Its seed starting time - kind of

Monek Marie
Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited January 2021 in Vegetables

I start perennials, hard to start seeds and a few specialty tomatoes now. (I am zone 5B)

I start my milk jugs planting February 1st.

The rest are started early in a hot bed or greenhouse depending on the need and all others I read the back of the seed package. Its amazing how much is on the back or a seed package or in Botanical Interests seed packets, on the inside.

Here's a good link for seed starting tips

https://morningchores.com/indoor-seed-starting-tips/

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Comments

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 2021

    One of the most important steps in seed starting is read about the seed you are starting. You can find a lot of great tips, when is best to start certain plants and if they need special care, when starting or first setting out in the garden.

  • Jens the Beekeeper
    Jens the Beekeeper Posts: 651 admin

    I will start seeds mid February and I am going along these tipps


  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Jens Charles Dowding is so good! I will have to check this out.

    Many things influence seed starting but research helps 100%

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I am starting bonsai lotus seeds today. having such a hard seed coating I will sand them lightly to help the moisture be able to get inside ther seeds. You have to be careful not to sand too much or you will damage the seed. This is a form of stratification for those whop are new to such a technique. You can also place them in a bag and shake them to soften the seed cover but I have not done as well with that. And winter sowing works well for perennial seeds.

    I have started regular lotus seeds before ( I bought a lotus seed head and they grew!!!!) But bonsai lotus is a new adventure

  • Cornelius
    Cornelius Posts: 872 ✭✭✭✭

    I plan to start seeds for the first time in winter (as I usually direct sow in the spring) so this will be interesting!

  • @Denise Grant I binge watched his videos several times now. It is amazing what he produces in terms of Veg and weed free and seed saving.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Well, its the first day of serious milk jug planting. We have a very light snow and are waiting to hear how bad the area gets hit east of us. They are calling for two foot of snow! I gladly share my snow.

    I am cutting open my milk jugs and cleaning my small seed starting containers (they are microgreen containers or sandwich containers from the local stores.)

    I use to tape my milk containers shut like they show in most videos but the tape gets stuck on everything else and its a pain to keep moving it And re-sticking or replacing it. I am trying a method I saw to tie them together.

    I like the milk jugs for the ease of startying seeds plus it saves space. I have had good luck with it, particularly with perennials, trees or shrub seeds and anything that should be stratified. Photos to follow

  • Michelle D
    Michelle D Posts: 1,465 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I have started a few of my seeds, but not many. I am so far behind on my garden planning for the year. Seed starting is one of my favorite things. (It probably has something to do with my seed addiction.) Maybe the video will help me get motivated to finish planning. Thanks for sharing it.

  • karenjanicki
    karenjanicki Posts: 989 ✭✭✭✭

    I wanted to start growing some things indoors this winter but unfortunately it didn't work out.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @karenjanicki There still might be time to start a few later varieties or things you succession plant.

    I'm sorting seeds and trying to make a planting chart. Time creeps up on you too quick at times

  • I've only started my onion seeds and they are coming up nicely. If all goes well I hope to be able to plant them in about 3 weeks. These are a Texas onion that should do well here, Texas Grano from Baker Creek. I got my seeds from Richters today, mostly herbs. I need to do a seed chart as well, including how many of each I hope to plant (starting extras because some usually don't make it for one reason or another). I think the planing and charts take more time than the planting by far lol. I have to remind myself of the importance because there are so many other things that I would rather do 😁

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    @seeker.nancy - Central Texas Once you get the charts made you should be able to carry them over to next year or tweek them easier. I like ther planning mode on a day that is nasty out. Makes me feel like I am out gardening.

    Oh, seeds from Richters... Love it when seeds arrive!~

    I have my long season onions started and need to get my leeks planted. I am glad to hear yours are doing well

  • Thank you @Denise Grant . Yes I want to set up a template in a spread sheet for that purpose. Of course I try new and different things every year lol, so seldom am I planting the same thing. But if I find something I really like and it does well then I will. I really loved the Purple Opal basil from Baker Creek last year; I think it has the best flavor both fresh and dried of any basil I have tried. I'll be planting more than last year lol.

    I am so like a kid at Christmas when my seeds arrive 😂

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    @seeker.nancy - Central Texas I agree, the purple opal basil is wonderful. But I like quite a few basils for vinegarettes

    Getting seeds in the mail never gets old.

    One year for christmas I gave a gardening friend of mine a small artificial christmas tree cover with handmade seed packets of different seeds. I still remember her reaction -priceless

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My planting schedule calls for starting hot peppers indoors some time between Feb 16 and Mar 15. I haven't tried starting peppers from seed before, so this will be an experiment.

    Apart from peppers, nothing will be started before March 15.

  • lewis.mary.e
    lewis.mary.e Posts: 225 ✭✭✭

    We have tiny babies growing now, all herbs. By the time they're too big for the pots they're in now, we'll move them out to our small greenhouses. I can't tell you how excited I am to be started on this year's garden adventure!

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    I winter sow/spring sow most of my seeds. The only thing I still start indoors are peppers, except the occasional coleus or other exotic. There's a couple of items I direct sow.

    Honestly, there are some things that it would make more sense for me to direct sow in the spring, because then I wouldn't be doing so much transplanting.(like the 128 kale seedlings I transplanted last year when they outgrew their milk jugs but the ground wasn't ready for yet. I was begging everyone I could think of to take some kale plants.) But, often our springs are really mucky, and it's hard to get the soil worked up before it's too late for certain crops. Also, with transplanting I know my seedlings from the weeds, and I do get really good germination with that method. Also, it's nice to have most of your seeds started when things are still going slow; spring is busy.

    I'm putting out a few milk jugs tonight.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    @blevinandwomba Winter sowing saves me a lot of time and space. IO done it now for over 10 years. My picky seeds I still start indoor along with onions

    I do use a greenhouse now for selling seedlings and an aquaponics for other different seeds but that is mainly because I am garden addicted

    The hot beds are for lettuces and any seedling that decided it want to over achieve

    @lewis.mary.e What all herbs do you have started? Spring is so exciting with all the new growth

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    @Denise Grant I've been winter sowing for around the same time.

    I probably would start more in the house, but I don't have any sort of grow light set up, so it's move-things-from-window-to-window. Also, there is the feline help factor; best to keep my indoor seeds to a minimum. As it is, I sometimes have an overzealous kitty decide to go weeding.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba I had had a few cats that felt it was their duty to help me water or sort plants. I was not a happy camper.

    I have a small min greenhouse, about 2 by 4 and 4 foot tall with plastic, I set that up in the dining are for my picky selective seeds. The cover keeps the 4 legged gardeners out of my plants

  • marjstratton
    marjstratton Posts: 1,132 ✭✭✭✭

    All I have in the ground yet is my garlic that I planted in the fall. I go out to the garden at least a couple of times a week and it still hasn't poked its head up. Soon I imagine since we are forecast to have snow and cold (for us) temperatures.

    I've never actually started seed on time. Will certainly try to this year. Last year, I installed a shelf in front of a south facing window where I plan on putting my starts. Then move them out on the covered back porch when it is getting close to time to harden them off and put them out.

  • nicksamanda11
    nicksamanda11 Posts: 755 ✭✭✭✭

    We are going to move so I will just direct sow and pray that it will bless whoever ends up here.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    @nicksamanda11 My neighbor did that and put in a full garden when she knew she would be moving. It was much appreciated by the people who moved in. They were not really gardeners but they used that season to learn.

    Each year since their garden had gotten better. It was fun to watch.

  • happy-trails
    happy-trails Posts: 170 ✭✭✭

    Denise Grant

    You mentioned milk jug planting... is this this the same method as "winter sowing?" I am planning to try that method this year with some seeds (in a few weeks!), as an experiment, to learn a new way and see how it goes. Whenever plastic jugs have come into my life, I've saved them for the past 6 months... I've heard so many positive things about this method! The fact that I can really just set the jugs out in a foot of snow right now in North Country 10 degree weather...set it and forget it, they'll be much stronger than grow-light babies, and no hardening off once Spring comes!!!??? Sounds awesome to me! Almost sounds too good to be true, but I do believe the results I've seen and read about. Can't wait to try it! Do you have any tips for a first-timer of this method? Thank you so much for any help/tips!

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @happy-trails I love milk jug or winter sowing and yes, they are the same method. The nice thing about it is you plant the seeds and ignore them until they start to sprout. Later the only thing you look for is drying out and opening on warmer days. If you have been to the winter sowing site it has a lot of info but I can grab you a few other sites to look at too if you want

    Make sure you have enough drainage holes and holes for letting air in and out. (You leave the cap off. Snow and rain will water the jugs until they really take off. ) Just feel the soil to see if it needs watering when you have a warmer day.

    What this is, is really a mini greenhouse and natural seed germination. I feel the seedlings are hardier grown this way and my spring is so busy starting some seeds this way is less time consuming.

    Perennials start well this way and any seed that needs stratified is so easy this way.

    I tie my jugs together now. The tape would stick to everything once you started opening the jugs up. Let me get a photo taken for you. This seems to work better for me but try both ways and see what you think. I use a hot poker or metel piece to put holes in the plastic and heat it so it burns through. Cutting holes for ventilation gets old fast. Burning them in is easy or a "good" paper punch will work too

    A problem my friends and I have had is making sure the seed variety is marked well. Marker can wear off in time and then you don't know what you have in which jug. I color code each jug and also number them and have a list indoors.

    Some people start thier seeds in my area in January but I find if I have a warm spring they will sprout too fast and I have to transplant and hold them somewhere so I start in February now. My last frost date is supposedly May 15th. I plan for may 31 or be prepare to cover seedlings.

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Seed starting is so exciting. We're in summer and heading into fall, so I'm in seed-saving mode. I liked the instructions for milk jug seed starting at Gardening Know How. They use tape as a hinge and you don't have to tape and un-tape every time you check your plants.


  • happy-trails
    happy-trails Posts: 170 ✭✭✭

    Oh wow, I really appreciate you taking the time to share all of this wonderful information! Thanks so much. I didn't know there was an official winter sowing site, so I'll have to find that. Is it just wintersowing.com? Yes, the mini greenhouse effect is awesome, and what's really appealing to me is, as you mentioned, it seems to be less time-consuming! I definitely need to make sure I understand the whole process before I go into it, so I will be researching more online for sure.

    I'm in zone 4b, so I have a 'supposedly' (haha) last frost date of May 15th as well. My thinking is the same as you, I give it 2 extra weeks and just aim to get everything in the ground at the very beginning of June. I was thinking of making the drainage holes with a drill (I usually drill through a stack of 8 solo cups at a time, through the bottom, and it goes pretty fast), but your melting idea sounds ingenious and I never would have thought of that! You sound like you're very organized with labeling, color coding and keeping the list... wow. I am not naturally organized at all!

    Thank you for offering to show a photo of how you tie your jugs together, I'm very curious about that! The tape was one thing that does seem like it would become annoying or a hassle to deal with. Just whenever you have time for the photo, no pressure or rush! I know life is busy, and I definitely don't want to cause extra stress or anything. Thank you again! =)

  • happy-trails
    happy-trails Posts: 170 ✭✭✭

    Thank you for sharing this link! I'm going to check it out! Have you tried milk jug sowing too?

  • Tave
    Tave Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2021

    @happy-trails Not yet. But I plan it on this winter. Your last frost date is our first frost date:)

  • MissPatricia
    MissPatricia Posts: 318 ✭✭✭

    I am so eager to start my garden, but so far all that I have done is to watch Lynn Gillepsie's videos. They are really good. I want to make my own soil mix and plant onion seed. After I get back from a week's vacation, I plan to start tomatoes, peppers, brassicas, and I don't know what more. Want to start herbs and flowers too. I bought a compost tumbler so I have that going. It has not been warm enough to do anything yet, but at least I have started. I think 'garden' every day, all day long, it seems.