Who plants a vegatable garden?

[mydaddysjag]

For those of you who start your seeds indoors instead of purchasing plants later in the season..

After you plant your seeds in soil in the containers, do you keep them in a warm, dark, moist environment for a few days, or do you immediately put them in the light?

I've heard to do it both ways, and want to know the best solution for me, as Im getting ready to start my seeds. If it matters, Im starting sweet peppers and tomatoes.

Want to start some now, and some in maybe two weeks so everything isn't ready at the same time.

 

[SaddleTrail]

I love this thread!! I came up with an idea that my hubby is laughing at but to me it makes perfect sense hehehe.

My kids have made it a habit of dropping off old fridges, freezers and bath tubs. So I am going to take them out back, take the doors off of them, have them layed down with the opening upwards , fill them with dirt and plant my garden there!! Since it is so hard for me to keep bending and walking, this way I have a "raised" bed, easy to weed, will keep the animals out of the garden and am being kinda green!!

I have a pink bathtub, that will have the strawberries in it and the other one I am going to use for the animals water trough! So much easier then me trying to till by hand or shovel and the trough will give me peace of mind about the animals having enough water!

My daughter is going to um paint the fridge casings hehe, I think it will be great!

 

[Bess Kelly]

Just be sure to have a few holes punched in the new bottoms (originally the back of the frig) to allow for drainage. Remember that excess rain will create a tub full of water........dead plants........unless you have drainage.

Starting seeds. I put mine in light. Keep them in a warm place until they sprout, at least for those plants who need warmed soil to grow when you eventually put them out. They will need to dampen off from that warmth to the outside temps over a few days of limited exposure first. Oh, if you are using natural light for the seedlings be sure to rotate them. A cold frame works if you are not in an extreme cold area, for many plants.

They can fail and is reason many just buy the started plants

But with care starting from seed is less expensive. Think little green house

and go from there....warmth & light, nutrients, controlled moisture. Some seeds need to be refrigerated to sprout well, etc. Hard seeds sometimes need warm water to soften.

 

[SaddleTrail]

Thank you, I remembered the drainage holes. I am making my lists so will have everything ready to go!!

I am changing my compost holder this week and going to use a design I saw on the website provided earlier!!

Ive got so much work ahead of me, good thing I am taking the time to make my lists and gathering supplies needed before hand! That way I can find what help I may need ahead of time like kids!!

 

[mydaddysjag]

We've almost always started at least half our plants from seeds. We've had pretty good luck, id say at least 75% of them usually make it, just wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to get strong healthy plants that sprout quicker. A tomato plant at our local walmart last year was $6, and with the amount we're planting, that's just not economical.