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Old February 24th, 2009, 04:36 PM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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When to plant seeds indoors

I noticed 14k mention in another thread that she is watering her seeds in the greenhouse.

Sooooooo - should I be planting mine now?
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Old February 24th, 2009, 04:43 PM
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hmmm.... I usually plant outside in my garden around the May 24, so I would think you should start them around 6-8 weeks before that?

oh, but I guess it obviously depends on where you live and what the climate is.

I'm definitely what you'd call a "newbie" gardner, trying to learn more. So if others think I should start sooner than that, by all means let me know. I'll get out my peat-pots right now!
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Old February 24th, 2009, 04:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris21711 View Post
I noticed 14k mention in another thread that she is watering her seeds in the greenhouse.

Sooooooo - should I be planting mine now?
Nope. A little too early yet mf. 6 to 8 weeks before last frost. Last frost in our neck of the woods is usually second or third week of May. Mine get started early so they can be big enough to sell. I don't have many started yet. Not doing a lot this year. Too busy working and getting a regular pay cheque.
Did I give you instructions with your seeds? If not remind me what ones I gave you and I will see what I can do. Another brain blip!
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Old February 24th, 2009, 04:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris21711 View Post
I noticed 14k mention in another thread that she is watering her seeds in the greenhouse.

Sooooooo - should I be planting mine now?
do you have a green house chris??

I always wanted a greenhouse with lots of flowers and plants.,but I'm not the greatest gardener. and with allergies in the house there is no way I can have flowers..:sad:
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Old February 24th, 2009, 04:54 PM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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Originally Posted by Sib.HuskyMom View Post
hmmm.... I usually plant outside in my garden around the May 24, so I would think you should start them around 6-8 weeks before that?

I'm too much of an eager beaver to do that. I live just north of Newmarket.

I'm definitely what you'd call a "newbie" gardner, trying to learn more. So if others think I should start sooner than that, by all means let me know. I'll get out my peat-pots right now!
I'm no "newbie", just no good

Quote:
Originally Posted by breeze View Post
do you have a green house chris??

No Breeze :sad: I asked Santa for one a couple of Xmases' ago and got a Frying Pan instead...........I'm serious

I always wanted a greenhouse with lots of flowers and plants.,but I'm not the greatest gardener. and with allergies in the house there is no way I can have flowers..:sad:

A friend of mine when she moved gave me a stand with two trays and lights, I'm going to try and see how that works.

14k - I look in the fridge at the seeds you gave me and get back to you tomorrow on it. I'm shutting shop for the day
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Old February 24th, 2009, 07:56 PM
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Depends on what you want to grow really.

You can winter sow hardy annuals and hardy perennials with relative ease.

Here's an blog of what someone else did, so you all don't think I'm nuts talking about sowing seeds and putting them outside in the cold of winter.

http://iwetmyplants.com/2009/01/12/w...sults-of-2008/

Some veg you can do like this as well. Things like Brassicas, which are cabbage, kale, broccoli, etc. as they don't mind a bit of cold. I know of someone who's going to try winter sowing tomato seeds this year.

You can start peas a bit earlier as well, like in toilet paper tubes filled with a seedling mix. But I wouldn't start peas just yet, wait until at least mid March. Then when those pea plants are planted outdoors, you can then put new seeds in the ground at the same time, giving you a successive crop.

Think about it though, it's a great concept.

1. You can sow early. No rushing to get it done on time.
2. All the pots are outside so there's no worry about putting up grow lights with the added cost of electricity.
3. Root balls are much larger and the plants are already hardened off and so they can be planted out much sooner than plants grown in a cozy greenhouse or indoors.
4. You will be replicating nature in a way, allowing the seeds a cold stratification treatment. Some seeds need this cold treatment in order to germinate anyway. Ever read the back of seed packs and they say something like you have to nick the seed with a knife or use sandpaper? By winter sowing you won't need to pre-treat the seed like that because the alternating warm/cold cycles will break down the seed coating and allow it to germinate.

If you have access to fresh manure, you can plant up stuff in a cold frame, and surround the container with fresh manure and give it access to light, i.e. old glass window. As the manure starts to compost, it will generate heat which will provide young plants with a very nice start in life. That is an old Victorian method to help extend the growing season. (Back then they didn't have refrigeration or grocery stores and they had to be able to harvest some fresh food during the cold "starvation" months until the weather warmed up.) You should see some of the elaborate cold frames they used to make. This is how they grew plants like pink delicate rhubarb and blanched ivory sea kale, only they used special clay forcing pots with a lid and surrounded the whole thing with fresh manure and some straw. For other plants they would stack up alternating layers of manure and straw neatly, top off the block with some dirt and sow things like radish, and then cover that with a cloche which is really an elaborate way of saying mini-greenhouse lid. They would prop up one corner with a rock to allow for air flow on the more warmer days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHf3bNWvidU

That video is just an excerpt of a DVD/VHS series that used to be on television many years ago but maybe not in the states. It's easily found on Amazon or similar places online. I always watch the whole series during the winter, to help take away winter blues and begin to think about plants for the next growing season. In the video you can see the elaborate cold frames in front of the large glass greenhouses. But then again that is from a rich country estate, and no every day cottage gardener would have access to such things back then. But today, yes just about everyone can use the Victorian methods of extending growing seasons and pushing the boundaries of plants.
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Old February 24th, 2009, 08:51 PM
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When we used to plant most of our beds with annuals, and it used to take flats and flats of annuals to plant my gardens, I grew my own from seed. We had one of the bedrooms upstairs converted into a grow room with a huge double decker table and 8 4ft florescent light fixtures. I grew mostly flowers like geraniums and impatients from seed. They had to be started around Christmas time. The lights had to be adjustable so they could be kept no more than 4 or 5 inches away from the top of the plants so they wouldn't get leggy. Tomatoes you start no sooner than 4 - 6 weeks before your last frost date, they get big and leggy fast. Other annuals 6 - 8 weeks before your last frost date. Perrenials can be fun as well, I grew hens and chickens, asters, poppies, etc. You have to be dedicated to properly feeding and watering and controlling their light conditions if you start seeds indoors. Then they have to be hardened off properly before planting outside or the cool spring winds and direct sun will kill them quickly.
I never had any luck trying to start seeds in a window sill.
I've never had any luck. It's really rewarding to grow your own. To watch those tiny little seeds become these beautiful healthy plants and then plant them out in your own garden is wonderful.

Cindy
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Old March 4th, 2009, 11:07 AM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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Originally Posted by 14+kitties View Post
Did I give you instructions with your seeds? If not remind me what ones I gave you and I will see what I can do. Another brain blip!
Nope no instructions, the following is what you gave me:

White Dianthus
Purple Balloon Flower
Rose Campion - colour unknown - hope they are the magenta ones
Coreopsis - which kind
Purple Phlox - Early - how tall
Pink, Orange and Yellow Cosmos - I love Cosmos

I have grown veggies from seed in the house and then transplanted out, at one time we had quite the good crop but never flowers.

I'm itchy to get going
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Old March 4th, 2009, 12:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Chris21711 View Post
Nope no instructions, the following is what you gave me:

White Dianthus 6 to 8 weeks @ soil temp of 65 to 75 degrees before last frost. So around the first of April. 1/8" deep, cover lightly. Keep soil moist but not wet.Purple Balloon Flower - You can start it now. Press seed into soil, needs light to germinate so don't cover. Keep soil moist. Blooms 14 weeks from germination.
Rose Campion - colour unknown - hope they are the magenta ones Yes, they are. 6 - 8 weeks before last frost. They will not bloom first year.
Coreopsis - which kind Perennial - yellow/orange. Tall - about 4 ft. April 1st or there abouts. Cover seed lightly. Keep soil moist.
Purple Phlox - Early - how tall About my height. 5 feet.
Start now. Soil temps 75 degrees. Cover seed lightly. Keep moist.
Pink, Orange and Yellow Cosmos - I love Cosmos Me too! Best luck I have with them is to just throw seed where I want them. Cover very lightly, keep moist.They do not transplant well at all. I have grown veggies from seed in the house and then transplanted out, at one time we had quite the good crop but never flowers.
I'm itchy to get going
Does that help?
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Old March 4th, 2009, 12:15 PM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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Originally Posted by 14+kitties View Post
Does that help?
Yep it does, but I still have to wait for most of them

I still have the seeds from the variegated leaf Phlox, I will plant them and bring them with me, k?
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Old March 4th, 2009, 12:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Chris21711 View Post
Yep it does, but I still have to wait for most of them

I still have the seeds from the variegated leaf Phlox, I will plant them and bring them with me, k?
You are sooooooo impatient!!!
Yes please!!
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We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
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Old March 17th, 2009, 01:51 PM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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Another question

Pepe put my plant stand thingy together, I know the lights should be x amount of inches above the pots and you keep moving them higher as the plant grows if in fact they do grow , what would be the recommended height?
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Old March 17th, 2009, 02:01 PM
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Usually around 6 to 12 inches to get them started. Then keep them high enough that they don't start getting straggly. Usually only a few inches over plants. Here is a site for you to check out Chris.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/464/
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Old March 18th, 2009, 09:17 AM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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Thanks 14k . My girlfriend and I are going to Canada Blooms this weekend, we usually come away thinking it was no big deal, but go back every year, just to get into the swing of things
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