Planted seeds!

[rainbowgardener]

Planted Red Rubin basil (for me, the red and purple basils are much slower sprouting and growing than the green ones--I won't start the green until I start my tomatoes) and dill. First yellow onion has sprouted.

The season is actually in progress!! I will plant more seeds pretty much every week between now and mid April ...

[grondeau]

Over here on the left coast we have been having a warm spell. Yesterday, after harvesting the last of the parsnips, and a few more leeks, I thought maybe I would stick a few seeds in the ground in the raised bed I started last year. The raised bed makes all the difference. I was digging the parsnips out of muck in the regular garden, but the soil in the bed was nicely workable. I had to stick a few peas in the ground. And then some spinach and lettuce, and then some mizuna, and cilantro and some beets... They will all probably get blasted and nothing will germinate... but it was a beautiful day. The bees were bringing in pollen from the filbert trees.

[wordwiz]

Yeah, yesterday was a harbinger of things to come! I figure about Valentine's Day will be my goal to transplant the peas (in the GH) and maybe a couple of spinach, Chard and broccoli plants. I've got some hot pepper seedlings and a couple of banana seeds have finally sprouted but they have to wait for warmer temps to go outside.

Later this week I hope to order my tomato, pepper, Chard, pea and lettuce seeds. I'll probably start the peppers this week but the toms will have to wait a while. When I sow the the cold weather crops will depend on hast fast the seeds I've started grow. I figure it will be late March before I can actually get them in the garden.

Mike

[rainbowgardener]

First little marigold sprouts are up!! I love this!! Day by day seeing new little bits of green... as many years as I have done this, and it is still always amazing to me.

[gumbo2176]

I was seriously thinking about direct sowing many of my seeds but after reading all your posts, I got itchy. I decided to put some seeds in the 6 pack cells and managed to do 21 of them this morning. Some of the seeds are the ones I direct sow but decided to get an early jump for a longer harvest. Things like zucchini, yellow squash, okra, cucumbers are the ones I usually direct sow.

I started some heirloom tomato seeds, Hungarian Hot Wax peppers, Pablano Peppers, Jalapeno's, Apple Pimento peppers and Sweet Bell Peppers. Now I have to get some Ichiban and White Globe Eggplant seeds to start.

Stuff like chard, kale and much of the leaf lettuce is still going strong but I will direct sow some of that when the ground warms up a bit.

Ya'll got me.

[rainbowgardener]

From the above list, the only things that haven't sprouted at all yet are the canterbury bells, rosemary, parsley, and dill, all slow germinators. Everything else has at least a few little sprouts up. Broccolis are sturdy little seedlings that are starting their true leaves.

In the meantime, the season marches on, despite winter storms. Today I planted two varieties of green peppers, three varieties of petunias, and a coleus mix.

I have salvia and impatiens that could be planted soon. But I may wait. Right now I have 3 squares (of 9 cells each) left empty on the heat pads. Until something gets big enough to get moved off them, I will save those to plant tomato seeds in a couple weeks.

[lily51]

Rainbow-sounds like you are very busy !
I see you live in Ohio, as I do. I am in zone 5b north central part of state.
Was wondering when you put these plants outside. Or do you grow them in the greenhouse for a long time to harvest the tomatoes, etc.

Our frost free date is May 15-20 and I start most of my plants later than you do. A few examples are marigolds, end of march; tomatoes beginning of April. Geraniums have germinated and are getting first true leaves.

Except for cool weather crops like lettuces, radishes, spinach, etc. that are growing now to eat in greenhouse my plants are for bedding and setting outside in gardens. From march on, I'm very busy!

[rainbowgardener]

I'm in Cincinnati at the very south of the state, zone 6b. Our average (50%) frost free date is about April 15. I don't have a greenhouse. I start hardening off my tomatoes around the first of April, just bringing them back inside if it gets too cold. Early in the spring, I have a whole bunch of trays of seedlings going in and out all the time. By mid April-ish, depending on weather and forecast tomatoes are in the ground. If we get a late frost after that, I just cover them well. Works for me. I have occasionally lost plants in the hardening off process, if I don't keep up with all the in and out well enough. I've never really lost plants in the ground to frost.

Lettuce, spinach, swiss chard get direct seeded in the ground as soon as the soil can be worked, about mid-March-ish. That's about the time I put the broccoli seedlings out, also... they can withstand some frosts.

[GardenRN]

Does lavender usually take a long time to germinate? I had some in a pot and when I hadn't seen anything in like 2 weeks I decided to throw in a couple calendula seeds. Well the calendula came up, and I think two lavender seeds came up with it. I'm guessing it was lavender by the little seed shell stuck on the end of the seedling, it looks like the lavender seeds.

Anyone know how long it usually takes to pop the soil surface?

[rainbowgardener]

I planted lavender Jan 24 and it's been up for a few days, so it took about a week. That is on the heat mat, it would be slower without the heat.

[GardenRN]

probably why, thanks! I'll have to try to separate them before they get too big.

[applestar]

FINALLY! Got around to trickle-starting some more onions, cauliflower, iceberg lettuce (I'll try this ONE more year, extra early -- last 2 years, it was party central for snails and slugs ), cutting celery, oregano, and marjoram. Discovered to my dismay that I don't have any broccoli seeds left! I sowed them all last fall (Didn't do so well either... I wonder if any of them survived to sprout on their own this spring.... Does that ever happen?)

Guess, I'll be doing some seed shopping.
(OR, I may actually try to use up most of the seeds I have stockpiled, starting with the early sown cool season crops - I do have kohlrabi and 3 different kinds of kale, lettuce seeds that will be old soon, 2 varieties of leeks and S. chard, spinach and carrots, a new B. sprouts to try, etc., etc.... Do I REALLY need broccoli seeds? )

Rainbowgardener, are those the regular potted geraniums you're starting? Are they easy to start from seed (hmm.. now that I asked it I have the feeling I already asked you before.... )

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, the regular pelargonium, not true geranium. I haven't done them from seed before, but they have sprouted nicely...

[applestar]

Cauliflower is up already, of course, Lettuce starting to emerge too,... and teeny-tiny oregano and marjoram seedlings!

Last summer, I wanted marjoram and NOBODY had it (it was later in spring). Then I ran into my favorite herb lady, whom I hadn't tried yet, at a market, and she told me she had one last plant at the farm so I should go and get it as she was tending her herb table there and couldn't get away (she has a help-your-self road side stand with a cash box.). But I couldn't go just then and missed out. I've always bought my oregano plants. I had no idea these are so easy to start!

DD8 has caught the bug and has started S. chard, Beets, and Fennel. She eschewed carrots and spinach as seeds that she has seen before -- she wanted seeds she hasn't tried yet (yep, she's my daughter alright ). I wanted to give her seeds that would germinate easily, but she would have none of it.

She opened the packet for Beets after she sowed the S. chard, and said, "oh! these look the same as these other ones!" which gave me the opportunity to explain that they are in the same family but we eat the leaves on one and mainly the roots on the other. She was intrigued enough that now she's even more curious about how they grow up.

[applestar]

I guess I'd forgotten how obsessive you can get about these things

The beets DD8 started on 2/10 are now germinating! They're the Early Wonder Tall Top variety. Although I told her you eat their roots, this one is supposed to be also good for eating their leaves and will give her a colorful companion to the Lucullus Swiss Chard and the yellow ribbed Swiss Chard that is already growing with the Stevia. (If you remember, she declared the yellow Swiss chard "better than lettuce")

[rainbowgardener]

Everything has sprouted. Today I up-potted broccoli, gerania, fennel. The broccoli should have been done sooner, it was pretty root bound.

Planted tomatoes, green basil, sage, African marigolds.

Lots more to come yet! I'm feeling a little behind the season already, need to put a little more time in, get more things up-potted to make more planting room....

[applestar]

I finally got around to completely rummaging through my seed storage box and I found some broccoli seeds -- Waltham 29 -- that was intended for fall planting so I planted those as well as White Gold Romanesco variety that I forgot I had. I also found the last 2 Luffa seeds that I was sure I still had but couldn't find last spring. Planted those as well as Cossack Pineapple Ground Cherries. When they are off the heating mat, I'll start my eggplants, peppers, okra, and tomatoes. This will give me time to re-inventory all my tomato seeds and decide what can go where....

Other seeds waiting in line are cotton and some flower seeds. I'm dithering about salvia -- I LOVED how they grew last year and I should've started them already. I really had/have more seeds than I expected in that box. I also have plenty of peas and beans saved. Still managing/trying to talk myself out of buying any more seeds.... (ALTHOUGH I started to fill shopping baskets at three different websites and marked up 4 different seed catalogs yesterday... )

I also planted more Yellow Spanish and Red Whethersfield onion seeds, Lg. American Flag and Carentan leek seeds, and pricked out and rearranged Early Snowball cauliflower seedlings so I have 5 good ones and more -- better distributed -- in the community pot.

I didn't scatter the Oregano and Marjoram seeds well enough and I have some massed clumps. Thin them with tweezers? Break up the clumps into better distribution and plant? Hmm...??? Those tiny seeds almost always either don't have good germination rate so you scatter them too thinly and have nothing to show or ALL germinate into tiny matted forests

How do you organize your seeds? I decided to divide them into Direct Seeded ones vs. Started Indoors ones as the first major division, then sorted by timing. Last year, I sorted them by WHEN they'll be planted -- indoors or out.

[rainbowgardener]

As you said.. I have them sorted by indoors vs outdoors. Within those divisions, it's sorted into early vs late. The outdoors ones are just in a little box, the indoors ones are in a couple different manila 8x12" envelopes.

For the seedling clumps, I think someone here last year suggested lift the clump and put it in a cup of water. All the little seedlings should float apart once the soil is dissolved away from them, to be replanted.

I usually just let them stay clumped til they are a little bigger, getting true leaves and then prick them out. I lose some that way, but at that point you have too many anyway.

[applestar]

Thanks! It does seem like a more logical way to organize them.

...and I'll let the little ones grow up some more. It's easier to cull them when you're feeling the pressure of space crunch.

**
AAANNNDDD.... that was a short-lived resolution I decided I HAD to get FAVA/Broadbean seeds -- the kids love the small amount I harvested last year (and they have to get planted early, with the peas), and I was looking for Garbanzos. The one place that had Garbanzos didn't have the variety broadbean I was looking for, so two different websites. But you can't just buy one packet of seeds -- shipping would cost more than the seeds, so I started shopping....

Ended up with watermelon radish which I read was same as Red Meat that I was looking for (hope that's true -- I gave up on the Red Meat radish website because, you know, that would've been a whole another order Is there anyt truth to the description that flavor is "sweet"? I'm trying to find one that the kids will eat.), Rocky Ford and Jenny Lind melons (like I needed more melon varieties in my seed box -- I WAS intending to wait until next year for this one), Seascape strawberry plants (THANKS A LOT, Eric ), shallots (because I thought you could only get them for Fall shipping but this place had them for spring) and onion sets (because I had the sudden feeling of despair that all those onion seeds I sowed will never amount to much of transplantable/good potential seedlings. )... among other things.

[gixxerific]

Sorting! LOL You girls are too funny.

But really I just put all mine together and than late winter get them out and sort them by early and late and indoor and outdoor as well. I spread them out on my work bench. Not the prettiest but it works for me.

[rainbowgardener]

Spring is coming!

Things that have been potted up into the three inch pots:

lavender, spearmint, red basil, dill, geraniums, broccoli, green pepper, fennel, thyme, parsley

Things that have been planted, that are still in the cells (some are recently planted, just sprouting):

nicotiana, tithonia, salvia, petunias, purple coneflower, marigolds, sage, impatiens, tomatoes, green basil, coleus, onions

I'm looking at the forecast and thinking this weekend I will start planting outdoors, the lettuce, spinach, carrots, peas, and swiss chard, and start hardening off the broccoli.... YAY!! It's a couple weeks earlier than I usually do, but the ground is definitely workable and lows are just above freezing most of the days in the forecast. Global warming strikes?

It doesn't seem like that long ago that I started the first seeds. Now the whole bottom shelf is full of plants and it won't be long before I start on the second shelf.

[rainbowgardener]

I always say the hardest part of the seed starting process for me to do correctly is hardening off.

I took my whole tray full of beautiful 6 - 8" tall, leafy broccoli plants and put them out on the deck day before yesterday when in was 60 + degrees out, intending to just let them soak up some sun for a few hours and bring them back in. Then I somehow managed to totally forget about them! They sat out there until about midnight last night, through a rainstorm and a sudden drop in temps. By the time I brought them in, it was below freezing out. They were looking quite sad and wilty.

NOT the recommended way to harden a plant off!! But I brought them in and put them under a light and this morning they are looking quite a bit better, perked up already. Amazing!

[applestar]

Oh, whew! When I started reading, I was afraid you'd lost them!

Glad they're coming back. Another nice day today here.
I REALLY have to get movin' !!

[alaskagold]

Well, for a sure sign of spring... I saw last night some pussy willows on a tree.

When I see those, 6 weeks till spring for me, 3-4 for you all down there.

[rainbowgardener]

After 36 hrs recuperating indoors, the broccoli are looking beautiful, better than ever! They will go back outside for awhile today and hopefully I won't forget them this time!

[M.Clark]

On 2/15 I started the following:
4 varieties of tomatoes,
3 varieties of pepper (2 hot, one not),
Eggplant,
Cucumber,
Chives,
Collard greens,
Lettuce,
Cabbage,
Corn,
Spinach (only thing that did not come up yet)
Leeks
Swiss Chard
Broccoli

For many of these, I only started ¼ to ½ what I plan on for the year. That way things will be ready for harvest at different times and not quite all at once. Since I planted these, the shot up (older heating pad on low under the trays), and already transplanted the tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, and broccoli into larger containers.

I plan no starting more plants on 3/15 in doors and hope that I will have my cold frame hoop house set up which would allow me to sow the root plants and 1st starts out doors. The final sowing will be on 4/15 which might be a direct sowing (depending on temps)

[rainbowgardener]

Potted up the baby onions--something I've never done before, since usually I direct seed onions.

Took the onions, parsley, and thyme outside to start hardening off with the broccoli. 40-some degrees and light rain right now. Supposed to go up almost to 60 today, but not looking like it will make it. All of it will still be going in and out for awhile. Snow in the forecast again on Sun!

Working on up-potting all the tomatoes!

[rainbowgardener]

The soil can be worked! For all those "plant as soon as the soil can be worked" veggies, that is now. I turned the soil in one bed over with a shovel and it just all fell apart into the prettiest seed bed! Yesterday I planted swiss chard, mixed lettuces, and spinach outside.

Planted amaranth indoors.

The trays of broccoli, onions, thyme, parsley are still going in and out, but maybe stay out starting from today... If that works, probably put them in the ground this coming weekend.

[applestar]

Me too! Planted yesterday outside -- Fava beans, Dakota shelling peas, snap peas (of course my snowpea seeds are still not here ), rainbow swiss chard, two kinds of mustard, Red Russian kale, radish, two kinds of spinach.

[2cents]

RG,
Hope you brought everything in.
We had snow over here.
Still I will be putting onions & radishes in the ground this weekend.
What do you think of putting out Kolrabi this early.

[rainbowgardener]

Yup, I've got snow on the ground too. The trays of broccoli, thyme, onion, parsley are back in the house. There are seeds in the ground, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach. They will be fine. It's all cold hardy stuff, I'm not worried. Probably the plants would have survived if left out, they've been out enough now, but the onions are mostly still so thin and spindly I decided not to stress them. I haven't grown kohlrabi myself, but I think it is very cold hardy and should be fine. This time of year it gets cold, but it doesn't stay cold real long.

[rainbowgardener]

Took 10 trays of plants over to church to sell off tomorrow. I have already planted a bunch of stuff and have several more trays of plants sitting outside waiting to be planted. That leaves just 7 trays under the lights downstairs and I turned off a couple of the light fixtures. Another couple weeks and the indoor seed starting will be done for the season! Every single seedling is in its own pot now.

Incidentally, something interesting. I got busy with outdoor work and not paying as much attention to the indoor stuff, just throwing a little water in the trays now and then. Since the seedlings were too big to be affected by damping off, I quit bothering with the cinnamon and chamomile in the water. Guess what... I now have a whole bunch of fungus gnats, after not having any up until now. It makes it clear that it was the cinnamon/chamomile keeping them at bay (more likely keeping down the fungus they feed on). ... At this point I will probably just live with them for the last couple weeks. As soon as I shut down the seed starting operation, they will go away.