from seed or buy a seedling?

[Anny]

I was just curious how many people on here start their veggie and herbs from seed and how many buy the little plants later in the season??

This year was my first year trying to do it by seed and I was a little saddened by the results. I'm not sure what I did wrong but my eggplants never got ver big, and my tomatoes well most of them didn't last long after being moved in to the garden.

I tried introducing them slowly to the out doors, and everything.

Any tips?

 

[patandchickens]

Some possible problems you might've had:

-if you used a seed-starting mix (or any other soilless bagged mix that does not have much in the way of fertilizer added to it), your starts may have run short on nutrients after they got the first pair or two of true leaves. If so, fertilizing with a weak solution of <your favorite all-purpose fertilizer> would have helped them.

-if you started your seeds indoors, if they are in still air they do not grow as robust as if they 'move' a bit, either from a light fan breeze for a while each day (watch they don't dry out!!) or just ruffle them around with your fingers a couple times a day. That will also prepare them slighlty better for the Great Outdoors.

-if they languished or croaked after being planted in the ground *despite good hardening-off*, chances are your ground was too cold. How long ago did you put them out? I would have thought that in Detroit you wouldn't want to put tomatoes or eggplants out til late May anyhow, unless you made special provisions (wall o water, pre-warming the soil, etc). (Eggplants in particular do NOT like coolth).

-I find they also benefit from some shade and wind-shelter for the first few days or week (depending on seedling strength) EVEN THOUGH you've hardened them off already. It gives them a little breathing room while their roots get over the disturbance of being planted.

Do any of those things seem to ring a bell? There just IS a learning curve, with gardening, and you have to expect that some years (especially your first few years) not everything will go as you wish.

My own tomatoes (and I've been doing tomatoes from seed indoors for most of, gee, I dunno, 20 years?) are in horrible shape this year on account of after the chicks went out to the big chickenhouse I stopped checking my light table as often (it is in the basement next to the brooder), and there was a Lack Of Watering Problem. Fortunately I caught them before they were totally dead (drooped over real good, tho ) and they should be ok if a bit delayed. But, you know, it happens

Good luck,

Pat

 

[bills]

Patandchickens has pointed out the steps to help your future seedlings. Good advice!

My first thought was the cold ground. Both eggplant and tomato's love warmer soil. Usually they don't always die completely, but it sure retards their growth. Did they get hit by a late frost perhaps? If your a late riser, it may have melted before you noticed it?

You can make, or buy, little "hats" for the plants, to be used when first set out. They can help the palnts from the wind, and keeps them a tad warmer.

 

[ams3651]

I start pumpkins, watermelon and canteolpe by seed in peet pots and buy tomaotes, brussel sprouts and others. And we direct sow corn.

 

[Tutter]

I start a lot from seed, but I also try to be prepared, especially if it's a colder spring, by starting some of my seeds in flats or small containers in cold frames.

I'm sorry you've had a bad start. Will you be replacing them with bought plants?

 

[Dace]

I start most of my own seedlings. There is a bit of a learning curve, just like anything else in the garden, we learn most from our failures. You have gotten some great advice already and I second it!

-I start mine in small peat pots with seed starting soil. I put my pots into gallon sized ziplocks and write the date and what I planted. This helps to keep the moisture level high enough to sprout. As soon as I see little sprouts I cut away the top of the bag.

-I also start on very low doses of fert as soon as true leaves emerge.
-I keep my seedlings in a window which I keep open all day (weather permitting..I live in So Cal, so mostly it is open) so that my starts get a bit of a natural breeze.
-I take a full week to harden them off before transplanting.

Try again and don't give up


Dace

 

[Buff Shallots]

I think cold outdoor soil would be a big inhibitor of growth. I've learned that, as much as we try, we truly can't fool Mother Nature. Plants just won't grow until the conditions are right.

Warm weather crops will sit and sulk and drive you crazy until that wonderful time of the season when the nights are consistently over 50 degrees. It just doesn't help to try to rush things.

 

[silkiechicken]

I think cold outdoor soil would be a big inhibitor of growth. I've learned that, as much as we try, we truly can't fool Mother Nature. Plants just won't grow until the conditions are right.

Warm weather crops will sit and sulk and drive you crazy until that wonderful time of the season when the nights are consistently over 50 degrees. It just doesn't help to try to rush things.

Tell me about it... I go by the strawberries... They are running 1-2 weeks late this year! I had bowels of them on this day last year... this year I have barely tiny green ones yet.

 

[sweetshoplady]

what does harden off mean?

 

[Reinbeau]

what does harden off mean?

You can't grow seedlings indoors and put them immediately out into the garden, the sun will fry them, plus they're not used to wind and pounding rain, etc. Any plants that can take frost are usually started right in the ground, so we're talking about frost-tender plants. You need to put them out in a sheltered area for a few nights (protect them from any frosts that may happen) and gradually move them into the garden after all danger of frost is gone. Things like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, etc - none of these can take any frost at all. These (and some others) are the usual plants to start indoors and 'harden off' before putting into the garden.

There are other frost-tender plants, but they're usually started in the ground as they don't transplant well, like green beans, cukes, squash, etc. Some do start cukes and squash indoors but you've got to get them into the ground asap, as they hate root disturbance.