| This is my largest garden yet, and in turn my least organized. I'm overwhelmed by the variety of planting dates i'm faced with, and many of these vegetables ive never grown before. I'm starting everything indoors,under flourescents, and moving out to a cold frame. I'm in zone 7 Approximatly when should I be starting what to get the earliest (and latest) successive harvests? I know this is a broad question but maybe you could help me w/ an informitive site or give me a safe range for starting seeds indoors in my zone. Maybe by family or even specific vegetable. Anything would be extremely helpful. thanks |
| is usually one of not enough space to accommodate the plants as they grow! Once they have germinated, most annual seedlings grow nicely at a temperature a bit cooler than the normal room, say 60 or 65 degrees. As they grow you will need to raise the light to keep it within just a few inches of the tops of the plants. Eventually you can move them to a cold frame to harden off or gradually acclimate them to being outdoors over the course of a week or so. When the weather begins to settle, somewhere around your last average frost date you can plant them outside. Keep an eye on them and be prepared to cover them at night if a cold snap hits. Seed starting is lots of fun and part of the fun is in the experimentation -- gardeners learn something new all the time, so don't feel intimidated. You might find some of the following general (and detailed) information useful: Seedstarting Made Easy at http://www.gardeners.com/garde... Seedling Savvy at http://207.201.7.73/nga/articl... Finally, you can follow principles of successive cropping and even push for a fall crop -- to work out the finer points of this you might look at a few books. One I particularly like for its schedules and suggestions is "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew ISBN 0-87857-340-2 -- amny of the techniques and suggestions work as well in a large garden as in a small one. Good luck with your garden! is usually one of not enough space to accommodate the plants as they grow! Once they have germinated, most annual seedlings grow nicely at a temperature a bit cooler than the normal room, say 60 or 65 degrees. As they grow you will need to raise the light to keep it within just a few inches of the tops of the plants. Eventually you can move them to a cold frame to harden off or gradually acclimate them to being outdoors over the course of a week or so. When the weather begins to settle, somewhere around your last average frost date you can plant them outside. Keep an eye on them and be prepared to cover them at night if a cold snap hits. Seed starting is lots of fun and part of the fun is in the experimentation -- gardeners learn something new all the time, so don't feel intimidated. You might find some of the following general (and detailed) information useful: Seedstarting Made Easy at http://www.gardeners.com/garde... Seedling Savvy at http://207.201.7.73/nga/articl... Finally, you can follow principles of successive cropping and even push for a fall crop -- to work out the finer points of this you might look at a few books. One I particularly like for its schedules and suggestions is "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew ISBN 0-87857-340-2 -- amny of the techniques and suggestions work as well in a large garden as in a small one. Good luck with your garden! |
