When do you start your annual/vegetable seedlings?

I plant seeds of perennials all year round but my veg and annuals will start get underway in the next week or so. I've just got a couple more plug trays to clean and I need to sort out which annuals I want for a long seasons flowering.

I think I'll get a move on with snapdragons, tomatoes, marigolds, violas, lobelia and possibly some dahlias and lettuce.

My Dianthus strawberry parfait and Spencer sweet peas which i sowed a couple of weeks ago are up. Dont sow the likes of the French/African marigold until April cos they grow very rapidly and i dont plant out until middle/end May due to late frosts.

Hello all you gardners, We usually don't get warm enough weather here in southern Idaho to start seedlings any sooner then the end of march.
Can hardly wait to get started though. Have lots of seeds yelling at me,plant me ,plant me. I answer, wait, wait
too soon.lol

I did put in spinach, snow peas outside at my other house in april. Very cold but ground not frozen. Love the fresh spinach. Mmmmm Spinach raviolis. spinach sauted in oil and garlic. Hurry up spring!!!

Actually, this didn't offer the real answer, as there are some annuals and vegetables that we can start anytime before
mid-April here. And in a normal year, which this isn't quite for me, I start some things as early as Dec. or Jan. because they will burn up by the end of June. I stagger these in case of late spring or early summer.

Hello Everyone! I have no patience at ALL!!! I have already begged my DH to move my Grow lights from our upstairs bonus room(which wasn't finished last year, and he started working on this winter), to his work table in the garage. I have stacked a few buckets here and there and added more plywood to it to make for a big enough space for all of my garden goodies. He just shakes his head, becuz he knows he won't get it back until the end of April or first of June. 2 years ago I went around to all of our plant nursery's (who all knew me) and asked for all there old 4" pots and flats. I also wound up w/ lots of 6 packs, and some 6-8" pots. I soaked them in bleach water and cleaned and rinsed them thoroughly. I like to let my tomatoes get a good head start, along with everything else. My favorite thing is passing them out to my favorite neighbors and family. This year I have soooooo much to keep for myself, I guess I'll be the jungle lady and not just the garden lady. I always start all of my veggies and most annuals from seed and that is one of my most favorite things.

Thanks, Traci S

This message was edited Monday, Jan 21st 8:07 AM

In reality,I should wait till mid Feb. but I jump the gun every year and start things the end of Jan. every time! I'll try to hold off till Valentine's Day...but chances are,I'll get something going here in the next week or so.

Im with ^melody^ have a hard time waiting!! I started a little container of sweetpeas! I couldnt wait!!! planted a canna also!!! =] Ok I will try not to plant anything in my biodome thats ready to plant-----oh dont think I can wait! Just one flat of ....anything!!!! =]
Spring will be here in NO time!!!!!!
born in May-not very patient!

I start mine in April. Any earlier and they take up more space than I have under lights before I dare set them out in the garden after June 1.

Today I started some Lilliput Zinnias, hostas, and Cockscomb from trades. I may start some Moon Vines & even Black Eyed Susan vines. It may be a little early but my garden club has a plant sale in May and I want to have plenty already up - with a few left over for me! I don't but many annuals anymore, since I have found Dave's and such wonderful sharing friends.

Planted some in the fall and started planting seeds the week of Christmas and will be sowing every week until I start direct sowing around the middle of April......vic

baa - what veg are you starting? i'm gonna try and grow some for the first time this year. any tips?

I have too many seeds and I would love to grow all but.. I try to start as many outside as I can. Now I have sowed some seeds just for 'fun' ..heh... But now I can grow little seedlings better as I got the new plant lamp. Just potted a bauhinia seedling and peperomia cuttings.

I plant some spinach and lettuce in the cold frame/hot bed whenever it suits me, it has been real mild here and I have had greens all winter. I'll plant peas and potatoes outside about mid-March, I put a tire ring around the potatoes and mulch them deep, that usually does the trick. I'm going to start some Canna seeds inside this weekend. I pulled the straw mulch back from some seeds, that I put in pots and dug into the ground outside in late September: Columbines, Dianthus, Daylillies, & Echinechia, and they are starting, but I can not tell about the Bee Balm yet. I 'm going to start the other veggies (for my garden) and some flats of Marigolds (for market sales) in mid to late March. I have never started seeds under lights before and I thought I'd give it a try this year, I have started them indoors before but in limited quantities on the windowsills. I'm also going to put them outside a little early this year, w/cloches' and small hoop houses that my sister designed for us. I still direct sew alot of seeds (annual flowers & veggies) in late April, weather permitting of course. Plus I planted Garlic bulbs in the first week of November and they are doing well. I should be starting onion seeds for sets now, but I do not have very good luck with them, so this year I'm going to skip them and just get sets at planting time. Then I do alot of succesive seed sewing during the summer to both stager and extend my veggie production. My Mother says that I'm an intensive gardener. So, I pretty much plant whenever. This year I do not plan on purchasing any annuals at all.

I'm with vic.....

"eyes"

Oh dear, perhaps I don't belong on this forum, but I have taken cuttings of all winter growing succulents, when the cuts harden off, I'll just put them out in the rain. This always gives them a boost if they have just a start of roots.
These will be ready to set out by May, looking good. I'm trimming off all the dead flowers at this time to make sure the mealies don't have a place to hide. The aphids have already found any new flower spikes, so I must start spraying immediately. I put them in a flat and take them out of the greenhouse, and use a sharp hard fine spray of water, that does it. Norma