We can have frost right up to Memorial Day. It can feel so far away. But spring will come........
Today it is -35 with a wind chill of -60! The high is to get up to -12 today. LOL
I should not even think of starting my seedlings yet! But I am. It is way to early to start mine. If I srart them now they would be two feet long, and falling over by May 1st. And still have a month to go before I could get them in the ground!
So, do any of you got your seedlings started? When do you start yours?
Hi! Actually this will be my first time really putting in an effort with starting seeds. My house doesn't get alot of sunlight in the windows, so my past small attempts have failed. This year, I'm going to get a lighting system for the seedlings and use that kelp fertilizer you guys talk about. I'm going hard core this year! Even getting a compost bin! Wish me luck!
I've got my seedlings started...I start my eggplants very early, since they take so long to germinate...and the peppers that will remain in pots, I also start early. They go in flats on a table with a radiator underneath for bottom heat. I turn off the radiator at night. I have an assortment of shoplights, halogen and flourescent, hanging in the room with the seedlings. Once they have sprouted, I move the flat off of the bottom heat and under a more direct light...if they stay too warm, they get spindly. Then I start the next flat. It works pretty well, and the lights keep my potted veggies alive during the winter, too, so I can usually be picking tomatoes and peppers all winter long. Not this winter, though...I left my potted plants out too long. Sigh.
My applegreen eggplants already have a couple of tiny true leaves, so I will be transplanting them shortly...Probably about the time the next flat has sprouted.
The radiator sounds good to germinate with. In the past I had a waterbed I used to germinate with. That worked very good! But my DH gave the waterbed away when we moved ten years ago.
I have never used lights to grow with but I know alot of people do. Who can give me advice on lights. I have heard you need one "hot" and one "cold" bulb but what exactly does that mean? owl
Owl, Back when I used to start seeds indoors, I had good luck with just a plain fluorescent hanging light fixture above the plants and it worked really well. I had the fixture on chains that could be raised and lowered, depending on the height of the plants.
Owl, flourescent lights tend to be heavy in the blue spectrum of light, so many folks include an incandescent or halogen or other yellow spectrum light (I use halogen, it helps warm the soil) to help with the growth of the plants. It does seem to work better than just the flourescents, although they do pretty good with just the flourescents, too.
Julesli, the applegreen eggplant is bitter free, smallish, and tender enough to eat raw. It is the first eggplant I ever ate that I actually liked.
I still use just the flourescent light that I rescued from the kitchen. Of course, I have a big glass door on the south side of my house so the plants get quite a bit of sunlight. But, if I do not use the light, I have to rotate the plants every day or they get lopsided and weak stemmed. It really makes a difference! I did have a full spectrum light that I used, but it burned out so soon, that I did not replace it.
Would you like to swap seeds? I'd love to try the apple green eggplant! I have some moonflower, painted tongue flower seeds, lots of sunflowers, cypress vine, a whole bunch of stuff. Let me know!
Good morning Catnip, Some of my old fluorescent fixtures 'blew' last spring,so this year,I just received two full spectrum lights from GardenersSupply. Whoopie! My Iguana(r.i.p) always had his full spectrum to help him digest and process his minerals,so this year I will experiment with the grow lights. However,like you said,it is still too early for most seeds. I'll be starting some greek oregano,culinary sage,hyssop and thyme pretty soon. Then the onions March 1; 3/25ish,peppers+eggplant+ Broccoli+ flowers ; Tomatoes + early lettuce 4/12. Have a happy weekend,franeli
"Maybe one of the secrets of survival is to learn where to dance." Stanley Kunitz
Posts: 892 | Location: New Hampshire Z4 | Registered: February 11, 2002
It sounds like alot of you are ready to go! I need to dig my lights and shelvs out of the front bedroom. I can't remeber what kind of flourescents I have, I think I have both the blue and the yellow spectrum lights. I need to find out if they even work!
Your eggplants sound fun!
Oh, by the way. My temp was down to -44 last night! That was the real temp, not the windchill!
