Seeds started!

[rainbowgardener]

Oh man, this is peak of the seed starting season, when everything is feeling a little overwhelming and infinite! I have potted up at least 700 plants and lots more to come. Almost all the vines and squashes I planted have sprouted already and will need to be potted up pretty soon, because they grow so fast.

So I keep needing more and more pots, potting soil, space. I'm running out of space everywhere. Because spring was slow coming and I'm trying to hold more back for the big plant sale the beginning of May, I haven't gotten rid of as many as I usually would by now. So I'm running out of deck space to put the hardening off/ waiting to get sold or planted ones...

Every one of my 3.5 inch pots holds a pint of potting soil....

But I will say after some concerns initially, my homemade potting soil has worked well. I had to figure out that it needed to be pumped up with supplements (including AACT !! ) a bit more compared to the Miracle Gro stuff I was used to. But once I got that together, everything has done great. Tons of big beautiful plants out there, lots of tomatoes and peppers with blooms on them. I'm ready to get things in the ground and be done with indoor gardening! All I want is to be outdoors these days....

[applestar]

That sounds so great!
I'm dithering about uppotting because they are predicting another drop into mid 30's over the weekend! I have no room and even when they are being kept in the little 2" mini-blocks, the tomatoes have exceeded the available headroom under the lights. If they come in, they'll just have to sit in the dark until the morning.

I'm rather disappointed that you were unable to post pictures this spring. Maybe you can put up a sideshow or something later on when you can, assuming you've been taking pictures.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah I have to keep bringing more tomatoes and peppers out because they have exceeded the head room, and they are just too big to have 18 in a tray, keep shading each other out.

Sorry, but no, I haven't even been taking any pictures this year. I'm disappointed too, but oh well another season. But I do wish I could show my babies off, they are beautiful.

Tomatoes are getting top heavy in the little pots and really should be up-potted into bigger pots, but I am just refusing to do that (MORE potting soil!). They will get sold off or planted. Fri and Sat nights here are predicted to go down to 38, but I am usually at least a couple degrees warmer here in the city heat island. They will have to tough it out! After that, it warms right back up and I am not expecting any more temps in the 30's. Average low for us this time of year is 45.

[rainbowgardener]

Four more trays of mostly tomatoes and peppers came out in the sunshine, so I turned off one set of lights! Indoor seed starting season is winding down. The lights may have to come back on briefly when I get all the squash plants potted up and separated, but target date to get everything out and all the lights off is the first of May, which is coming up.

[Cola82]

700 plants! You are a superwoman.

You're right about feeling overwhelmed, though. I have less than a quarter the plants and I feel swamped. Seriously, that's amazing.

[rainbowgardener]

So .. indoor seed starting season is now OVER! The last of the plants have gone outside an all the lights are off. The only reason it wasn't a bit sooner is that I ran out of my little pots a good while ago. So some of the potting up had to wait until I got some things planted. Every time I emptied some little pots, I ran them back inside and filled them up again!

So our big Quaker Meeting plant sale is this weekend, and I will have at least 400 of my seedlings there, donated to the sale. The plant sale funds all the activities of our Friends in Unity with Nature committee for the year.

[digitS']

So .. at least 400 of my seedlings there, donated to the sale. The plant sale funds all the activities of our Friends in Unity with Nature committee for the year.

Wow, Rainbow! That seems like such a good idea!

I also have trouble finding room for plant starts. Quite a few things are out of the greenhouse right now. Nothing in the house after the first week or so in the south window. That's cramped enuf seeing how I share room at the south window!

Steve