Ragtag Garden - Choosing Seed Starting Dates
Owing to my complete ignorance on starting seeds inside, I've opted to put together recommendations from a few sources to choose the start dates.
The first addition to the list was The National Gardening Association's When To Plant Chart. Plug in your info (North America) and up pops a chart with indoor and outdoor planting dates. There are separate printable lists for Spring and Fall. As you can see, I'm using the print out as a worksheet.
I also splurged and picked up Clyde's Vegetable Planting Chart. This chart keys off of the Spring and Fall frost dates. Mine are April 20th and October 20th. They include a pretty extensive list of the dates in the U.S and Canada.
Clyde himself does a quick run-through of the features the chart provides.
The Farmer's Almanac has a Best Days section that is chock full of advice on when it's advantageous to plant and when it's not.
March 5th - 6th
Start seedbeds. Good days for transplanting. Excellent time for planting root crops that can be planted now. Also good for leafy vegetables.
This list is fun to just read through just for the activities it covers.
March 7th
Dry Fruits and Vegetables, Cut Hair to Slow Growth, Mow to Slow Growth, Castrate Farm Animals, Pick Apples and Pears, Wean, Quit Smoking, Potty Train, Perform Demolition, Wash Wooden Floors, Wash Windows, Start Diet to Lose Weight, Advertise to Sell, Buy a Car, Kill Plant Pests
In conjunction with the Best Days recommendations, I also checked the Farmer's Almanac Moon Phase calendar I ordered last year - props to Doug and Stacy on YouTube for making it easily available. This video speaks of 'planting posts and laying gravel', but I don't see why planting a garden wouldn't benefit from this approach as well. The next dates showing a 'cupped moon' runs from March 6th through 18th.
So, I have my work cut out for me in plotting what goes where and when. I'd hoped to dive into that today, but since I'm sporting a brand new, sloppy, mind-blurring cold...
I think I'll save that part for tomorrow when I'm not as fuzzy headed.
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Latest episodes of the Ragtag Saga:
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You got this girls
Thanks! I sure hope so!
Lol. I guess farm animals should quiver in fear of that March 7th castration. lol. Interesting charts though. I'm going to start seeds indoors this month. I'm collecting containers to put seeds in right now. I'm going to need a lot.
LOL! No doubt, although that particular process is mentioned a lot throughout the year. Not something you want to take chances with, eh?
Yay on getting the garden started soon! It's really hard being patient. Getting the 'gear' together is a good way to help.
You got this friend!I never had heard of Clyde's charts but I have always trusted the good ol' Farmers Almanac. I know you'll do marvelous no matter what! Happy wednesday to you <3
Thanks! This past season was the first I'd heard of Clyde's chart. For five bucks, it's a good supplement to the Almanac, plus I like the notes that indicate companion plants for each veggie.
Hope you're having a fabulous day!
With Clyde's charts, the farmers Almanac best days and moon phases it sounds like you're going to be doing some advanced calculations!
Most people around here plant May long weekend which of course varies. I doubt it is optimal.
I think it isn't just frost dates but also soil temperature. I've done gardening in the ground and also raised beds and in hind sight I think the raised beds would heat up faster and there was quicker germination.
I'm hoping between the bunch, I'll end up with the best shot at getting the timing right. At the very least, it'll lay a baseline to measure off of for next year. ;~D
The warmth factor makes a lot of sense for the raised beds and containers. I know it sure helped my pole beans take off strong last year!
New this year for me as well is the Clyde's Vegetable Planting Chart....Hopefully it will bring me a better crop this year! Good luck to you as well!
Ditto. Hadn't heard of the Chart until last fall, but since then I've seen quite a few folks singing its praises. It'll go a long way to keep things organized and on track.
I know last year I planted things too soon and lost some plants. This year I will be able to plant at just the right time!
A good find! It even covers Northeastern Ontario.
It is! Glad to see it was helpful for your area. They did a nice job of making very easy to use.
Sorry to hear you have a nasty cold, lay around with your feet on your handy dandy homemade fireplace and plan your spring gardening. Get well soon. 😷❤️🐓
Thanks and you hit that scenario right on the head. Toasty toes and sipping hot tea. Supposed to be 60 and sunny tomorrow. Perfect planning weather!
No postings from you in several days. Just checking in to make sure you are feeling better and busy planning the rag tag. You are in my thoughts. ❤️🐓🐓
Thanks for checking in! My net's been down since early Friday morning due to flooding at one of their main 'stations'.
april 20th is our alleged frost-free date too! we'll see about that ... this year has been so weird.
hope you get to feeling better soon! 💚
Thanks for the well wishes!
Yeah, I'm a little paranoid about that date, too, for the same reason. I'm leaning towards the latest dates suggested by these sources.
I think I will go with the later dates too. As I have seen frost here as late as April 10th and 11th. I do not want to get things done and they not do what they are supposed to because I got in a hurry and the late frost kills them.
That's exactly the scenario playing out in my head. If I had the greenhouse done, it wouldn't be so nerve-wracking. At the moment, it's more an all or nothing deal.
I think I can get my potatoes and onions in soon and they will be ok and maybe the carrots. I will start everything here shortly.
i'm going to test my luck a bit, if i can prepare well enough to start a second round of seeds, soon.
also, i meant to say something earlier - i thought about you the other day, @aunt-deb! i went to this presentation about tending to a healthy orchard, and the speaker talked about just haphazardly throwing stuff on the ground (piles of sawdust, compost, grass clippings), because the roots will reach out to find what they need, and he used the phrase RAGTAG. i giggled a bit! =)
Ooooh, let us know how the second round goes. Staggering the dates is a good insurance policy if nothing else! Hopefully they all do well & you'll have bumper crops!
That's so funny about the speaker... Glad it provided a giggle! It's not an every-day word to be sure.
fingers and toes and eyes crossed! i've got someone who knows someone who has a bunch of big container planters (maybe 15 gallon sized?) & they put in a request to let me have/use them. then the experiments can run rampant!!!
Ooohhhh, those sound awesome! You could do some fun projects with containers that size!