6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Yep many in the west use the Sunset zones instead as they are more specific to the various regions. Last I checked I think the zone numbers run up into the 30's - maybe more.
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Sunset Gardening Zones
I am perplexed this is the first time I recall reading about sunset zones. Looking at the website given I am in zone 41. I always wondered why I chose to wait till May 10th to really plant summer items and now I know.
This is something I will have to look into some more out of curiosity.
If you are seeing spiders they are regular garden spiders and no problem. Most garden spiders are benificial insects and eat bugs that prey on our plants.
Spider mites on the other hand do weave webs but only after plants are badly infected. They are tiny microscopic insects--You can't see with the naked eye. If these are seeds and tiny seedlings I doubt that they are spider mites. You would notice damage to the plant--tiny white spots on the leaves--before you saw the webs.
Heirloomjunkie: The webs of spidermites are from branch to branch. The spider mites live and lay their eggs on the undersides of the leaves. You can tell you have them by running a leaf between your fingers and if they are there it will feel gritty on the undersides. The reason they are so hard to get rid of is that they hatch out every 3 to 5 days.
Hi! I do not have much experience with seeds, but I will tell you that Black Eyed Susans in MY yard are like weeds and I dig out hunks of the edges from them every year to give away on Freecycle (with a warning of how they spread)- I love how they look later summer, but you really have to keep them in check - some might say they're "invasive" in a flower bed.
So, you could possibly ask for some on Craigs or freecycle and have a good chance at getting some plants.
:) Rachel
Sorry that I did not get this up sooner. My two little ones caught a nasty virus and were under the weather so no gardening for me.
Here is a link to photos of my bed and coldframe setup.
My trellising is conduit frame with netting it is 8ft however this year I will need to make it taller than the 8ft because last year the tomato and bean plants over grew the trellising and I had to add wood extenders with rope effective but not very attractive.
I am starting the seeds we spoke about inside this week and have set up grow light for when they sprout. I read about using a laundry basket in the hardening process have you tried this? I would bring the plants out for awhile protected by the basket for a week during the day then plant them and leave the basket over them for a week then take the basket off? or start them inside and then let them spend a week in the coldframe then plant and use the basket for a week?
Here is a link that might be useful: cold frame and bed photos
Ok I am back with more questions.
I located a book which tells me about all the different seed starting times... ie: In a heated greenhouse, unheated/coldframe and direct sow... it also tells when to plant seeds started in each area to set out and transplant.
However what it doesn't tell me is, How to transition into the coldframe from inside. I started peppers, tomato, eggplant, zukes, yellow squash, cucumbers and the flowers inside and everything is growing like crazy almost everything is starting to get its second set of leaves. The plants that are the biggest I would like to start moving to the coldframe. Do I need to harden them off away from the sun first before putting them in? Because the sun would be to strong through the plastic?
Yesterday I tried to set out a flat in indirect sun that had the cucumbers and zukes and sweat pea flowers on it for a few hours. The cucumbers instantly did not like it. That is what prompted me to locate the book. The book stated that the cucumbers wont want to be outside until a stable 60 degree temp is reached.
I thought maybe I would put the zukes and sweat peas out in the coldframe under a clothes basket. Do I leave the frame closed and vented? Or open it up like I have been doing for the flowers that I started in pots? If I do the clothes basket thing can I just set them out and leave them out overnight as well and just begin to take the basket off more each day?
I need some guidance on how to get all these guys out to the frame before they take over my basement.
The book states:
Tomato coldframe middle of May
Peppers " early June
Eggplant " early May
Squash " end of May early June
Zuke " end of May
Cucumbers " end of May early June
Direct sow the Beans in May
I also have this problem. Green aphids on my indoor pepper and eggplant seedlings. Somewhere on this site I read an idea to wrap a small piece of masking tape around something and lift the aphids off. I use a q-tip and just throw it out. This has been working pretty well, though I have to do it every day or two.
I've heard some people say it takes as long as two weeks. I have simple stuff - tomatoes, peppers, chard, onions, and morning glories. Will a week do for these? I'm so worried that I will screw up this part and all my work will go to waste.
Kim
no, not at all 3 or 4 days....maybe 5.
You will see them stand tall and hold up against the wind and not shy away from sun.
I place them in the shade and out of the wind all day my firstday. Then they get filtered sunlight in the morning (and a bit of wind) on the second day and back in the shade from 9am till dusk. Then they get dawn till noon sun the third day and depending on how they do during the am sun and mid day sun they are ready for their first full day in the elements by their 4th or 5th day.
My hollyhocks really looked shabby from the wind on their second day because I left them out too long, but in two days they were study and looking for the sunlight again.
Keriann~
Yes you are probably overwatering. Miracle grow potting soil is mostly peat and peat holds the water. I don't like peat pots either. They would have to be peeled off the plant before you plant because they do not decompose like they are supposed to do. They also retain too much water
Once a plant has germinated they don't have to be kept moist like they were when they were germinating. In fact keeping them wet is a sure way to invite trouble. Wait until they dry out a bit and then bottom water. Wait until they dry out at LEAST half way and then bottom water. When you water depends on the size of the plant and the size of the pot. A pot needing water will be light. You'll see how much heavier it is after you water.
To bottom water--set the pots in a shallow dish that has water in it. Wait until the soil darkens a bit on top. Then remove the pots and let the excess water drip out. Now your plants are thououghly watered and can wait a good while before you do it again.
Letting a plant dry encourages the roots to go deep in search of moisture, so you have a better root system and a healthier plant. Over watered plants are weak and have a poor root system, not to mention inviting diseases like damp off and root rot to set in.
In your zone and in an uninsulated container, I would imagine the seeds froze. The embryo cells would then have ruptured when it thawed killing the seed. I honestly doubt you'll get any germination. But yes, if you want to continue the experiment, keep the soil moist but not wet.
Once the soil temp in the container is consistently up to 40 you should see germination with 10-14 days. If not then it's time to move on. ;)
Dave
Nice! These are really similar to morning glories, right? They look a lot alike, aside from the color. I just had a few morning glories sprout, and was amazed how fast they grew. In just three days, they were the same height as the tomato plants that had been growing for two weeks. I can't wait to see the flowers!
Kim
Hi Kim,
Yep! They are very similar to morning glories except for the flower size and they are fragrant! They smell wonderful! What color are your morning glories? I planted mine outside the same day I started the moonflowers inside. The MGs I'm growing are Burpee's Best Mix (purples. pinks and white) and Heavenly Blue (also Burpee).
Brad AKA Moonwolf
Keriann- Your dad was a smart man; he could have bought a new lawnmower every year and still come out way ahead! Horses are great, but showing is expensive.
Nutsaboutflowers- uh huh, suuuuure you were. Just lights. Mmmhmmm. Just kidding. :) My husband keeps telling me I'm going to get a visit from the cops to see what I'm growing with all my lights. Oh, and my hydroponics store smells weird too- they sell these really strong odor-absorber air freshener things. Gee whiz, I wonder why a gardening store would have such a big display of air fresheners?? I was thinking when I was there that if I was a cop, I'd sit outside that place all day and see who their big customers were... :)
Thank you also for your replies, sleepy33 and oilpainter!
To sleepy33 --
Interestingly enough, I started my "unique" method of watering after being dissatisfied by regular bottom-watering, as you described. My problem is that my seedlings are growing in my crawl space (which is finished, if you can believe that)! But it's still probably a breeding ground for mold. So when I bottom-watered the cells until the top of the soil started becoming moist, they wouldn't dry out fast enough in time to prevent mold growth. Mold sprouts in that darn crawl space in a matter of, like, 12 hours. It's ridiculous! Even a fan doesn't seem to help.
So I started using the spray bottle, because I knew it would saturate the bottom layer of soil quickly (and hopefully seep upward gently after the watering) and never reach the topmost layer of soil. So far it's worked pretty well -- I haven't seen too much mold in a while. But I realize I'm also no expert!
Do you think that if I maintain my current watering system, but simply start watering less (until a substantial chunk of soil is dry), that I might be successful in preventing root rot or any other maladies? I'm just so afraid to go back to the "normal" method of bottom-watering, because it only led to mounds of mold in my seedling trays. :(
And oilpainter --
Yes, I made sure to water first before fertilizing. Luckily I knew that much! lol.
Thanks again to all three of you for your advice. If you have any other thoughts, please share! And I'll definitely keep you updated. :)
I suppose it would work, if you want the rows that close together and have very soft soil. I wouldn't like my rows that close together. 2 1/2 inches is not very far away to put the rows for some seeds. It might be all right for a few things like leaf lettuce, but I wouldn't use it for peas or beans.