Seed Starting Questions

[Royiah]

I got my seeds today! Well actually yesterday but my dad hid them from me and gave them to me this morning as a joke. cant wait to plant them!
Well anyways I wanted to know which seeds would do better planted directly and which would do better starting inside?
I have these seeds:
white corn
3 kinds of tomatos
2 kinds of peppers
cucumber
2 kinds of melon
yellow summer squash
okra
I'm having my dad build me a seed starting light fixture. As soon as hes done I'm going to start planting.

[applestar]

I would say tomatoes and peppers inside, everything else outside directly in the ground where tey are to grow. Have fun!

I just lad out the first set of seeds I want to start extra early inside. Some of them like onions I will start this week.

[PHONETOOL]

If it's cold it's best to start what you can inside.

[Royiah]

applestar: Thanks! Cool! I'd like to do onions but my beds don't go down very deep at the moment. I'm hoping that by next year I'll have gotten it deep enough for veggies like onions. I'm still amending my clay soil. :/

PHONETOOL: I'm planning on planting my plants/seeds outside around the middle to end of march. (Depends on how warm it is. We've had a pretty warm winter so far so I may plant even earlier. Even with the rain we've been sitting at 60 70 degrees the past week.) Anyways I just wanted to know which plant would do better direct planted. like lettuce the plants are more likely to do better if I plant them directly as seed. (found that out the hard way.)
Anyways I've never grown most of these seeds from seed so I was curious. And its better to ask then waste my seeds and mess up Right!?

[mywebinfo]

Onions don't take much root space right? Most onions that I have grown grow half out and half in the soil kinda like red radishes do. Maybe 4 inches of loose soil will grow onions.

Now carrots need deep soil.

I just heard that long white radishes, break up the soil if you are having compacted dirt problems.

[rainbowgardener]

white corn
3 kinds of tomatos
2 kinds of peppers
cucumber
2 kinds of melon
yellow summer squash


Agree with Applestar about start your tomatoes and peppers indoors under lights now, everything else direct seeded in the ground later. But the cucumber, melon, squash (all in the cucurbit family) are very warm season crops. They don't get planted until the soil has warmed up.

If you want to plant something in the ground now, think lettuce, spinach, etc. In your climate, you could plant them in the ground right now. They will finish up and be done when it gets warm and then you can plant the cucurbits in the space where they were.

[Royiah]

mywebinfo: really!? Didn't know that. Maybe I'll try them if I can find seeds.

rainbowgardener: I spoke too soon! the temp went down to 40 50 degrees. I dislike the cold very much. :K Will lettuce seed still be fine? I heard kale does really well in the cold could I try them? or would the seed not germinate in the cold? actually what temp do they need?
So peppers and tomato's inside and the rest when it gets warmer. Got it thanks!

[Royiah]

Marlingardener: haha looks like I'm too late for the seed. lols I'll probably stop by my nursery and see if he has any.

Thanks Ya'll for telling me that I could do them!

[rainbowgardener]

Royiah - kale lettuce spinach broccoli, etc are WINTER crops. You don't even have winter! Any of the winter crops will be fine for you planted in the ground now. You don't want to wait too long, in your area it will quickly be too warm for them.

I have spinach and broccoli, onions and garlic over-wintering in my garden. They have been through snow, ice, and many nights in the teens of degrees and they are doing fine. Plant, already!

[mywebinfo]

I guess mostly I am thinking about the Farmers Market I partiscipate in. Can't start there until may so usually do the cold crops about first part of April.

But I have been hankering for some garden lettuce and since I am trying to make some seed tapes, I am going to take you up on 'the push' and get at least one tape in. Good way to see if they work.

Thanks. The heavy burden of waiting has lifted!

Yeah, even here in MO we can winter over the cold crops, especially lettuce, radishes and spinach. I don't know what I was thinking Duh

[Royiah]

rainbowgardener: kk thanks!
I actually have 4 cauliflower plants and have noticed that one of them is finally heading!