Michele - Good point about planting them right away to insure that they are already hydrated. I didn't think of that! That would certainly explain the quick germination you are getting!

Fred - I see that you number each cross, but how do you plant the seedlings? One cross per tray? Do you cut the trays when a cross doesn't take up the entire tray? Or do you mark each and every planting cell with the cross number?
BTW - I've never seen a cleaner seed sowing area in my life! When I plant my seedlings, even being careful, I still make a mess!

spunky1 said:Planted the last of my seed yesterday (about 1000)
I had already planted about 900 so maby there will
be enough germination to get 1600, enough to fill two beds

Fred greetings! I am getting back to the computer. Bet you are glad to be finished.

I was wondering what is the other thing that I see in your seed packets?

Humidity or sand?

beckygardener said:Humidity or sand?

That would be humidity or condensation in the packets.

That's what I thought. I didn't know if that was what Laura was talking about when she asked her question.

Michele, are you starting your seeds in perlite?
Or what medium are you using?

Wow Fred that's a lot of seedling! Not sure I would want that many to plant, lol.

Michele, you are in Florida. Does it make any difference as far as starting them now since I live in Indiana? Will they have enough time to grow the root system they need to over winter out side?

Xenacrockett said:
Michele, are you starting your seeds in perlite?
Or what medium are you using?

Mine looks just like Fred's above in the seed trays except I add sand on top to keep the fungus gnats at bay.... I plant in the seed trays and this year I used Sunshine Advance mix #4 and the ingredients are Peat Moss, Coir, Perlite, a Multi-species Blend of Endomycorrhizae. It's like Promix and comes in the compressed bales. I have used the Fafard before but I get whatever is available at the time I need to plant.

Cat said:Wow Fred that's a lot of seedling! Not sure I would want that many to plant, lol.

Michele, you are in Florida. Does it make any difference as far as starting them now since I live in Indiana? Will they have enough time to grow the root system they need to over winter out side?

I can't answer that for you about your area. Maybe someone else can that lives in the area. I really have no idea if you would have time in your area to grow the roots they need.

Okay, hopefully someone in my zone will chime in. May be @JWWC. Thanks Anyway!

Cat - You may have to germinate and grow them indoors until Spring. I do that even in FL because I don't have a sheltered area or greenhouse. It's my way to play in the dirt during the Winter months ... though we typically have mild winters here in central FL. (But we do get the cold wind chills from the north and near-freezing rain.) It also takes longer to see blooms on seedlings in your zone. Here in FL, we can plant seeds in the late summer and fall and then possibly see blooms the following Spring/Summer. I sowed some seeds late this past year (in NOV 2013) and got a few of them to bloom this year in July! But that doesn't happen in most climates. It can take 2-3 (or more) years to get your first bloom on any seedlings when you live up north.

beckygardener said:That's what I thought. I didn't know if that was what Laura was talking about when she asked her question.

I was wondering if it was some kind of desiccant to help prevent fungus. It did not look like condensation.

Yes Becky, I knew it could take a couple of years for them to bloom. I was just planing on starting them and keeping them in doors until next spring actually. That is what I did with the seeds I started this time that I got from the LA.

Laura -

Cat -

Cat said:Okay, hopefully someone in my zone will chime in. May be @JWWC. Thanks Anyway!

You rang???

I think it's risky trying to start them now and leave them outdoors to overwinter.

Let's say you started them in a pot, or pots. You're looking at 6 weeks or so to transplant (at the earliest) which puts you mid September to transplant into the ground. Indianapolis has a normal first frost date of October 7 and a hard freeze date of the 30th. I try to give established plants 6 weeks minimum before freeze to have established roots. Seedlings I would give even longer if possible.

Thanks James! I wasn't to keen on putting them outside this year. Figured Indiana weather is to ruff for seedling that small.

Since I am a total procrastinator I have planted them outside as late as August 11 . (I don't know why I remember that, I have a probably normal loss of memory at my age) That planting did fine, I've had very tiny plants make it thru the winter--even in a frozen seed flat on top of the ground. But my plants are old, close to species, mostly completely non evergreen, I have species crosses that disappear in fall above ground-- I thought one was dead one year and when I dug up the fans they looked like artichokes----completely dormant. Some are partly evergreen, I think Challenger and some altissma cultivars are part evergreen, there is one bicolor I think it's Caballero, that keeps it's leaves green until it freezes. I have started them inside under lights, but, these days I plant them late in October, outside and usually they grow. Again I am a bit crazy, I planted over 200 seeds of a rosea X unknown rosea in 2011. This is the second year they have bloomed, mostly yellow for some reason, tall, spidery and rather pretty. But, I never lined them out or separated the plants and I planted about 217 seeds. ( I found the envelope I had them in in .2011. I found it in a book, I'd been using it for a bookmark!) But frost can happen in May and September here and winters are not fun. I have no envy anymore of people with long growing seasons though, I just wait for Spring. Ido rather hate to see September come though.
totally dormant

Those yellows are flava, middendorfs, and heaven knows what else---seeds planted outside midsummer-didn't bloom til 2002-Weedy

Welcome back Laura, will see you in Feb.
There may be several cross's in each tray, each number is a different cross. I plant everything from left to right, there is only one # for each cross. I do keep the Tets and Dips separated. These are also separated, UFs, large, and smalls The tray posted are Tet UFs.

I have three beds ready to add the good stuff and till, this will be done sometime this week to two beds, one will not be planted.

Fred - Thank you for clarifying. I label mine a similar way, except I label mine with the parentage names (only 1 label per cross regardless of # of seeds in each row). I later give them a number when I plant them in the ground. But do place a label in each planting hole ... just in case. Now I just hope those labels don't fade (or I am in trouble). I also did a map this year (for the first time) of my newest seedling bed. I don't trust my labels not to fade underground. I used pencil on each label, but still don't feel that confident they won't fade. I'll see what happens in the future.

Your long bed areas look awesome! I envy the room you have on your property! I have more new seedlings that I need to get in the ground. I want to do another full sun raised bed, but am running out of room in the backyard. Wished I had more backyard property. You are inspiring, Fred!