Starting Cool Season Veggies Indoors

[Anonymous]

Hello, Can someone provide so do and don'ts of best way to start cool season veggies indoors such as lettuce, spinach, kalorabis? My questions are...what sort of containers do you usually use for the seeds? Do you just put on a window sill? Any best practices? Start now? Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello, Can someone provide so do and don'ts of best way to start cool season veggies indoors such as lettuce, spinach, kalorabis? My questions are...what sort of containers do you usually use for the seeds? Do you just put on a window sill? Any best practices? Start now? Thanks

OP here. Another question I have is...do you use like bagged potting soil to start your seeds? Something else? Thanks

[Anonymous]

Following!

I'm going to try gardening for the first time this year.

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

I have a lamp, and heating pad and start in small 1 inch cube try (it has many cubes) as they get bigger, i move to bigger planters, and when large enough and warm enough i plant outside. It is very easy and relaxing.

yes, a good potting soil is needed, i mix mine with a few things in a big pot then add enough to fill each cube.

[Anonymous]

There are many Youtubers that can help you. I started seeds indoors about 4 years ago and my go to was Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden). He's in Md, so same zone as DMV.

My Urban backyard garden supplies me with about 70% of the food I eat. I learned everything from YT.

I can provide you so much info, but honestly, watch a few videos. Others I like are OurStoneyAcres, Epic Gardening, and GardenerScott.

If you have specific questions after watching the videos, come back and I'll share everything I've been doing to start seeds successfully indoors.
BTW, you have plenty of time for Summer crops, but we are getting close to cutoff for Spring.
Have fun!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are many Youtubers that can help you. I started seeds indoors about 4 years ago and my go to was Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden). He's in Md, so same zone as DMV.

My Urban backyard garden supplies me with about 70% of the food I eat. I learned everything from YT.

I can provide you so much info, but honestly, watch a few videos. Others I like are OurStoneyAcres, Epic Gardening, and GardenerScott.

If you have specific questions after watching the videos, come back and I'll share everything I've been doing to start seeds successfully indoors.
BTW, you have plenty of time for Summer crops, but we are getting close to cutoff for Spring.
Have fun!!!!

By cut off, do you mean the cut off to start plants inside or the cut off to put the pre-started plant in the ground outside?

[Anonymous]

The hardest part about starting indoor seedling is getting the light right so they don't go leggy on you.

Also, some seem to do really well, but are stunted without you realizing it, so they never produce outside. This isn't to say, don't try, just know that if they don't produce, it was likely this.

[Anonymous]

The University of MD extension has a great planting calendar for this region:

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/vegetable-planting-calendar/

[Anonymous]

You can start broccoli, cabbage and onion starts indoors right now. Put the broccoli and onions in the ground in April, and the cabbage mid march to April.

Kholrabi -- direct sew in April, don't start indoors.

Head lettuce you can start indoor starting in March, but the rest of the lettuces and spinach you should just plant from seed outdoors in mid March through April.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are many Youtubers that can help you. I started seeds indoors about 4 years ago and my go to was Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden). He's in Md, so same zone as DMV.

My Urban backyard garden supplies me with about 70% of the food I eat. I learned everything from YT.

I can provide you so much info, but honestly, watch a few videos. Others I like are OurStoneyAcres, Epic Gardening, and GardenerScott.

If you have specific questions after watching the videos, come back and I'll share everything I've been doing to start seeds successfully indoors.
BTW, you have plenty of time for Summer crops, but we are getting close to cutoff for Spring.
Have fun!!!!

By cut off, do you mean the cut off to start plants inside or the cut off to put the pre-started plant in the ground outside?

Cut off to start seeds indoors and then take them outside as seedlings when they are large enough. I'm actually starting mine tonight (about 3 weeks later than I normally do), therefore I'm also putting some seeds directly in the garden outside. Lettuce is quick but brassicas take a long time and you want to give them time to mature before it gets hot.

[Anonymous]

So I went to Merrifield Garden center and they recommended a tray of individual cups that I can start my seeds in...Spinach and cutting lettuce. Do I need a clear plastic cover for it as well? They didn't mention this at the center but I'm thinking it will be helpful. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I went to Merrifield Garden center and they recommended a tray of individual cups that I can start my seeds in...Spinach and cutting lettuce. Do I need a clear plastic cover for it as well? They didn't mention this at the center but I'm thinking it will be helpful. Any thoughts?

You should have something that covers it, but is vented. It helps with the humidity, which helps with germination.