STARTING SEEDS!?

[canesisters]

Having terrible seed-dirt anxiety.
Worked so hard to get ready for this - and now Im staring at dirt on one side of the table and still sealed seed packets on the other......
Each day that passes is one more closer to that first Sat after the last expected frost.
Got my little plastic greenhouse - all full of seed starter dirt.
Got a table set in the spare room - in front of a south/west facing window.
Got the top of the fridge cleaned off.
Cant seem to actually stick a seed in the dirt..............

What if they dont sprout? What if I screw it up? What if its too deep or not deep enough? Too wet? Too dry? What if they DO sprout.. and then die???


Deep breaths... its ok... just stick one in the dirt.....

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

Having terrible seed-dirt anxiety.
Worked so hard to get ready for this - and now Im staring at dirt on one side of the table and still sealed seed packets on the other......
Each day that passes is one more closer to that first Sat after the last expected frost.
Got my little plastic greenhouse - all full of seed starter dirt.
Got a table set in the spare room - in front of a south/west facing window.
Got the top of the fridge cleaned off.
Cant seem to actually stick a seed in the dirt..............

What if they dont sprout? What if I screw it up? What if its too deep or not deep enough? Too wet? Too dry? What if they DO sprout.. and then die???


Deep breaths... its ok... just stick one in the dirt.....

lets see if i can help you out with a few of your questions.
don't sprout? just plant a few extras in each pot and that way you help cover those that didn't sprout. if you have too many because they all sprouted then thin the weakest.
screw up? it's just dirt and seeds, not much to screw up here is there?
too deep? it just takes a little longer for some seeds to come up if they are too deep.
too wet? just let everything dry out a few days and circulate the air.
too dry? well, add some water!
sprout and die? probably a fungus. you can use a spray of chamomile tea spritzed over the soil and seedlings to help keep the fungus at a minimum. i'm sure there is someone else that could also suggest something for this.
i hope this helps!

 

[canesisters]

Thank you Chickie'sMoma.
I've got a few errands to run after work tonight - but after all the chores are done, I'm just going to sit down and get those little buggers in the dirt!
Yup, that's what I'm going to do. Put them right in that dirt. Uh-huh, no doubt about it.... plant them as soon as I get home....


WAIT!! Aren't I supposed to soak some of them overnight first?!?!?! Where's my notes!!???? Where's my lists??!!!!



.... a few hours later.....

ha-HA!!!
2 kinds of peppers planted (green and black)
several kinds of spinach and cabbages planted
3 kinds of sunflowers planted
little greenhouse/seed started sitting on top of the fridge
row
AND
calendar filled out: start this on this day, start that on that day... (o: Got a plan - happy now.

 

[897tgigvib]

Cane, may your mix be warm and moist, and your seeds all fertile

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i think that needs to be the blessing/mantra for TEG during seed starting!

 

[nelson castro]

Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) thrive in cool temperatures, so it's important to get them blooming early, before summer heat knocks them out. You can plant them outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked in spring. Chances are it will still be quite cold, but the seeds will be fine. To ensure the longest-possible season of bloom, start your peas indoors. Timing is based on the last frost date in your area. Once you have that date, back it up four to six weeks. That's when you plant.

Whether you're planting indoors or out, it's a good idea to break or soften the hard seed coat before planting. You can do this by soaking the seeds overnight in water or nicking the brown coating with a nail clippers or a piece of sandpaper.

If you start your seeds indoors, use biodegradable pots, such as Cowpots, homemade Paper Pots or peat pots. The seedlings resent root disturbance, so it's best to have a pot that can go in the ground right along with your transplants.

 

[bj taylor]

i have wanted sweet peas forever. i have some teen intsy starts in peat pots. been babying for the longest & they're just starting to act like they will go.
i've got some morning glory seeds soaking. hope they go too

 

[canesisters]

Starting corn (2 kinds) and tomatoes (4 kinds) today.

Newbie question.... does it make any difference HOW corn is planted..... Point up / point down ????????

 

[897tgigvib]

I don't know that one Cane!

How about you do the experiment?

Plant 10 of them pointed down, 10 pointed to the rising moon, 10 pointed to the setting moon, 10 to the North star, 10 pointed toward the south, and 10 pointed up. Other than that, make sure best you can things are as identical as possible!

Take copious notes! Create a thread to keep us all informed, get a federal grant for the funding

And then publish the results in the journal Nature!

I'm not sure if even the USDA has done such a study!

I think that's a good one!

Maybe I should do the same experiment with Beans!!!

 

[canesisters]

Marshall is picking on the newbie!
(it's important with bulbs isn't it???......)
Doesn't matter anyway - by the time I got them poked down in the hole, I have no idea which way they were pointing so my 'study' would've been inconclusive.

I moved the starter box off of the fridge cause I couldn't tell any difference between the temp up there and anywhere else in the house (cool). But one of the bottom cabinets is over the vent that heats the kitchen - and the vent is loose so it's WARM inside that cabinet. Soooo - into the dark warmth they went on Thurs night. Sat AM I pulled them out and about HALF had sprouted. The sunflowers were almost 1" tall!!!
I ran out to the truck and got the rest of the little pots and such and spent the next hour or so, setting up the table in the spare room window for the sprouters - and planting the corn and 'maters in the starter.

THIS is much more fun than growing compost! :happy_flower