Seed starting indoors

[Crealcritter]

I can't catch a break... But Time is on my side. Although I don't like playing momma to a bunch of onions, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts.

10 day forecast

I might... Wade out in my mud hole of a garden on Tuesday and set my seedlings (RICE) -:lol

 

[ducks4you]

I broke down and bought another heat mat. On the good side, it was $20, used to cost $25
Some of my Swiss Chard is an inch high!
I will be putting up an LED Flourescent light above the top of my seed starting shelving unit in the basement this weekend. It is supposed to have 2 light bulbs, but I think one of the ballasts on one side went bad and only one LED bulb will burn...sooooo I bought a 48" grow light for it.
I have a 4 car garage and the previous owners who built it put 10 ceiling outlets (and 8 wall outlets) in the garage, along with handing OLD (1990 vintage) flourescent lights, which have now all died. At Menard's I found these LED ceiling lights withOUT bulbs, 5000 lumens!!!!! It is like Midsummer under them. I also had hung some, but not all of newer LED flourescents with bulbs, but I had to buy replacement bulbs today for them.
5 are up and running, 5 are prepped for hanging with new bulbs where necessary.
The one oddball will help grow plants.

 

[ducks4you]

I can't catch a break... But Time is on my side. Although I don't like playing momma to a bunch of onions, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts.

10 day forecast
View attachment 30754

I might... Wade out in my mud hole of a garden on Tuesday and set my seedlings (RICE) -:lol

MidAmerican Gardener panelists SWEAR that spring grown Brussels Sprouts are sour, and they should be started for a Fall crop, to be harvested after the frosts. If your Brussels Sprouts die BE SURE TO BUY MORE SEED NOW (bc by August you won't find them in garden centers and you Might not find them in catalogs.) Then start in late July to put into the garden in August.
I have been stocking up bc I love those little buggers and I want to grow them and freeze bags that hold enough for a meal.

 

[Crealcritter]

MidAmerican Gardener panelists SWEAR that spring grown Brussels Sprouts are sour, and they should be started for a Fall crop, to be harvested after the frosts. If your Brussels Sprouts die BE SURE TO BUY MORE SEED NOW (bc by August you won't find them in garden centers and you Might not find them in catalogs.) Then start in late July to put into the garden in August.
I have been stocking up bc I love those little buggers and I want to grow them and freeze bags that hold enough for a meal.

Sour spring grown brussels are hit or miss for me. Some years sweet, others sour but they are so good I gotta try every spring. I also plant another crop mid to late July for fall / early winter harvest.

I don't know if you know how to force them to head or not. Take a knife and cut the top off at a 30 to 45 degree angle, this forces the plant to send out side growth (sprouts). In the spring I don't let them get much over 24 ~ 30" tall before I cut the top off. In the fall I let them grow as tall as they will get, often approaching 5' tall before I cut the tops out of them.

Being in the heartland corn country we have a lot of cabbage moths or worms. I have to keep them in BT or the worms eat them up in no time.

 

[Crealcritter]

I broke down and bought another heat mat. On the good side, it was $20, used to cost $25
Some of my Swiss Chard is an inch high!
I will be putting up an LED Flourescent light above the top of my seed starting shelving unit in the basement this weekend. It is supposed to have 2 light bulbs, but I think one of the ballasts on one side went bad and only one LED bulb will burn...sooooo I bought a 48" grow light for it.
I have a 4 car garage and the previous owners who built it put 10 ceiling outlets (and 8 wall outlets) in the garage, along with handing OLD (1990 vintage) flourescent lights, which have now all died. At Menard's I found these LED ceiling lights withOUT bulbs, 5000 lumens!!!!! It is like Midsummer under them. I also had hung some, but not all of newer LED flourescents with bulbs, but I had to buy replacement bulbs today for them.
5 are up and running, 5 are prepped for hanging with new bulbs where necessary.
The one oddball will help grow plants.

Never tried LEDs for growing veggies. Mine are T8 florescents, alternating 8000K & 6500k. I bought the 5 years ago and I did a lot of research on the UV spectrum and veggies growth. This combination seems like a good one for leaf and stem growth.

Onions are getting out of hand and need a trim again. But what they really need is to be put in the ground I'm growing tired of playing momma to them.

 

[catjac1975]

“Speak roughly to your little boy
and beat him when he sneezes!
he only does it to annoy,
because he knows it teases!”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
...guess so =b

Try some butter crunch lettuce indoors to set out along with the seeds. You will have early lettuce while waiting for the seeded plants. I find butter crunch easy to transplant. Maybe youu put them out too early?

 

[baymule]

MidAmerican Gardener panelists SWEAR that spring grown Brussels Sprouts are sour, and they should be started for a Fall crop, to be harvested after the frosts. If your Brussels Sprouts die BE SURE TO BUY MORE SEED NOW (bc by August you won't find them in garden centers and you Might not find them in catalogs.) Then start in late July to put into the garden in August.
I have been stocking up bc I love those little buggers and I want to grow them and freeze bags that hold enough for a meal.

Now you tell me. I have a flat of them up, ready to set out. Maybe they won't make here because of the heat, and start sprouts in the fall.

 

[catjac1975]

Now you tell me. I have a flat of them up, ready to set out. Maybe they won't make here because of the heat, and start sprouts in the fall.

I put mine out is spring with the broccoli etc. They start to form sprouts in September but continue until a hard freeze. Late November sometimes. I pick and eat. But when it's going to freeze, I pick them all at once. I soak, clean and blanche for 4 minutes . I put them in Big zip lock backs. I roll them with the zipper open a bit to let out the air. Like those vacuum sealers. They freeze flat with a bit of space between them. Then I can take out enough for any meal size. Last season was a great season for brussels sprouts for me. I still have some.

 

[Rammy]

I quit using Miracle Gro a few years ago for about the same reasons you are having. The seedlings came up and looked good and then they would look pale and weak. I used other brands and had different problems. I do not think I have the best watering system when they first start out in the house and usually dry out fast. I started using ProMix and no problems so far.

I havent been able to find the Promix here in the Nashville area. Can you tell me where online I might be able to buy it?

 

[catjac1975]

I havent been able to find the Promix here in the Nashville area. Can you tell me where online I might be able to buy it?

It is likely expensive online. See if you have a local feed store. Ours will order anything I need. A bale can be 19.00 or 75.00.
https://www.greenhousemegastore.com...MIspCCy-nU4AIVDRgMCh1SVA-0EAQYAiABEgJMaPD_BwE
I like greenhouse megastore. You might have a minimum for free shipping.