starting my seeds indoors today (because I am going insane)

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Ann on March 6, 2009 at 8:03am

We're very lucky, we're going to use the space in the picture to the left of the cement line going down the middle. It's quite a lot of space! We're going to let a few friends grow some veggies too. We don't have a very set plan, I don't think we'll do raised beds - when the soil is less snowy I'm going to take a sample and have it analyzed to make sure there's not lead in dangerous amounts. I think we'll have a flower border...I'll try to post progress :-)

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Permalink Reply by Scotty on March 4, 2009 at 8:46pm

i live in northern michigan also and i understand your mental illness (just kidding). wat i do is plan my garden and then i experiment mith seeds ive taken from last year just to get the dirt on my hands. and i do reasearch. i can and freeze to help feed my wife and kids so the more u learn the better. i hope this helps happy growing scotty

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Permalink Reply by Shawna on March 5, 2009 at 7:51pm

Down here on the NC coast we had 20 degrees and snow on Monday night and it will be 70+ degress this weekend, but last night we had a hard freeze!!!...It's driving me crazy!! I keep checking the 10 day forecast to see when the hard freezes will STOP!!

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Permalink Reply by Penelope on March 6, 2009 at 8:30am

Spring weather is always crazy. We just had 3 warm days that got everybody in the mood to work outdoors, then zap, cold again, and last night we had another skiff of snow, which was actually quite beautiful coming down in the porch light when my grandkids left after supper, once my eagerness for spring didn't get in the way.

Down under they're dealing with intense heat.

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Permalink Reply by Laurie King on March 6, 2009 at 9:08am

I am in Northern VT and have the same problem. We usually plant on Memorial Day weekend and if you count back 8 weeks I am not supposed to plant my seeds before the end of March. I actually put them in in February before. First off only plant a few right now and then transplant them into bigger pots as they get big enough. That way when you plant the tomatoes you can lay the bottom thicker part of the plant down into a trench and they root up the stem and make an amazingly strong plant. The top part that is out will get so deep green much faster than your other transplants and you will have amazing transplants without transplant shock. As for Cukes - I rarely put them in early I always seem to have issues with transplant on them.

Oh and as for the issue of cabin fever, come to Vermont today we are having a 3 day Flower show. I may go all 3 days. It is beautiful. If you don't have one I sneak off to the greenhouses and wander through there or draw out the plans for my garden or take a nap and dream. I hope some of this helps. I know how it goes.

Laurie (vtfarma)

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Permalink Reply by Kalyanii Kennedy on March 7, 2009 at 11:13pm

I can relate to how you feel-last year I started a bunch of transplants way too early and none of them made it because they grew so quickly and I didn't have the room for all of them inside and outside was too cold for them. I tried to put them out for a few hours of sun one day and then I got busy doing housework inside, it started sleeting and the transplants were done! When I got them back inside, I tried to nurture them, but it didn't work and they all died within a week. Very depressing, so this year, I am itching to get them started, but am using all my willpower not to until my area's last frost date.

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Permalink Reply by Nerdmom on March 8, 2009 at 11:07am

LOL, I know how you feel although I was able to hold back the beast for a couple of weeks more. Luckily I'm in a 5-6 area with a sliding glass window to the back yard to park my seedlings in front of.

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Permalink Reply by Cath on March 9, 2009 at 2:26pm

Suki,

I started mine about the same time. Actually earlier! We had a lot of snow, and I was going stir crazy too. I am not sure if I am having any luck-they were from last year's tomato and that is not heirloom, I guess! Oh well! I started my basil too. I also had a red potato that was sprouting and that is growing well. Do you know if that will actually grow tubers?

Going insane in the midwest too!
Cath

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Permalink Reply by needles on March 11, 2009 at 1:11pm

I, too, have started my tomatoes too early for the same reason, but I do have nice a southern exposure. I plan on using a fan to help my tomatoes grow strong and stocky. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Penelope on March 16, 2009 at 8:24am

We had a relatively warm day Sunday, so I planted a few peas, snowpeas and regular peas, and sprinkled cayenne on the area to discourage cats and squirrels from digging. I also transplanted my tomato plants into bigger pots in fresh potting soil. It feels good to get my hands in the dirt. I also started a few more tomatoes, Marmande, in peat pellets, and will see if the Ides of March influence growth and production. Spinach that reseeded itself from last fall seems to have been growing/multiplying under the snow. Volunteer lettuce seedlings have also appeared. The soil is still hard/frozen a few inches below the surface. When should I experiment with radishes? lately, no matter when I plant them, I get very few because almost all of them "go to tops." What's the secret to big fat radishes?

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Permalink Reply by chris w on March 16, 2009 at 10:18am

I can't reply to the radish question - but I had to chime in on the "I couldn't wait and started some seeds" discussion. I bought peat pellets yesterday and started 72 plants. Squashes, cabbage, tomatoes, hot peppers, cucumbers, coleus and nasturtiams. Might be a little early for nasturtiams but I felt like planting a flower. (I should have started geraniums but kept forgetting to get any seeds.) big sections of my planting areas are still frozen but I'm ready this week to plant early plants. I've got spinach and peas ready to go. Someone else will know more than me, but I think radishes need warmer soil than peas, etc. They are difficult to grow in our area because of the timing issues, I believe (and I could be wrong) that in our area we have a short window of opportunity to plant them before the days start getting too long.

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