Topic: What's the schedule for starting seeds indoors?

[duh]

With my move I won't be able to start seeds indoors as soon as I want too.  I was wondering when everyone else was going to start theirs?

[Dianna]

Duh, I have not luck at all with starting seeds. Mine all bit the dust on me last year before I could get them into the gardens...

I have problem with the damping off, I think. Didn't you post somewhere how to treat the seeds so that they wouldn't do that? I need to find the post again before I plan on starting any next time....

[duh]

Here are the solutions I've run into since I've been studying gardening.

Benomyl fungicide (1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!) to prevent 'damping off' disease.

try a solution of 40% hydrogen-peroxide, with 60% water, and sprayed it on everything.  This also works to combat damp off disease.

[Dianna]

Thank you, Duh! If I get the nerve to try starting seeds in the house again, I will definitely try that...

[Patty S]

Damping-off is caused by fungi present in the growing medium, so I don't know that treating the seeds will make a difference, in the long run. Besides starting with clean containers & clean soil (not the stuff saved from last year's pots), two things of vital importance to starting seeds is adequate air circulation & good drainage.  Keep your planting medium damp (NEVER "wet") & at a warm temperature that will encourage germination. After the seedlings emerge, adequate lighting is a "must".

Starting seeds too early can cause them to go leggy before transplant time, so I never start mine until February, at the very earliest.  In order to ensure survival, transplanting should not be done until the seedlings are well established (*2nd set of leaves, at least), & care should be taken to harden them off before their move.

*The healthier the seedling, the more strength it will have to combat fungi that is inherently present in garden soil.

[Dianna]

Besides starting with clean containers & clean soil (not the stuff saved from last year's pots), two things of vital importance to starting seeds is adequate air circulation & good drainage.  Keep your planting medium damp (NEVER "wet") & at a warm temperature that will encourage germination. After the seedlings emerge, adequate lighting is a "must".

I did it that way last year, but it didn't help me at all. I am going to try to treat the seeds this time to see if that helps me...

[Patty S]

It certainly can't hurt anything! (Are these solutions used for treating the seeds, or the soil?)  

This is what Sarah/bc told me recently... 

"There are many schools of thought on how best to prevent damping off. Each gardener has to find a way that works for them. I've heard of people using camomile tea with good results, too...and lots of pro AV people use the hydrogen peroxide on their starts. I personally don't do a darn thing. I start all my seeds in the compost I have delivered by the truckload. I had great luck in the greenhouse once I added a fan...one of my greenhouse books said that the problem is when air is still, the plants will use all the carbon dioxide they can "reach", and if the air doesn't move, they are basically compromised health-wise because they can't breathe."

I hope you have better luck this coming spring, Dianna!

[barleychown]

Duh, I start mine when I can't stand to wait any longer. I can usually put it off until March.

Have you looked into winter sowing? I think that method looks promising, and you start things in containers you could move with you. It would be more work, but some people swear by it. I must say the few times I've tried it, the seedlings started that way ended up my best plants.

[patches]

When I was working at my friend’s greenhouse we started planting seeds sometime in February, and I think we continued the process for about two months because different seeds have different germination and growing rates.   We are in Zone 6a, so we used the beginning of the second week in May as our estimated “safe date" (the last frost date) .  Then we worked backwards from that date to determine when to plant the particular seeds she wanted to start, so we were always starting different seeds at different times.   Actually, this way seemed to work really great for us.    

[duh]

The only time I've had trouble with damp-off disease is when trying to grow lettuce.  I have the worst luck with lettuce.  But I'll keep trying until I find the perfect lettuce for me to grow.

For wintersow I use my east window and I do have a fan in that room so I've always had lots of luck. 

Although I could do that this winter I won't because I don't know if I'll have an outside garden come spring.  And with the house plants and the overwinters I already have i wouldn't want to add anything to the present load. 

I've given away a huge number of starter plants and would still like to find homes for some of my larger houseplants but so far no luck.

So I plan to live vicariously through you all as you begin your plants come late winter.

In zone 7 I used to start my 12 weekers as early as January. 

[christy]

im gonna try winter sowin this feb ta march in a cold green house, already got biannuals in there i started late summer early fall.
ill prouble start indoors again this spring too, cant help it cause i cant wait, lol mothers day is our safe to plant outside ate, cause there isnt usaly any frost after mothers day,  i just cant wait till may!  soon as springs breaks in im itchin to start,

i had proublems with the dampin off last year n tried the proxide with water n it worked great, only i watered my seedlings real good with it, not just spraying down.