Seed Starting

[5 Points Wingfeather]

Got the lights comin! I’m hoping that takes care of it. I read that I should bury them down to the leaves? Or should I just let them do their thing?

You can bury tomatoes super deep and it helps them but any other plant you risk the stem rotting if you bury it deep when potting up

 

[Iluveggers]

I used to live in zone 5. Couldn’t be safe outdoors until May 15th.

They are indoor starts. I will risk it and plant peas, radish & carrots outside early sometimes though, and if we get snow or frost I’ll cover them.

 

[triciayoung]

I have peppers, tomatoes, basil, eggplant seeded indoors. I start as early as January but a little behind this year, so didn't get them in soil until Feb. I just use 4" pots (have plenty saved in the garage) so I only have to transplant once before they go into the ground, and commercial starter mix. Grow light and heating mat since the peppers and eggplants seem to need it. Mine get a bit leggy but it doesn't seem to affect the plants later on.

Already have radish, peas, arugula and some other greens direct seeded outdoors. This is the first warm weekend this spring!

Last year, I made many mistakes. It was our first year in South Carolina. We moved here from the MA/NH border. I figured out that I cannot grow my cool weather crops including lettuce until late August…they burned last year even with shade cloth. My beans, cabbage and broccoli all burned also. However, my tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and peppers thrived. This year I am going to try some heat tolerant types. At the same time, just for fun, I grabbed two of each okra and sweet potato plants from a nursery. Oh my, did they take off. So, I saved two of the sweet potatoes and have been making my own slips for this year. The picks were taken the first week in November last year.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It’s a nice weekend here for us too! I maybe should of done my carrots today instead of gambling on next weekend!

As long as the forecast coming up is mostly favorable, you can seed cold tolerant plants. I've seeded peas as early as Feb. and then had a couple inches of snow fall, and most of them still sprouted later on, once things thawed out.

 

[triciayoung]

As long as the forecast coming up is mostly favorable, you can seed cold tolerant plants. I've seeded peas as early as Feb. and then had a couple inches of snow fall, and most of them still sprouted later on, once things thawed out.

Rosemary: the chickens in your profile pic are absolutely stunning. What are they?

 

[Sally PB]

I'll be starting my seeds April 1. Lots of tomatoes, some sweet and hot peppers, spaghetti squash, and marigolds.

I use quart sized cottage cheese or yogurt containers as pots. No up-potting, but it does take a lot of potting soil. I make my own, so the cost isn't prohibitive.

I'll get some pictures another day; I thought I had a bunch, but must have deleted them.

The marigolds seem to keep some bugs away from the tomatoes, but the flowers do attract Japanese Beetles. Which turns out ok, as I harvest JBs for chicken feed.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Rosemary: the chickens in your profile pic are absolutely stunning. What are they?

Thanks - the one in the foreground was a muff-less EE, the one in back is a Welsummer.

 

[BabyGotQuack]

You can bury tomatoes super deep and it helps them but any other plant you risk the stem rotting if you bury it deep when potting up

So just leave the peppers be and hope they fix?

 

[BabyGotQuack]

They are indoor starts. I will risk it and plant peas, radish & carrots outside early sometimes though, and if we get snow or frost I’ll cover them.

That’s what I’m doing with my carrots next weekend.

 

[BabyGotQuack]

Last year, I made many mistakes. It was our first year in South Carolina. We moved here from the MA/NH border. I figured out that I cannot grow my cool weather crops including lettuce until late August…they burned last year even with shade cloth. My beans, cabbage and broccoli all burned also. However, my tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and peppers thrived. This year I am going to try some heat tolerant types. At the same time, just for fun, I grabbed two of each okra and sweet potato plants from a nursery. Oh my, did they take off. So, I saved two of the sweet potatoes and have been making my own slips for this year. The picks were taken the first week in November last year.

Wow they look great!

Ok maybe a dumb question but what is slips?

I wanted to try sweet potatoes this yea but couldn’t get hubby onboard so we’re just doing regular potatoes again.