Getting started gardening

[Agilityscots]

Thanks usbr; I will try again, and hopefully have better results. When you start seeds, is indirect sun (i.e., sunny room) just as good as sitting in a sunny window?

Amy

 

[usbr]

I think the sun issue would be decided by the plants more than anything. If you go to a greenhouse you will see they have some black matting on the ceiling to cut some of the sun because that direct sun all day long is not good. I think soil temp is more important from what I read this year with my peppers. I dont know what you are trying to grow so Im kinda in the dark here but you can google what you want to try and should find some helpful stuff. Thats what I did when the peppers didnt come up for a few weeks and I found out it was the cold temps. Even after they popped up, they went agonizingly slow, turns out, they didnt like the cold. I am new to peppers this year though, I just planted seeds and never read up or asked anything.

Sorry I didnt answer you question better but in short, I think indirect is fine as long as soil is warm, after that, go with what the plant wants for lighting.

HTH

 

[Newchickenmom&kids]

I found this websit helpful (thegardenhelper.com) It breaks it down by the month and tells you what you should be doing under the link "monthly reminders".

 

[Agilityscots]

Oooh, great website! Thanks so much Chickenmom!

Usbr, when I started my seeds they were all herbs (parsley, basil, chives, oregano). This might seem like a dumb question, but how do you regulate soil temperature? Keeping the room warm? And if you do that, won't they end up damping off?

Amy

 

[MarkR]

Quote:
For the things I usually start indoors (really only peppers and tomatoes these days, most other stuff does just as well being direct seeded in the ground), I keep the trays with the peat pots (or whatever you're using) on top of the fridge until they're about an inch, inch and a half tall. Then I move them to a south facing window. After they're 4-6 inches I move them out to the deck during the day (appropriate weather permitting), and once frost danger is past, put them in the ground. On top of the fridge is good because you don't have to crank your house heat up, it's usually the warmest spot in any house. If you have another spot like that use it. Light isn't important at all until they've sprouted. Photosythesis doesn't occur until then. The top of my fridge gets enough light that I can let them get about an inch tall and be okay. If it's dark on top of yours, you may want to move them to the window sooner.

Mark

 

[Agilityscots]

Hi Mark,

Great idea on the top of the fridge! I had put my seedlings on a filing cabinet in my office that's nearly 5' tall, but apparently that didn't do the trick. It was also near a window, and I'm sure the draft dropped the temperature. I'll definitely try this next winter.

I also think I started mine too late...how do you know when to start them? Can you start them as early as February? I waited till the first weekend in April and I don't know if that was too late.

Amy

 

[MarkR]

I can never keep track of when to start things so I'm looking it up every year (Square Foot Gardening has good planting charts, as do the Elliot Coleman books). Usually 4-6 weeks before final frost. Something like that. Usually I'm early though and have to cover stuff outside. I just get impatient when it gets to that point in the spring. I think I started stuff around the first of March this year, which was a touch early, I probably should have waited a week or so. I really should start writing this stuff down.

Mark

 

[Agilityscots]

Okay, so I guess starting them in April was okay (our frost date is May 15 here in central Ohio). I am saving your tip about the refrigerator for next year; I've started a gardening notebook and have recorded all the wonderful ideas shared here.

Amy

 

[usbr]

Usually adjusting the room temp is the easiest but my problem is I keep the house very cool in the winter. Next year I am going to use an old 55 gallon aquarium to start my plants in. I will use a little ceramic heater to warm it and after the plants come up, I will use the lights for grow lights. Basically use what ever you have around the house that is always warm. Like was said, refrigerator, top of your entertainment center (TVs are warm), some houses the bathroom is not on an outside wall so they tend to be a little warmer room.

I dont know what damping off is or what causes it. Maybe thats why I dont get 100% germination but I make up by planting extra. I will look up the damping off stuff though.

 

[silkiechicken]

I start tomatoes about 8 weeks early inside the house in mid march and put them under a coffee table on the floor that I attached a large fluorescent light to the bottom. I put a fan to blow on the leaves about 4 hours a day, morning, afternoon, night, to stiffen up the stems, and then for the last 4 weeks before acutally planting them, i slowly increase their outside times till they are out all night. Then I plant them and have about 80 tomoato plants!