Ready? On your mark...get set...

[Rosalind]

Well, I felt all losery and broke down and started on the machine quilt. It's about half done, will be done next weekend--I swore I'd get it done before starting my seeds. The pattern is called Attic Window. I needed something to show for the long winter...

This year I have a 12 x 12' cold frame to harden off seedlings properly. Hopefully will work better than last year's method of "eh, I guess they'll be all right." Before the snow started, I had it lined with rocks and plastic bottles of water for thermal mass.

In the mixed-blessing news, I got tapped to go to a conference in New Orleans this spring to present a paper (yay, career) but the conference happens to be in the middle of April, just when I would normally be fussing a lot over seedlings in the cold frame. I can ask the house-sitter to water the plants and scoop litterboxes, but asking her to open the cold frame in the morning and close it again at night is a bit much. :/ Gotta figure out something creative for a week...

 

[curly_kate]

This year, I'm waiting until mid-March. I started in Feb last year and had some really leggy tomatoes

I've had that problem in the past, but I've got a full spectrum bulb right over the tomatoes, and they look BEAUTIFUL. And then when I plant them, I bury them as deep as I can, and that seems to help. Starting seeds is part of my winter-therapy. I can't wait; it's bad for my mental health.

 

[vfem]

This is my first year trying anything, so the fact I have any sprouts at all is amazing! I've actually had to throw some away... and my daughter accidently killed some poppies I had coming up. So I transplanted the 12 survivers the other day. My tomatoes are in peat pots ready to transplant in March. They have a little more growing to do before I'd harden them off... so I think my timing on those was good. I know for sure I started my morning glories and beans WAY too early... but was spot on with my Snap Peas.

Now to just finish the planting beds already. Little more dirt... some more pea gravel and I will actually be able to get everyone in the dirt on time outside!!!

 

[obsessed]

Roslind, I am in Slidell just across the lake from new orleans, What conference will you be presenting at?

 

[Rosalind]

Roslind, I am in Slidell just across the lake from new orleans, What conference will you be presenting at?

Experimental Biology. It sounds exciting, like there ought to be winged monkeys or hunchbacked assistants involved, but really it's a bunch of dorks in polo shirts standing around exchanging business cards and hoping for beer.

 

[patandchickens]

Rosalind, maybe it's time to pop for one of those auto openers? Like $50. It's not as good as doing it yourself but a lot better than nothing!

My started-super-early-to-grow-in-the-chicken-building lettuce and spinach are just up and 'hardening off' in the basement before going out to the chicken building. They'd be out there already 'cept it was -30 C last night and got significantly below freezing in with the chickens, so I figured I'd wait a day til I could get the bldg back up to freezing

Pat

 

[sunbury chick]

Pat,
Haven't heard much from you on BYC forum,I miss your good advice.Hope you come back soon....

 

[homesteadmom]

Dh tilled the garden up last weekend, now we need to add our old composted manure from our animals in & then he can till it one more time & we can stretch the fence back out(chicken wire) & add to it as we are expanding our garden this yr. For the first time ever I have started seeds indoors this yr. Tomatoes(up), cukes(up), zuchinni(coming up), yellow squash(trying), green bell peppers(nothing yet) & yesterday I planted watermelon, cantaloupe, 2 types of pumpkin & charentais melons. I still need to start my broccoli & cauliflower. Already have 3 potatoes planted in tires in the garden, they were sprouting in the compost pile when I turned it so I planted them & found 1 coming up the other day!! I will have to shade them over the summer as it is too hot for potaotes here in the summer really. We normally start planting mid Feb here. But will have to wait this yr as they are predicting another freeze & possible snow next weekend!!! Plus my tomatoes need to get a little bit bigger to transplant. I have been putting my seddlings outside in the daytime due to our warm temps this last week & a half.

 

[me&thegals]

Roslind, I am in Slidell just across the lake from new orleans, What conference will you be presenting at?

Experimental Biology. It sounds exciting, like there ought to be winged monkeys or hunchbacked assistants involved, but really it's a bunch of dorks in polo shirts standing around exchanging business cards and hoping for beer.

 

[me&thegals]

This year, I'm waiting until mid-March. I started in Feb last year and had some really leggy tomatoes

I've had that problem in the past, but I've got a full spectrum bulb right over the tomatoes, and they look BEAUTIFUL. And then when I plant them, I bury them as deep as I can, and that seems to help. Starting seeds is part of my winter-therapy. I can't wait; it's bad for my mental health.

Interesting. How deep to you plant the seeds? They're already under plant lights... But planting depth is another thought.