What is everyone starting?

Last weekend I started my first round of seeds. I have some unusual ones and some common ones... cascading petunias, angelonia, snaps, osteospermum, delphinium, larkspur, heliotrope and salvia. On the "tough" side I have Candy lillies, Gas Plant, butterfly bush... I am sure I have a few more, but I would have to refer to my notebook...

It took a record three days for the Osteospermum to sprout! I am so excited... and the next round is this weekend.

So what are you all starting?

Here's my list so far.....
Lots of Gerberas (2-72 seed trays worth), diascia, cypress vine, angelonia, nemesia, lantana, and Chinese Houses. Most are up and happy.

Next round starts today.
God of love this stuff

Seed starting is one of my favorite times!

I've got a bunch of wintersown containers outside on the deck, but I have a few things coming up now under the lights..

1 flat of tiny daylilyies, a 2nd flat of sprouted DL seeds that should be showing green soon
a dozen early tomatoes, just up-potted to 2 inch cells
6 Adenium -- a first for me, doing tropicals from seed! They look so cute, and they just went into 2 inch cells yesterday
Genovese and Sicilian basil are nearly ready to transplant, and I'll soon be sowing more basils... probably 3-4 flats' worth
'Rose Parade' Impatiens are ready to up-pot, only got about 18 of them, but that'll do me.
Torenia seedlings and Lobelia seedlings are coming along, will probably clump-transplant them next week
Pepper seeds were soaked and sown and put on the heat mat a couple days ago
Tomato seeds likewise -- gotta watch them for the first sign of sprouting and get them off the heat so they don't get leggy!
ooh, and that reminds me that I need to soak & sow sweet pepper seeds! It's 10 weeks before planting out time for them!

lots more that I still need to do! I've been sowing most things in seed starting trays, then transplanting into cell packs... my "trays" are actually 6 inch plastic take-out containers (like the ones at the salad bar), with holes in the top for ventilation and in the bottom for drainage and watering.

I need to get some "baby pics!"

Hi :-) This is what I have so far, need to get my tomatoes and peppers started this week, almost all downstairs are up and transplanted.

Under lights:
IMPATIENS
sodeni
scabrida
balfourii
auricoma
blue diamonds
PETUNIAS
shell pink easy wave
pink sunshine petunia
cyclamen coum lily pad pink
clematis
carnaby
white ?
multi blue
jackmanii
white/pink center
red/unknown
lisianthus blue
COLUMBINE
hybrida 'pink bonnets' aquilegia
sweet rainbows aquilegia
caerulea aquilegia
chocolate soldier aquilegia
rosea SAME TRAY aquilegia
woodside variegata aquilegia
magpie/william guiness aquilegia
alpine columbine

candytuft iberis sempervirens
candytuft iberis sempervirens
candytuft iberis sempervirens
yellow pansy for Bev
rine gold pansy me
rine gold pansy for Bev
purple shrimp plant rose pinecone
brazilian fireworks maracas porphyrocoma
blue mist shrub caryoptens
verbena Mix
parsely curled for the flutters by
parsely curled for the flutters by
big maiden pinks brilliancy
tenuisecta verbena
sunburst coreopsis lancelota grandiflora
stokes aster
red potentilla
campanula mix
toadlilies mix tricyrtis mix
coleus oak leaf
corkscrew plant juncus spiralis
blue knoll chrysanthemum
fanfare blanket flower
gaillardia mix
wormwood / alaskan wrmwd artemisia tilesii
alpine aster
red cloak pulsatilla v/garis
snow-n-sumer cerastium tomentosum
corosmia Lucifer
white swan coneflower
yellow coneflower
sundown coneflower
rose of sharon blue satin
love-in-a-mist mix
love-in-a-mist purple
love-in-a-mist african bride
fanfare blanket flower
phlox vibrant pink
phlox mix
blue mist shrub caryoptens

WS:
pink dogwood
pink dogwood for sure
white dogwood
white dogwood think pink
white
white
white profussion buddelija
white profussion buddelija
unknown buddelija yel. Or white
yellow for sure buddlea
white buddelija for sure
rose/mauve Tuskegee Lagerstroemia
white crape myrtle
red rocket lagerstroemia indica
pink watermelon c.myrtle
lilly of the valley (5)
sweet buba bush (4) calycanthus floridus
red oak tree
red oak tree
fringe tree Chionanthus virginicus
raintree
indian hawthorn (10)
sweet shrub (8)
beauty berry
wintersweet bush (10) chimmanthus pracox
vitex
short balloon flower blue or pink
columbine blue
milkweed variegated st. mary's thistle
macrocephala centaurea
tall yellow primrose
c. joe pye weed
snow n summer
baptisia australis
wild blue aster
jap. Red maple dwarf
jap. Red maple dwarf
jap. Red maple dwarf
jap. Red maple dwarf
cupids dart
trumpet creeper orange campus radicans
miss willmont ghost eryngium gigantoum
miss willmont ghost eryngium gigantoum
miss willmont ghost eryngium gigantoum
hyssop purple
magnolia tree
viburnum wentworth
viburnum wentworth
viburnum wentworth
golden raintree
golden raintree
golden raintree
golden raintree
grancer greybeard Chionanthus virginicus
burning bush dwarf
sweet buba bush (4) calycanthus floridus
purple top verbena bonariensis
bleeding heart dicentra spectabilis
bleeding heart fernleaf
blue balloon may b some pink blue balloon may b some pink
campanula mixed
canterbury bells campanula mix
pink & white old columbine/pink&white
helenium autumnale red/gold
yellow star aquilegia chrysantha
westeria purple
lilac color?

Lots to go yet, I'm slippin this year lol Have 20 more jugs to do today after I get more dirt.

I've tried the gas plant seeds two years in a row with no success :(

LeBug
Wow
Where do you put everything??

I have 5 plantstands downstairs lol The WS ones are in jugs of course. I sell a few plants to take care of my plant addiction, yes I'm a plantaholic! Most of the ones I have downstairs are for me though, you know how it is you just got to have them all lol

I will let you know how my gas plants do... I currently have them in 36 cell 6-pack flats with a few other things that need chilling - hellebores and Mrs. Wilmotts Ghost. I kept them in the basement at 60 degrees for a week, then put them out on the porch to "weather" the weather. I put some snow on top of them before I put on the dome. Temps should range from upper 20s at night to 40s during the daytime. I will probably move them into the garage if it gets below 30 (tonight and tomorrow for sure). It runs about 10 degrees warmer in there. Oooh, almost forgot the Pentestemons! And the Foxgloves!

And I have lots of new little green babies today. 5 days in and almost half my flats are showing signs of germination and going topless! Woo hoo! Sure beats last year, by a mile! I refinished part of my basement to include extra light outlets, a new overhead flourescent (for me, not the plants LOL) and a cabinet with a basin. Of course the contractor took WAY too long, then tapped into my softened water line instead of the straight one like I asked and had to fix it, so I got a very late start. Plus I tried a new seed starting mix, and it just didn't do the trick. I actually got weeds in it! Almost more weeds than plants, and the ones I did get were stunted. Then again, I tried some new brands of seeds because I read in Garden Watchdog about my two most favorite companies having poor germination, and I went back to my old favorite seed starter mix even if it is mailorder and more expensive.

I got some Nigella African Bride too... gonna plant next weekend. Anything special with those, or were they easy? And sorry to be ignorant, but what is WS?

I only have two light gardens at the moment, so I can't get too crazy. But yeah, I know how it is! I have gone from 4 APS planters to 15, plus I plant some stuff directly into six-packs or larger.

I do have a bit of an algae problem with the APS units, though - they just seem to get too wet. I have a new type of capillary mat I am hoping will help with that, but mostly I used finely shredded Sphagnum to cover the seeds this year instead of just plain dirt. Don't know if that will help or not. We will see!

I've got Thevetia peruviana, Chorisia speciosa, Erythrina speciosa var rosea, Melaleuca gibbosa, Grevillea robusta & pteridifolia, Spathodea campanulata, Guiacum sanctum, Caesalpinia echinata, and Phlomis tuberosa...those are the ones that have germinated so far, I've got a bunch of others along those same lines that I'm waiting on.

LeBug, that's amazing!!!!! Jim

I'm really hoping for germination on the Nigella African Bride, I haven't grown the Love-in-a-mist before (I just planted them) and heard that they can be difficult, most of the seeds that I am growing I have never grown before so it will be trial and error. I don't really like growing what I know will grow, I like the challenge of it, besides our nurseries have the same plants year after year, I want something different!

I got one of those APS things on the way lol Can't remember if I got a 6 or a 12, I want to try those for starting cuttings in they sound pretty good, now if they get results! I just ordered it so it should be here anytime this is my present to myself this year ;-) I've been wanting one so bad I love Garden Supply, I have two of their plant stands downstairs, really expensive I bought these before I knew about DG's lol What kind of salvia are you growing? Are they annuals?

Here is a link that will help you to understand winter sowing (WS), you sow seeds in a jug or whatever wait until spring and you have plants! I hopw it works.

http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/DataBase.html

Jim, We’ll see if they all come up lol I’ve still got a lot more to go to WS and a few downstairs to go yet, not all of my seeds have germinated downstairs yet but most of them have, I’m getting ready to do tomatoes and peppers now, then a few more flowers.

Oh man! I planted 3 seed trays of the love in a mist downstairs! So it's the transplanting that is dificult, oh well plant and learn lol I've already used all of my seeds up maybe next year. Thanks nannybee :)

Tomoatoes for me this Sunday. This will be my first year without the windowsill, I got some grow lights.

Love in a mist is easy to grow but doesn't like to be transplanted. Just direct sow them where you want them and they'll do fine. They'll self seed and you'll have plants for years to come. I noticed some coming up a few days ago in a pot that was next to where they were planted last year.

I like the APS units from Lee Valley better... they seem to be better quality. The styrofoam on the Gardener's supply ones seems to get flimsier every year, and I got tired of replacing the newer ones when the older ones held up better. I will keep the Nigella thing in mind, but I have found that if you take extra care when you transplant other things that don't like it that if you pick a cloudy, cool day, be very careful to disturb the roots as little as possible, and even provide extra shade (I use 3 sided cardboard "huts") and water well with a transplant shock reducing solution after transplanting that I have pretty good luck. Can't think of the name of it right this sec... I will check my bottles which are currently packed away for the winter.

If you've got Love in a Mist started I'd sure try transplanting. I'm a lazy gardener and if there's an easy way to get pretty flowers you can bet I'm doing it. My Persian Love in a Mist have keep going for 2 years now and all I did was loosen some soil and plant them. They have such pretty seed heads after the flowers have gone. I really like them.

Oh I will keep them and still try and transplant them, they alway say that about milkweed too and I have kept it in pots for two years and then put it in the garden and they are fine but then again they are weeds here lol Have done the same with a couple of blue indigos too, I'll take my chances this is a pretty flower and I'm just dying to see the blooms!

I have some of that Miracle Grow shock reducing solution, I don't care for it maybe your's is better Zarebeth. Let me know the name and I'll check it out this year.

Shoot, couldn't find it... I either ran out or it is in a different spot than it should be. Hmph. I think it had B-12 in it, though.

Started my impatiens today... red, white, pink, blueberry (actually lavender), bicolored Red and White, Rainforest mix and Butterfly mix. Filled a 72-cell flat. All except the butterfly mix were last year's seeds, so I hope they sprout. I put 4-5 seeds in each cell, so I guess we will see.

Zarebeth, you know I debated on those APS from garden supply for about three years and finally broke down and got one and now I saw that you like the ones from Lee Valley better I think that is so funny, it's like you wait to hear what everyone says about them and you don't hear much, someone on here said they were good so I ordered one and now you say you like the other one better lol Go figure lol

I have some B-12, I used it on a shrub last year and couldn't see much difference don't really guess you see the difference? I planted 4 shrubs last year I'm just praying they come back, very nervous lol

I've planted some peppers and others plants haven't put them in my spread sheet yet I'll let you know what they are when I get them written down, I had some blue knoll planted and only got one so far and the fanfare too I may have to plant a couple of more seed trays of these, I want a bunch lol Of course I'll hold on to the other trays for a while, stokes aster isn't coming up either :( I just looked and it says 25-30 days for germ. so it's still possiable I guess, I'm just so impatient lol

Here goes:

Winter-Sown:

Foxglove
Canterbury Bells
Guillardia
Giant Hibiscus
Magenta Petunia
Red Poppy
Sugar Snap Peas
Yucca
Zebra Grass
Tri-Color Marigold
Tri-Color Marigold
Tri-Color Marigold
Mini Hollyhock (?)
Orange & Yellow Snapdragon
Guilardia (?)
Orange & Yellow Snapdragon
Chinese Foxglove
Lavender Poppy
Lavender Poppy
English Daisy/Lipstick
Bells of Ireland
Bells of Ireland
Annual Salvia
Annual Salvia
Baby's Breath
Creeping Tyme
Creeping Tyme
Creeping Tyme
Lantana
Bunching Onion
Bunching Onion
Calendula Radio Extra
Bachelor Button Blue Boy
Clematis Radar Love
Nastertium
Switch Grass
Zinnia/Green Envy
Forget-Me-Nots

Under Lights:

Baby Blue Eyes Pennie Black
Peach "Daisy"
Burning Bush Pepper
Orange Daisy
White Wave Petunia
Red Wave Petunia
African Daisy/Mix
Dk Red / Purple Petunia
Creeping Tyme
Orange Marigold
Tai Pepper
Balada Pepper
Painted Tongue
Red Leaf Confetti Pepper
Orange Daisy
Mesembryanthemum
Burning Bush
Pepper
Ornamenta Grass (?)
Mystery Plant
Medussa Pepper
Jalapeno
Banana Pepper
Purple Spikes
Purple Daisy
Orange Daisy
Magenta Petunia
Pink Petunia
Yellow Petunia
Balsam
Wizard Velvet Coleus
Coleus Mix
Osteospernum African Moon
Red & Yellow Marigold
Burning Bush Pepper
Irish Moss
Pink Wave Petunia
Bell Pepper
Red Wave Petunia
Guillardia
Yellow (?) Marigold
Nicotaina Pink/Red/White
Million Bells
Pink Wave Petunia
White Wave Petunia
Penstemon Lilac Frost
Yellow Marigold
Impatiens/Salmon Mix
Irsih Moss
Million Bells
Pink Wave Petunia
Red Leaf Confetti Pepper
Cayanne Pepper

Since I gathered most of my seed from friends and neighbors (OK, and from a few unknowing strangers as well) I'm more descriptive than technical with my plant names. So far my germination inside has been outstanding and I'm crossing my fingers on the winter sowing as it's my first year for that.

Ion, I see that you're doing gerberas. Have you grown them before? I have some seed but am rather intimidated to try it. Can you give me any tips?

Happy growing all,
La

Lala_Jane, you've got quite a list there how many plant stands do you have? If you don't mind me asking? I haven't filled mine up yet but after I get my tomatoes, peppers and vines going it'll be a full house. Plus I'm planting some more flowers this week some doubles that I didn't get good germ. with too. If it doesn't come up in a couple of weeks I start another tray lol I'll keep the others for 'just incase' and sometimes they do, I don't have the patients to wait, WS drives me crazy lol

LOL LeBug I too am an addict to all things green. I confess to having plants stuck in every nook and cranny, and with my small house that's really saying something. Last year I was only going to start a few things so I used a make-shift "stand" which consisted of a light propped up on 2 stacks of books....which soon turned into 2 "stands" propped up on books...which eventually turned into 3. This year I had a 2-tiered stand made to avoid having to step around my floor garden and I'm sure you can already see where this is going to go. A couple of weeks ago the first 2 stacks of books were errected and this past weekend the 2nd set was put into place. Oye!

Of course that tally doesn't include my huge 3-tiered stand that is normally home for my house plants. Last fall I couldn't bear the thought of losing everything to the cold so I drug in as many annuals as I could find room for, added yet another light to the top of THAT stand, and now have ferns and ivy taking over the living room too. I even had a few things bloom in the dead of winter which I thought was pretty cool.

La

My kingdom for a greenhouse! (Unfortunately my kingdom's not worth much so my house will have to suffice.)

I know I started out with two stands and now I have 5, I don't bring plants in just barely have enough room for all of the seeds that I grow, I'll probably add another stand this summer I use those PVC stands everyone talks about from t's flowers easy to make! It's just the electricity that bugs me lol I don't have any room upstairs, we have a very small house too and no room or light for indoor plants I only have four and they are low light plants we have these dumb old awnings around the whole house they let hardly any sun in at all! It's raining all day today need to do some more jugs.

I started out with 4 small 2-foot flourescents, then went to 4 4-foot shop lights. Then last year I bought a three tier light garden, and 4 more shop lights that I installed on shelving - 2 per shelf, four shelves. I have two mini-greenhouses... and I am trying to resist making those PVC stands!

I have 19 of those little big lots gh's and am freaking cause I read on here they aren't going to sell them anymore they were sooo cheap! Now I'm going to have to rig something up for next year outside, had a guy that was going to help me build a lean to against my garage last fall he brought the glass out of an old building, real thick and little bigger than a door I have four of them he left last fall but never came back hope he gets here this spring! Not quite sure if it will be enough room though. Those little gh's don't last very long the way I use them lol

You guys crack me up

If my husband starts complaining about all the starts in the kitchen, I'm making him read this! I only have 1 six layer stand.

LOL

Barb

We have a store here called "Fleet Farm". The prices are excellent on lots of stuff, so I go frequently. I pray every time I go that they don't have their big greenhouses out and on sale! If I hadn't spent all my money on plants I CAN'T grow (or find the seeds for) last year, I would have one! It's about 4x6 (?) with shelving and good heavy plastic, and when it is on sale it is only $200. Then there are the Greenhouse catalogs who somehow got my number....sorry, gotta go wipe the drool off my chin...

Before I moved out to take care of my dad my kitchen was 18x22 and had long windows with a wide windowsill, I used to put my tomato starts there and they lined two sides of the kitchen, the police pulled up and checked my tomatoes out thinking they were something else lol I was living in town then.

LeBug
Are you serious?
My whole family teases me about that, but I can't imagine the cops actually stopping

Oh yes lol Here in the country the helicopters fly by a lot until they realize what they are, I have about 300 or more guess they put off a lot of heat on those infrared cameras lol

Can't wait to tell my family
I live in the middle of nowhere too.(Illinois) They'd have to do some real digging to find my lights.

Tha's after I put them outside, they don't bother me with the stands in the house they're in the basement.

LOL!

I have a list on my Garden Journal of what I've sown, but I sowed about 50 more things that never made it to the list. I have some Tidal Wave petunias that are literally 8" across and look like they have BUDS! Waaaay too early!

I just picked out about a million seedlings today and tonight. All my snapdragons germinated, that's bad. Looks like I'd have about 80-100 plants. Now what? I am fast running out of lights, although the weather forecast looks pretty good for the next 10 days. Not sunny enough, but the nighttime temps will b in the 50s. Not warm enough for some of the weird stuff I have like Bat-face Cuphea, but warm enough for the flat of primula and the flat of Alonsoa. And the flat of Alyssum. OMG! I have sown waaaay too much of way too few things. I need more seeds LOL!!!!!!!

Suzy

Oooooh, Cuphea! Where on earth did you get those seeds? I usually buy the plants at the local nursery... is it the "Tiny Mice" variety? I just love those.

Poor poor Suzy lol My pets. are always blooming by the time I get them outside but they are never that big when did you start them lol Do you pinch them? I don't really like growing pets. they stink the plant room up lol I only have 5 and that's the way I'm gonna keep it, I keep looking at all of the seeds I have started this year and wonder where in the heck I'm going to plant them, I think I may run out of room pretty soon too and I still have ones that I want to start in the house so I feel your pain lol

I've never grown those bat faces before but I hear if you have some light in the bathroom they love it in there for the moisture. I hope to have one of those one day a strange plant. When all my seedlings germinate and I run out of room I call a friend of mine and tell her to come get the extras lol She got a load of datura off me one year.

It's way too early to start putting them outside where you are I'm sure, it's too early for me so I know it's too early for you. You are in a pickle girl! You don't have a window to put some shelves next to? OMG Suzy lol I'm gonna freak out with you lol Call a buddy like I do, make sure you keep those snaps close to the light, they will drive you crazy, been there done that one! I'm just starting mine on the picnic table this year too many other things I want to start in here.

I read your post about the primula and I forgot to plant mine so I just did the other day I hope they will germ. for me I've never grown them before. I don't really care if they don't bloom until next year just wanted them.

We don't have Cuphea in our nurseries, they never have anything different!

Geraniums, ivy geraniums, lobelia, shasta daisy, zinnia/pinwheel, portulaca, gazania, capanula bells, tomatoes, peppers, centaura, and columbines. They are all doing great! Still have more to do. I am going to start some cypress vine, look beautiful although I haven't seen them around here much. Waiting for my hosta bulbs and japenese painted ferns. Have no idea how to grow ferns but I'll give them a try! (zone 5)

Flowerprincess

My cypress vine germinated and grew SOOOO fast. In about a week it was touching the top of the seedling dome. I started the red and the mixed. I love this stuff's feathery leaves.

flowerprincess, your ferns need to be in a moist area or where you can water them all of the time, you have started a lot of seeds :-) My columbines are up about 2" now, I love those plants!

Gott get off here early day tomorrow :-)

Thanks for the tips with the ferns! I have two greenhouses at work, I teach youth horticulture. I planted so many flowers last year I had to get extra shelfs because I was over flowing.
The kids love to take care of the plants, and get so excited when they start to come up.

I am so excited! My Pentestemons, Portulaca and Buddelia all have baby sprouts! This year is SO much better than last year... gotta get some photos.