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rainbowgardener
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Planted seeds!

YAY!! Despite snow and recent below zero temps, the season is starting! I planted the first tray in my basement seed starting operation. It has broccoli, thyme, parsley, yellow onions, canterbury bells, dwarf yellow marigolds, lavender, rosemary. I'm not putting a heat pad under this tray so the soil will stay around 60 degrees or so.

It's two months earlier than I have started the marigolds in the past, but I have noticed that my home grown marigold seeds are slow to germinate and get going. Starting them in March, they were still teeny babies at the time to put them out. So maybe I've gone to the other extreme, we will see.

I've never done the canterbury bells before, they were a freebie....

Usually I would start cabbage with the broccoli, but I don't have much room for it and I have trouble keeping Ms. Woodchuck from eating it, so I'm not growing any this year (though some of my customers may be a bit disappointed!).

wordwiz
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RBG,

You are ahead of me in most cases! All I have started so far (expect to experiment with) are about 75 superhot peppers. But I have a tomato plant with a teeny green fruit - about the size of a big pea, plus lots of blooms.

I did start about 80 cells (of a 200 cell nursery tray) with Gentilina Lettuce seeds. It's an experiment. Filled the cells 2/3 full of mix, then mixed up the potting soil, very dry potting mix and seeds and spread that over the cells. Tamped them down then covered with more mix (without seeds).

Yesterday, I ordered a pack of Super Sugar Snap peas - want to see how they do in the trays. I'm hoping to have spinach, broccoli, chard and peas, as well as plants to sell at a couple of Farmers Markets when they open in early May.

I will be doing Farmers Markets this year, even if I have to organize them! I would like to do Wyoming's (Tuesday) and then start one at another site on either Thursday or Saturday. If I can't get into Wyoming, then probably start one on a Wednesday and another one on Saturday.

Mike

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rainbowgardener
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There's a College Hill farmers' market on Thurs afternoons. Sat of course is Findlay Market. Wednesdays is Northside and Sundays is Hyde Park.

I don't start lettuce indoors, just direct seed it outside as soon as the soil can be worked, usually mid-March-ish. Peas the same.

I won't start peppers for a couple weeks yet and tomatoes later than that.

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applestar
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:-() Thanks for the heads up. I was thinking of starting my first batch of broccoli and cauliflower and a few other things this weekend, so I'm not too far behind.

I *think* I have some Stevia seeds. I'm not sure because the flowers are about the size of chickweed flowers, then they turn into fluff like lettuce but thread thin. I want to try sowing them, but I realized that, for this, I need weed free seed starting soil because I've no idea what they're supposed to look like... in addition to uncertain viability and germination rate. :roll:

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Duh_Vinci
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Ok green thumbs, way to go! This is inspiring indeed! It does feel so nice to get your fingers into the soil again. Not for another 2 weeks for me though...

Keep em going all! Post some pics when the seeds starting to sprout, bring in some spring!!!

Regards,
D

wordwiz
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I know, I've downloaded the list of markets and participants (if listed). I have a full time job or otherwise I would do more than a couple per week.

The reason for wanting to start lettuce is because I want to plant them between what will be early tomato plants. I figure I will have far better success transplanting instead of trying to sow 375-400 spots.

With the peas, I figure close to 80 days from sowing them to harvest. I would need to sow them in February to get much before late May. It appears they need about 1100 Growing Degree Days to ripen. Web sites say to use a base of 40 degrees rather than 50 to calculate the GDD. Last year, that would have been about May 20.

I don't know if by starting them inside and moving them to a GH, thus giving them an additional 20 GDDs for three weeks or so will make a big difference, but it should not hurt.

Like you, I won't start most of my peppers or any tomatoes for a month or so, but the superhots have about a 150-180 days to maturity time. The first couple of years I tried them, I started getting ripe pods in late September. The last two years, the middle of August. But I sow the seeds on December 26.

Mike

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applestar
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Wordwiz have you seen the Winter Pepper Torture thread. I'm convinced overwintering the hot peppers is the way to go. They are budding and blooming as soon as they leaf out -- right now. I expected the flower buds to drop but they are proceeding to set fruit. I'm going to have to start disbudding them so as not to weaken the still very tentatively leafing and winter-scrawny plants.

wordwiz
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AS,

I've gone that route. The peppers did great - I kept them under my grow chamber, gave them a great soaking every other week, nipped any new leaves, the whole ball of wax. Then, one Sunday when it was their week to be watered, I forgot (was busy sowing hundreds of seeds). By their next scheduled watering date, they were goners!

I had a 7-pod in the garden last year - despite the worst summer in the 50 years I remember, it did fantastic. But had it been in a container, I doubt it would have lasted through August. I probably should have dug it up, trimmed the roots, pruned the branches and overwintered it, but it was giving me peppers until after the second killing frost.

In a pepper forum, there are growers who overwinter them two or three times. They get a fantastic harvest.

Mike

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Halfway
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I still have a bout 3 weeks before starting "starts".

Uggghhhh.

This cabin is closing in on me!

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gixxerific
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Good idea RBG on the Marigolds. I may have to try and get some going myself. Mine started out slow last year but than took off like nobody's business. Though truthfully that might be a waste of time. When pulling all my plants last year I gave them a good shaking so there are seeds everywhere.:shock: I can't wait ti see how much Borage I will have this year. It was taking over my yard late summer.

No broccoli for me I never have good luck with them. And even if they do get big they become infested even after all the precautions. :x

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rainbowgardener
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I'm not doing borage this year. I tried it for the first time last year and ended up pulling it all out. It was getting too big and weedy and taking over. Remains to be seen if I succeeded in getting rid of it, before it reseeded itself! I grew it only because of its reputation as being a good bee attractor/ bee food, but I never saw a bee at it while I had it. I guess I have too many other things bees like...

I've never had trouble with any pests on my broccoli, but I put it out early (like mid March or so, well before the last frost date) and pull it early, by around mid May. So it is done and gone before the main insect season.

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rainbowgardener
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Last night I was checking my seeds and discovered the first broccoli sprouts, just poking out of the potting soil. Time to turn the lights on!

Amazing, that took three days. No dome or other cover over them, no heat mat, just plant some seeds and here they are!

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applestar
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That's fantastic! :D
Now I *DEFINITELY* want to start some seeds!

I have been eyeing an empty pot in which I was trying to overwinter some tropical milkweed. They died. It's a 7" bulb or azalea pot (whichever is deeper). Now WHAT can I put here instead? 8)

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Duh_Vinci
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Nice going, Rainbow!!!

And thanks for the inspiration! I checked the dates from the past years, and looks like today/tomorrow will be starting some of the earliest varieties for the "bucket" garden to go on the side of the garage as last year.

Come on spring!!!

Regards,
D

P.S. 18F on thermometer outside, and everything is covered in snow (and more to come on Wed), what better way of bringing the spring closer than starting some seeds :flower:

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rainbowgardener
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Thyme is now sprouting; broccoli has seed leaves.

Planted fennel, spearmint, geranium, and purple coneflower and put those on a heat mat. Moved the lavender over to the heat mat also.

All these are slow sprouting, slow growing stuff. We are in a slight warm up now, but more snow coming and then temps down to 18, so I won't be putting anything outside for a good while!

Another couple weeks until tomato seed planting!

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rainbowgardener
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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 ...

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grondeau
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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
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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

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rainbowgardener
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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.

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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.

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rainbowgardener
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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
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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!

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rainbowgardener
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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.

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GardenRN
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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?

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rainbowgardener
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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.

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

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applestar
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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 :x), cutting celery, oregano, and marjoram. Discovered to my dismay that I don't have any broccoli seeds left! :shock: 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. 8)
(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? :lol: :wink:)

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.... :roll:)

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

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

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! 8)

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 :wink:). I wanted to give her seeds that would germinate easily, but she would have none of it. :roll: :lol:

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. 8)

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

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. 8) (If you remember, she declared the yellow Swiss chard "better than lettuce") :wink:

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rainbowgardener
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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....

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applestar
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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. :D 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. 8) This will give me time to re-inventory all my tomato seeds and decide what can go where.... :wink:

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. :roll: 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... :roll: :roll:)

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...??? :roll: 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 :roll: :x

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. :?:

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rainbowgardener
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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.

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applestar
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Thanks! It does seem like a more logical way to organize them. 8)

...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. :twisted:

**
AAANNNDDD.... that was a short-lived resolution :oops: 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.... :roll:

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 :lol: 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 :roll:), 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. :roll:)... among other things. :roll: :roll: :>
nutz:

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gixxerific
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Sorting! LOL :lol: :lol: :lol: :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.

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rainbowgardener
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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.

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rainbowgardener
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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!! :oops: 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!

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applestar
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:D 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' !! :shock:

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alaskagold
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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. :)

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rainbowgardener
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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!



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