digitS'
Garden Master
. . . what if we start too early? This is an anniversary for me - February 17th. One year, I started most everything on this date. I can remember really questioning the wisdom of doing that, since it was something like -7F that morning. I've never started anything but the onions (for transplanting) that early since. What a mess I had that spring 
!
I'm in a little colder area than many of us here on TEG.
I've looked around on NOAA's Freeze/Frost tables (click) for quite a few states and know that the growing season isn't exceptionally late here. It is, however, nearly always - a very slow start. Our spring weather is strongly influenced by ocean water, about 300 miles away. All that water is on the other side of a desert (yep) and some very high mountains. Still, that cool air blows in here during the spring storms and lingers . . . lingers . . . lingers.
Until summer! Then high pressure builds, it gets very dry and sunny
, and night-time temperatures plummet every 24 hours .
We are all faced with challenges and our little seedlings really take some falls, some years.
If you look at the NOAA tables, it seems easiest to take the date in the "middle of the middle" - 50% probability relative to 32. Most everywhere, there's a 4 week period between the 10% probabilities. The early date, say: April 1st, is a 10% probability that the last frost has occurred. The late date, say: April 28th, is a 10% probability that the last frost is yet to occur.
That's quite a long period of time :/!! If you are at April 1st and all the long-range forecasts look like warm weather is here to stay - no problem. You may not have gotten the jump on the season but . . . who cares! You are good to go!! Or, give your seedlings another week to grow a little more and - out they go!
If you are at April 14th, (maybe your 50% date for 32) and it looks like you've got another 2 weeks to get outta the cold snap! ! What are ya gonna do??! Here's what the commercial outfits would, at least, be trying to do --- get the indoor temperature down.
You can't decrease the light, really at anytime. Do you want those babies to stretch, searching for that light? Nope. Can't do that.
Getting them out for hardening-off is a little tuff, if'n you got clouds, 30mph wind gusts, 45 daytime temperatures . . . you know, bad spring weather conditions! Get the indoor temperatures DOWN.
In our climate-controlled homes, many of us set the thermostat and leave it. Sharing the house with all of our garden seedlings, this temperature-control habit is probably not a good one. First off, the commercial greenhouse, with all that wonderful light (maybe even supplemented) will probably be growing their plant starts at less than 65, overnight. When they are heating with their furnaces thru the day - it is likely to be a nice cool 68. (They will struggle mightily to keep the temperature down in the 70's, on a bright, warm day.)
You are 2 weeks away from setting out and the plants are stomping and snorting at the starting gate - get the temperatures down to about 60 overnight and don't allow them to rise above 65 during the day. Sometimes, tuff to do but a comforter on the bed and a sweater around the house for a few days may be worth it. Keep in mind that I'm talking about growing conditions. Nearly every seed will benefit from temperatures above 70 for a good start but, especially with limited indoor light, limiting warmth will result in sturdier plants thru their weeks indoors.
In life, timing is everything. I start nearly everything twice - sowing seed indoors about 10 days apart. Sometimes, those early plants are really root-bound by the time I can get them out :/! Sometimes, the later plants are still silly little things when outdoor conditions are ideal. I do the best I can.
digitS'
!I'm in a little colder area than many of us here on TEG.
I've looked around on NOAA's Freeze/Frost tables (click) for quite a few states and know that the growing season isn't exceptionally late here. It is, however, nearly always - a very slow start. Our spring weather is strongly influenced by ocean water, about 300 miles away. All that water is on the other side of a desert (yep) and some very high mountains. Still, that cool air blows in here during the spring storms and lingers . . . lingers . . . lingers.
Until summer! Then high pressure builds, it gets very dry and sunny
, and night-time temperatures plummet every 24 hours .We are all faced with challenges and our little seedlings really take some falls, some years.
If you look at the NOAA tables, it seems easiest to take the date in the "middle of the middle" - 50% probability relative to 32. Most everywhere, there's a 4 week period between the 10% probabilities. The early date, say: April 1st, is a 10% probability that the last frost has occurred. The late date, say: April 28th, is a 10% probability that the last frost is yet to occur.
That's quite a long period of time :/!! If you are at April 1st and all the long-range forecasts look like warm weather is here to stay - no problem. You may not have gotten the jump on the season but . . . who cares! You are good to go!! Or, give your seedlings another week to grow a little more and - out they go!
If you are at April 14th, (maybe your 50% date for 32) and it looks like you've got another 2 weeks to get outta the cold snap! ! What are ya gonna do??! Here's what the commercial outfits would, at least
, be trying to do --- get the indoor temperature down.You can't decrease the light, really at anytime. Do you want those babies to stretch, searching for that light? Nope. Can't do that.
Getting them out for hardening-off is a little tuff, if'n you got clouds, 30mph wind gusts, 45 daytime temperatures . . . you know, bad spring weather conditions! Get the indoor temperatures DOWN.
In our climate-controlled homes, many of us set the thermostat and leave it. Sharing the house with all of our garden seedlings, this temperature-control habit is probably not a good one. First off, the commercial greenhouse, with all that wonderful light (maybe even supplemented) will probably be growing their plant starts at less than 65, overnight. When they are heating with their furnaces thru the day - it is likely to be a nice cool 68. (They will struggle mightily to keep the temperature down in the 70's, on a bright, warm day.)
You are 2 weeks away from setting out and the plants are stomping and snorting at the starting gate - get the temperatures down to about 60 overnight and don't allow them to rise above 65 during the day. Sometimes, tuff to do but a comforter on the bed and a sweater around the house for a few days may be worth it. Keep in mind that I'm talking about growing conditions. Nearly every seed will benefit from temperatures above 70 for a good start but, especially with limited indoor light, limiting warmth will result in sturdier plants thru their weeks indoors.
In life, timing is everything. I start nearly everything twice - sowing seed indoors about 10 days apart. Sometimes, those early plants are really root-bound by the time I can get them out :/! Sometimes, the later plants are still silly little things when outdoor conditions are ideal. I do the best I can
.digitS'
