I started to get all my stuff together today and I really can't wait to get in there and watch my little seeds sprout and grow! Maybe I'll get the dirt in the pots and actually plant tomorrow. Anyone else ready to start their little seeds?

Heyyyy, how you doing??

I'm not, I won't be able to get into my
little greenhouse until April*ish*
It's outside, and no heater..

What have you been up to???

I have my seed room all set up and ready to start except for hanging the lights, but I want to get a few new light tubes, and I have found it easier to replace the bulbs with the lights down. But I'm ready to get started, I will be starting this weekend and continuing for the next month with seed starting.

Comfrey...I picture you sitting outside your seed room twiddling your thumbs and looking at your watch from time to time....the impatient countdown 'til sowing time!!!
I'm waiting until mid March..at the earliest! That's if I can make it that long.

Hey Why sit outside the room.... I have a chair in there and a small portable radio, I've been sittin in that room just daydreaming

I love to sit in my Grampy's rocking chair, in front of a window, that the sun beats down into..
and it is soooo warm... and I get my gardening books, and my cuppa tea, and my slippers, and my sweats and a blankie.. and I am in HEAVEN, reading my little heart out, and dreamin',
"ohhhh, that would look good, I could get that, ohhhh isnt' thatttt gorgeous, where do they find these new plants, I WONDER IF I COULD GROW THAT HERE??"

I couldn't help myself any longer...I started about 2 weeks ago. My husband built me a nice shelf area in my otherwise-unused breakfast nook, and he hung my lights, so I jumped the gun. I've got peppers, eggplants, onions, parsley, brussel sprouts (I know, I'm off on the timing-learned that a little too late) and marigolds. I've got lots of light, so I'm hoping things won't get too leggy--here's some pics: seeds

Awesome Rozy!! You should also post your pic in the "Starting Seeds" thread in Gardener's Chat. They'll love to see your pic there!
Also..how close is the light to your plants? It will help if the light is only a couple inches above them, they won't get so leggy trying to stretch for the light. Good luck!
Christina

I know I'm not in NE, but I couldn't resist posting!!

I haven't planted that much yet. February 14, I planted 4 rows of Early Alaskan English Peas. February 25, I only planted 6 California Wonder peppers, 6 yellow bell peppers (don't know the name of them), 6 Sweet Cherry peppers, 10 Cayenne Peppers, 31 Hawkins tomatoes, 14 Beefsteak tomatoes, 25 Jet Star tomatoes, 32 Jet Setter tomatoes, and around 175 to 200 Ace 55 VF tomatoes!! I want to sell some tomatoes this year.

Ohhhhhh, I CAN't WAIT for spring!!!!!!!

Nothing yet. Not for a few more weeks at least.


beebiz, all hybrids huh?

Thanks for the tips Christina. I've lowered one of my lamps, although it's a heat lamp so I'm watching it carefully. I figure, once my husband gets home and lowers the strip light, I won't need the other light I have over there and I can add that one to the heated side. I'll definately check out the seed-starting thread--I never make it that far down the page-I could spend hours on this site!

John said:
No, sir!!

• Early Alaskan English Peas, Open Pollinated

• California Wonder, Open Pollinated

• yellow bell peppers (don't know the name of them), not sure

• Sweet Cherry peppers, Open Pollinated

• Cayenne Peppers, Open Pollinated

• Hawkins tomatoes, Open Pollinated

• Beefsteak tomatoes, Open Pollinated

• 25 Jet Star tomatoes, Hybrid, low acid for my dad

• 32 Jet Setter tomatoes, Hybrid that dad wanted to try

• Ace 55 VF tomatoes, Open Pollinated, low acid

I don't like paying the outrageous prices for the hybrid seeds!! I like the price of "save your own" seeds much better! And, I don't like the fact that when you save seeds from a hybrid there is just no telling what kind of mutated "mutt" you will get the next or subsequent years!

I'm trying my best to get as far away from hybrid veggies as I can. But, my dad loves his Jet Star tomatoes well enough that he didn't mind forking out around $8 (including shipping) for only 100 seeds! And, he wanted to try the Jetsetters bad enough that he didn't mind forking out around $7 for only 60 seeds!

The really sad part is that once those seeds are gone, he'll have to shell out even more money for those premium priced seeds. They just aren't worth it to me. With my open pollinated plants, I simply collect the seeds, put them in my freezer for the winter, and plant them next year. The only cost involved is my time to collect them, and the electricity to run my freezer which would be running anyway!

I stored my tomato & pepper seeds in a my kitchen and they sprouted fine. Maybe you don't need to put them in the freezer unless you want to.

I'm a beginner, but I never have enough room in the refrigerator or freezer which is why I mentioned it.

Have a great growing season.

I too have stored some seeds in the kitchen for one season and had good luck with them. But, they will keep much longer if stored in a freezer. I know a guy who has tomato seeds that have been stored in his non-frost free freezer for over 10 years and he still has a very, very high germination rate with them.

I have a huge upright freezer that is not frost free that I store my seeds in.... along with surplus veggies, meats, and strawberry freezer jam!! The reason that I emphasize not frost free is that it maintains a more constant temperature than a frost free one does. And, since I'm not in and out of it as much as I am the refrigerator freezer, the humidity level in the up-right freezer remains more constant.

I've also found that seeds like peas, beans, and okra will usually sprout quicker if they are taken from a freezer and directly planted in warm soil. I guess it makes the seed wet with sweat and therefore expedites the sprouting process.

But, hybrid sweet corns, and especially the hybrid super sweet corns have a tendency to rot if kept wet in the cool spring soil. Because of that, when I have used them in the past I either wait to plant them until the soil is warmer or I remove them from the freezer a couple of days early and lay them out to allow the sweat to evaporate before planting them.

My parents and grandparents are the ones who taught me about all of this. It was not unusual for my mother's father to have as many as 4 pillow cases full of different kinds of seeds in his freezer at the same time!

I hear ya beebiz! But thats what the seed companies want....and endless cashflow supply from the hybrid seed which noone knows the parentage of. Good luck.

Ive been having very good luck using a seed flat heater, just about everything ive planted has sprouted ahead of its normal germination time! Started a bunch of different Hot peppers, and some Alpine strawberrys, as well as a few herbs as they need a little longer time.

I've been having poor luck with the left over pepper seeds the last few years, and had decided that I needed to keep them in the refrigerator. So far, I had just been keeping the cool season vegetable seeds in the fridge. After reading these posts, I think I'll put them in the freezer instead.

I had some bean seeds in plastic sandwich bags that had been in the freezer for several years at least that I had great luck with last year. Almost complete germination. And quick too.

Hi weezie! Haven't been up to much really- it's been winter. Kids are driving me crazy being inside and I've figured out I need another past time in the winter- in summer I can get in my garden and putz around and it brings me peace. It calms my nerves and relaxes me. Since I can't do that in the winter I slowly go insane! LOL I think that's why I haven't been on this board in months- nothing to talk about since nothing is growin. Oh except my gardenia is doing awesome in the hosue! Got lots of buds and tons of new shoots growing! Quite a few little buggies on it too- but I just put the whole pot in the tub and give it a wash and we're good as new (at least for a week or so till they come back). So you'll be seein me around more as things start growin and we can get out!

You neeeeeeedddddddd to stop down to the
Coffeen house in Banter Hall......
There is soooooo much yakkin' goin' on down
there, you need a score card and go cart to
keep up with it all... :rolleyes:

You'll never be board in the winter again!!!

But I don't have anything growin' either,
just reading and reading and soakin' up info..
and waiting for spring here.. zone 5, it won't be for a bit...
I start all my seeds in my greenhouse and I have no heat..so, it's not till April...

well alrighty then! LOL i've been pokin' around in there this afternoon! thanks!

Haven't started a single seed. The green house across the road has spoiled me, they asked me if there were certain plants I wanted for this year. I make my list and they do it all for me. Costs me a few extra bucks but I have no headaches.

I don't have room here for seedlings, I've done it over the years but then I'm steady moving the trays to get in the freezer, or wherever else they're all stored on.

Just wait til I get my basement with my south facing windows though

you lucked out there tamara, wish i had a green house close by
penny

Duane started his chili pepper seeds, Munchkin started his cauliflower and bok choi seeds, and I started 2/3 of my eggplant seeds last weekend. We have bottom heat for that flat and I'll probably start the basil next week with bottom heat as well. That's it for now. Tomatoes will probably be started the weekend after St Pat's Day..the 25th.

Cheers,
Julianna

PS John, are you growing any other nightshades than tomatoes?

Two weeks ago this Sunday, I started a good bulk of my seeds indoors using peat pellets in cake pans. I've got them warming in a window.

So far Brussels sprouts (10 plants), Zucchini(2), Yellow squash (2), Cucumbers(2), Eggplant(2), Broccoli(4), Bibb Lettuce(4), Peppers(4), and Tomatoes, (Big Boy-2);(Cherry 100-2). Most have already shown their first leaves.

I'm using raised beds with square foot gardening methods. Every bed I've got is a new bed. Next weekend I'll be direct planting some seeds in the beds.

My only concern for the moment, is when do you start to transplant the seedlings. The peat pellets are small so do I transplant them into containers for a little while longer?

usually you transplant after you have at least 1 set of true leaves.

Good luck with the pellets. They dry out way to fast for me.

pagarden, I'm starting my seeds this weekend. Actually....today. Its the ONLY day that I have time in the next 3 weeks!!! I, too, am in NE Pa....where are you?? Are you going to the Philly Flower show? This is the first weekend of it. We're going next Sunday with my husband's aunt and uncle. I can't wait!!

Today I went to wal-mart...ours has a new greenhouse! I found a nice little kitchen herb pot kit for $10. It comes with the pot, soil, and the seeds for the 5 or 6 different herbs that the kit grows. I can't wait to assemble it.

no flower show for me- enjoy it! we are in stroudsburg. where are you at? i FINALLY started mine today too! LOL i've been itching to do it, but things just kept getting in the way- well today i MADE time! LOL and it felt SOOOOOOOO good to get my hands in dirt! LOL

I use the pellets too. I prefer starting the seeds in them because they take up such little room, so I'm able to keep most of them all in one flat on the heating pad. Once they sprout and I remove them from the heat, I stick them in left-over six packs from last year. I remove the netting (very carefully) after giving a good watering. I started doing it this way this year because last year, I left the plants in the netting and, at the end of the summer, when I was ripping up my tomatoes, there was the little pellet, with roots. Not a very extensive root system, although the plants did do well. They say that as early as the first true leaves, as late as when the plants start to touch each other, they need to be potted on.
Good luck!