8 or 10 weeks down the road

[digitS']

. . . Why oh why did I not chose to just get a job after undergrad?
. . .

Because, a little voice in your head was saying, "Don't stop! Especially not now - don't stop!"

And, you wisely paid attention to that little voice.

. . . I would even be happy if I could have rocks like yours to grow things in outside.

I first thought you were saying that you'd be happy to have rocks in your head just like me!

Steve

 

[AmyRey]

I have tried desperately to talk myself out of sowing things outside already.

The pear trees in bloom today are speaking louder.

 

[silkiechicken]

Pear is blooming! Better get the potatoes and peas into the ground!

Or wait... I might not be the best person to have to encourage you. LOL


Since I too have rocks in my head.

 

[beavis]

tomatoes in the ground and they are predicting snow tomorrow..in San Diego (the foothills and mountains that is).

well see how this pans out tomorrow

 

[Collector]

This weather is starting to irratate me. our last storm was so bad that even the local Air force base got a snow day.

Digit, I was thinking of starting plants indoors about the third weekend in March. Do you think that is to late, I dont have a greenhouse to move them to once they start getting big. I was hoping to just be able to put them out during the day in good weather and take them inside or in the garage at night.
I am afraid if I start to early I will have trouble with them. We live in the same area so you would know better than I what would be best for me to try.
Any tips will be a big help.

ETA, We are going to start tomatoes and peppers.

 

[digitS']

Collector, do you have a good south window for your plants?

Peppers, especially, benefit from warmth for seed germination. They take 2 weeks sprout, at least, sitting in the warmth of my kitchen. Then, they will appreciate a sunny window.

Tomatoes take about a week to sprout but then they can get a little too rambunctious in a warm house. They will stretch if sunlight doesn't somehow match the amount of heat the furnace puts out.

I used to keep all my plant starts in a wide south window in my utility room. The door could be closed and that room would stay cooler than the rest of the house. So, seed started in the warm kitchen and the seedlings hung out in the cool utility room until it was time to go outdoors.

Spring sunlight can be a real problem in our neck of the woods as you must know. I swear, the Pacific overcast sky washes an extra 300 miles inland during the spring months. The greenhouse gets as much sunlight as is available but, even in there, an 8' fluorescent fixture hung strategically from the ceiling can help over several of those cloudy weeks.

If you won't be setting out warm-season plants until about the 1st of June and starting seed at normal house temperatures: I'd say that the last week of March is a good time to start pepper seed. The first week of April should be good for tomatoes.

If you can, start everything twice -- That way you can better risk being optimistic about the season and how early you can get things out. If you are coming down to the time you'd hope for set-out but it looks like you've got another 2 or 3 week wait, you may only need to move one-half of your plants to slightly larger containers.

Things can get kind of jammed up during those final days before the whole lot of 'em can go out in the open garden.

Steve

 

[curly_kate]

I just rearranged things on the laundry room shelves to have more room for flats. I'll need to buy another ballast & fluorescents. If the weather cooperates, and I build a decent cover for the raised bed, I'll be able to move my cold-weather veggies out & get more room there, too! It's like a chess game, isn't it??

 

[Collector]

Steve thanks for the advice.
We do have a great south facing window, I extended the sill out about 18" so DW could start her annuals on it a couple years ago. It is in our dining room though so the temps stay around 70F.
In addition to our catalog seed orders I have not missed an opportunity to buy more seeds at every home and garden center we get close to. So we have enough seed to start a couple flats per week from here till christmas LOL.
I am sure this year will we will learn alot of lessons about starting our own veg plants. I just hope we have some living plants to put in the ground when the time comes fingers crossed.
Hopefully some of the pepper and tomatoe plants will pan out, it gets expensive buying plants at the home centers.

 

[digitS']

I just rearranged things on the laundry room shelves to have more room for flats. I'll need to buy another ballast & fluorescents. If the weather cooperates, and I build a decent cover for the raised bed, I'll be able to move my cold-weather veggies out & get more room there, too! It's like a chess game, isn't it??

Chess is probably too advanced for what I am up to.

Along about the 1st of April when I was trying to get things hardened off, I told the neighbor that my other name is "Dances with Plants."

I don't suppose that is very exceptional of me . . . maybe I can claim that name without an initiation or abandoning any other posts in life.

Remarkable weather we are having here: 10 below this morning.

Steve