Seeding starting 2012 update

            So spring hit especially early this year.  Or at least if you want to call it spring.  I can’t remember ever having 90 in March.  We usually open our pool in April as soon as tax season ends so that we’ve got it open for the first 80 degree day.  Only this year Mother Nature decided to throw us for a loop.  March is a little early for the pool even for me.  I don’t use heat mats on my seeds so sometimes it takes a little longer.  I’m also really good at not conditioning my sprouts.  I’ll start them inside and then just throw them to the wolves.  Typically my seedlings go straight from inside to the garden.  It’s not like I don’t know they should have some time to readjust, but frankly there’s just too many of them.  We can get frost all the way until mid may here, and with them going in the ground for Memorial Day typically I never get around it moving them.  Well this year I decided to try to take advantage of the extra warm weather that we were getting and moved them all out to the driveway so that they could get all the extra heat from the black top. 

            Two problems with this.  1. Way more watering then I’m use to so oops some of them dried out way too much (tomatoes took a hit so they got reseeded).  2. Still early in the season so a couple nights it dropped down into the 30’s.  Well in the fall when that happens I just throw a sheet over the plants and they’re just fine.  Not so much in the spring.  I throw a sheet over them and the first night it was just fine.  The second time it dipped through the entire sheet was frozen straight through to the plants.  Some of the peppers didn’t like that too much.  So a bunch of those got reseeded this year.  Unfortunately I missed the fact that the ghost peppers were out there and they accidentally got left outside.  I had a few seeds left over so that I reseeded with what I had. 

            So not only has it been the weirdest weather ever I’ve decided to go back to what works for me.  Those seeds are staying nice and warm inside until after mid may.  Then they’ll go out on the table in back for a week or two before going to the garden.  It might not be perfect, but at least it’s been working for me.  I’ll get this right eventually. 

Update: So knowing that this has sat for a while it's time to let everyone know that the new and improved can be found over at www.gardeningfoodies.com I've learned a lot over the years and I'm super excited to share that with everyone.  So come check us out and see what we now have in store for you.  A lot of food, a little bit of bon COOK business and a sprinkling of gardening to bring everything together.  Or just check out our growing community over at www.gardeningfoodies.com/fbgroup Can't wait to see you there and catch up.