Anyone start their own seedlings anymore?

[mschrisgo2]

Well, I had lettuce and radishes going from seed. The birds ate all the lettuce- it had leaves 5&6- about 10 days ago. The radishes we’re doing great, getting more and more leaves, growing bigger- went out this morning and every single plant is gone! I suspect the birds again. There has been a raccoon around, but there’s no mess. Raccoons are not stealth eaters, they always leave a mess. I’m bummed. Last year I grew lettuce and spinach. Looks like I got nothing this year.

[herbgeek]

I have most of my seedlings in the ground at this point, other than some peppers. I was just so eager for this endless winter to be over that I started seeds way earlier than I usually do, and we've had a cold bitter spring. As a result, the perennials that went out have been so stressed and are small and some have purple edges (not being able to uptake potassium I think due to the cold). Not sure it was worth it, if we'd had a normal spring it might have been better. I potted on the tomatoes into larger and larger pots and finally had to put them out (under perforated plastic) becauise they were a foot high and starting to get flowers. Sweet peas did well inside, so I planted them out in March only to have to dig them up and put them in a bucket for a couple of weeks because we had sub freezing temps. They are alive and green, but haven't gotten any taller. So that was a waste - I wouldn't have had to pamper them so much if I'd just started later. We are jumping directly to summer starting today- I'm hoping that since the plants are well established in their root systems by now that they can appreciate the heat.

[rosarugosa]

I have a lot of annual seedlings: zinnias, sunflowers, tithonia, sweet peas, & cosmos. I think I started some of them too early; I have flower buds on some of my zinnias. I'm a little fuzzy on the hardening off process, other than knowing I need to do it. If I put them outside for a couple of days in a sheltered location, should that do the trick? I could put them in the gazebo or under the hammock where they would be shaded.

[herbgeek]

Hardening off involves getting the plants used to temperature variations, wind and sun. I typically put them out for a couple of hours at first, then over several days to a week, extending that time. And then there's the times that I rush that process, and wind up with sunburnt plants or ones that are highly stressed, and take a while to recover. Like last week when I was getting impatient and decided to put all the plants out all day, and now my marigolds are sun burnt (leaves turned white).

[happystuff]

My radishes are coming up, some carrots. So far no lettuce, but I think it is still early. The peas and tomatoes I put out last week are still hanging in there!

[KayLR]

I set out my milkweed starts the other day after a time of hardening them off. I also started some by direct seeding the same day. Just as an experiment.

[lmerullo]

I had radishes disappear, too !

I grew disappearing radishes, bolting lettuce and one sorry tomato plant that I might pull out. Not worth going to any effort for one plant.

So this year is a bust for me.

[pinkytoe]

I am still waiting to put most seedlings in the ground. Over a month now of ceaseless wind, high temps, drought and now fires. The wind alone would flatten everything.

[KayLR]

Ordering garlic today. Last year I got shut out.

[Simplemind]

I have all my cool crops in by seed with the exception of the sugar snap peas. My solar shed is full of my warm crops just waiting for the soil to get above 50 degrees so I can get them in the ground. I'm biding my time this year since last year was record warm and this year has been record cold/wet.