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START BEGONIA SEEDS NOW, TOMATO SEEDS APRIL 1
The cost of gardening can show up in more places than just your checkbook ledger.
Recently, the cost for me was a week's worth of sneezing and some chapped hands. In December, no less!
If you've been reading this column since last winter, you may recall a discussion about starting seeds indoors. I've found it to be an enjoyable way to extend the gardening season and garner greater enjoyment out of the gray days of February and March.
One of the prerequisites for raising your own healthy seedlings for spring transplanting is starting seeds in sterilized containers. My sneezing began when I brushed out the soil mixture residue in about 500 seed-starting containers from last year. The chapped hands resulted from sterilizing the plastic containers in a bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts hot water). Rubber gloves are highly recommended for this procedure.
The upside is that now I have 500 very clean pots and seed trays ready for sterilized soil and new seeds.
So here is it, mid-January - too early to plant most seeds, but certainly the right time for ordering seeds and figuring out your planting schedule. Timing is everything because plant species germinate and grow at various rates and you want transplants that are just the right maturity for setting out in mid- to late May. It's a little early to start your tomato plants (April 1 is about right for those Big Boy and Beefsteak tomato seeds), but some poky growers like tuberous begonias can be planted this month.
Gardener's exuberance and zeal often lead to jumping the gun on indoor planting dates; last year I planted marigolds far too early and struggled to keep them watered and healthy under lights until transplant time. My brother - the legendary pumpkin grower from Section 7 of San Francisco Township - started pumpkin seeds this time last year and his plants had about a 1-month life cycle (the latter days of this cycle were not pretty, he informs me!).
Here is a partial listing of suggested planting dates for common flowers and vegetables. The numbers and letters in parentheses indicate average days to germination and growth rate for various species (s=slow, m=medium, mf=medium fast and f=fast). So start your seeds accordingly, and next week I'll review some of the cultural steps for starting seeds indoors.
January 15: Begonia (12s).
February 1-15: Pansy (8m) lobelia (8s), stocks (12m), foxglove, violet (8m), celery.
March 1: Petunia (8s), carnations, impatiens (16m), black-eyed Susan vine (10m), torenia (12m), onion, leeks, parsley.
March 15: Ageratum (6m), scabiosa (10m), snapdragon (10m), verbena (16m), Bells of Ireland (21m), dianthus (6m), salpiglossi (9m), vinca (12m), salvia (14m), statice (18m), broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, head lettuce, egg plant, kale.
April 1: Nicotiana (12mf), nicrembergia (12m), annual phlox (8mf), sweet alyssum (6f), tomato, eggplant, pepper.
April 7: Aster (9m), balsam (7mf), celosia (8f), cornflower (8f), marigold (6f), portulaca (8f).
April 15: Cosmos (5f), zinnia (6f), Brussels sprouts, cucumber, cantaloupe, squash, watermelon, pumpkin.
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PUTTING DOWN ROOTS:
A Delightful Blend of
Gardening Wisdom, Wit
and Whimsy
$10 + $2 for shipping
by Cliff Johnson |
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