probably grow faster outside too.

Since the beans and sunflowers have such large seeds and don't like their roots disturbed, I would just direct sow these as well.

Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:59 am

Recent discussion about starting onions here:
:arrow:

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... 815#176815

Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:31 pm

Awesome!! Thanks for the advice!!!

I guess I am just in a hurry to get my hands dirty, but honestly with all the advice, I could see me getting busy not getting something like pumpkins in the ground and losing it all because I didn't have a chance to get it planted.

Strawberries, yeah was going to get them as plants, not sure why added those to the list...

Thanks for all the wonderful advice as always!!!! You all are the best!

Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:58 pm

I don't grow pumpkins, not enough space. I do start squash indoors, but I don't start them until at least the first of April. Squash (including pumpkins, melons, etc) are about the last things to go out. It has to be not only frost free, but the soil warmed up for them. And they are fast germinating and fast growing. So if you start them too early, you will just have this huge vine spreading all over the place and difficult to manage under lights.