6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
My best guess from the info provided would be over-watering. This is a highly drought-tolerant plant which quickly develops root rot as well as leaf rot if the soil is not well draining or if it gets too much water. Treat it like a succulent - sandy soil (peat moss, vermiculite and compost all retain water) and minimal water.
Hope this helps.
Dave
Thanks for the responses. I have already removed all but one tomato plant in one of the containers. The other tomato plant (& cucumbers) still have multiple plants in one container.
Fwiw, I may take a picture this evening to show how they're performing.
I have 11 trays (370 cells) of various vegetable seeds I just started - under fluorescent bulbs right now & will be transplanted outdoors in late April. The plants originally in question are an attempt to produce a crop indoors (these will remain under artificial lighting - will be switched to a HPS 12/12 setting in two weeks or so).
Thanks. Guess I forgot that part in my post...sorry. I actually started the Green Envy's in the ground as from what I've read they don't take transplanting very well. I found that out last year as well. I started quite a few, so I think I will try pinching some and leaving others alone. Trial and error.
Have not & will not use.... the grass etc will add organic material to the planting of the flower etc. But will need extra nitrogen to break down the grass/roots AND there MAY be insects or disease that MAY be carried over to the new planting area
I've read about it but honestly can't see the logic to it. Not only for the reasons already mentioned, but because sod isn't nearly as cheap nor as readily available as is plain old seed starting mix and plastic butter containers or yogurt cups. ;)
It would be interesting to see a comparative study however. Why not try both side-by-side and see how it works?
Dave
IF you want to grow from seed indoors, then yes, some sort of lights, are required. 16 hours on and 8 off or 12/12 are the standard recommendations. Those who claim they can do it just using a window are misleading themselves or are content with far less than ideal transplants.
Most of us use inexpensive 'shop lights' - 4 foot florescents with 2 bulbs. They can be purchased at various stores for anything from 8-10 dollars or on sale for even less.
You'll also need some sort of sterile soil-less mix for germinating and to prevent the damp-off and a small fan is also a great help. As to starting containers, you can use just about anything and there is a long thread just a bit down the page full of suggestions for containers to use. Once the seeds germinate and develop their first set of true leaves they have to be separated, transplanted to individual containers, and fed regularly with a mild 1/2 strength fertilizer solution.
As an alternative, investigate the Winter Sowing forum for an alternative method of growing from seed and doing it outside. You may find their approach appeals to you more.
As to when to start - the usual recommendation is 6-8 weeks prior to your last frost date - info readily available from your local county extension or online. As already mentioned, gourds are usually direct seeded but in your short growing season you may wish to start them early and transplant instead. Broccoli is a cole crop and prefers cooler weather and can even tolerate frosts so it goes out much earlier than any of the others you list.
Check out all the FAQ's that exist (linked below) here for all the basic info and good luck with your garden. ;)
Dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed FAQ's
Hi Sunny,
Just a thought....
I have a seed starting mix that I use for germinating and then transplant the seedlings out to either recycled soil from last years containers or a different type of mix(maybe in your case a topsoil mix). I don't need huge quantities of seed starting mix because I use 4" pots for all of my germinaion containers. This saves me tremendous money and space for germinating seedlings....and I germinate many, many seeds.
Maybe this might be your solution?
good luck
m
Hi M. I just purchased 2 yards of potting soil so I have plenty of soil to use to pot my seedlings up in. It is so much cheaper buying potting soil by the yard. I use flats and put 2 or 3 seeds to each cell. When they are older and sturdy I then separate the plants and put them in larger pots.
Dave, I am just outside of Houston so bulk supplies in peat isn't a problem. Although I can only find small bags of perlite which is a problem. If I mixed one part peat to one part perlite then we are getting back to the expense again. I think it might be just a little cheaper then the premixed bagged seed starting mix. Today I just bought some more mix but went to Jiffy this time. It was around $3.15 per bag at Wally World.
Gardeners in the upper states have it made being able to buy Pro Mix by the bale.
We live on 2 acres so we are trying to raise from seed a lot of our annuals that we use for color and fillers. We are growing a lot of veggies for the garden to.
Even though the seedling mix is high we are still saving a lot of money by growing our own. Plus we know that our plants are healthy.
Thanks for all of your help.
I soak the seeds overnight and plant them about 1" deep. I put the whole thing in a large baggie which I open for a while every day or so to allow for air circulation. I keep the planting medium moist but not soggy. I also use bottom heat. They germinate in about 2 weeks.
Karyn
Calendula flowers quickly up here in north-east michigan. And re-seeds readily. It comes in bright yellows, golds, oranges. I think I saw it in a burgandy as well, I may be mistaken.
Zinnia comes in a variety of sizes and does best when direct sown where it will grow. The profusion series is very popular and smallish in size compared to many varieties.
They have corms rather than seeds, but glads are a must have for cutting in my gardens. And you can space planting so that you have a constant supply of fresh blooms.
There are tons of flowers that are great for direct sowing in zones 4/5/6, but putting them in small pots is a tough limitation. ....Kay.
This is what I've done and had great success with:
Asters
Marigold
Cosmos do well in 10'' pots
Allysum smell wonderful on a patio
Snapdragons
Portulaca
verbena
Sweet peas do great direct sown
Morning glories do well with something to climb on 10'' pot
Moist is more moist than cold moist air, think along terms of approximately how damp a handful of wet sphagnum moss would be after you had squeezed it well in your hand, or even a kitchen sponge. I don't use the paper towel method myself so can't advise you there. What I have done - sown in moist (not soggy wet) seed starting medium or commercial potting soil, container then wrapped in saran, or seeds placed in a 1x3" zip lock with a tsp of moist sterile sand or moist vermiculite.
Thanks!!!!