New to sowing seeds

[AuntPol]

Hi Folks,


I am new to gardening in general and have so far only sown one lot of biennials (canterbury bells).


So with brand new greenhouse and heating mat at the ready I have bought dozens of packs of seeds.  'Nearly' every packet tells you how long it will be to germination but none of them say how long they must remain in seed pots for after you have pricked them out. 


Is there a general rule of thumb?  Or do individual types of plant need different growing times?  How do I find the information for each type of plant?


I ask because I'm trying to set up a schedule for myself for next year.  I appeciate it can't be a strict schedule but I would like to try to work out what to sow when, when to pot on etc., so that plants actually end up in the garden for summer.


I would truly appeciate any help that can be given.
(I have also placed this question at Gardeners Corner forum just in case)

[bossgard]

AuntPol, welcome to the IdeasGenie Community Forum!

First, let me say, that I admire your gardening enthusiasm. But also to follow it with a word of caution, don’t take on too much at a time. Or you might find yourself staying awake nights trying to figure out where and when you are going to find all the time and energy, that’s necessary to do the things you want to accomplish. Keep your plans simple for awhile, until you have developed more confidence.

I garden in the US, in the upper left-hand corner of the map, near Seattle, in the state of Washington, in both vegetable and ornamental. It’s a maritime climate, with lots of moisture and extremes in temperature. I germinate my seeds on top of the household refrigerator, and then continue with them under grow lights in my basement.

As far as finding gardening information, there is lots of good stuff on the internet! You mention Gardeners Corner as a source. You will want to find somebody or something that understands your locality, including weather, seasons, soil types, etc.

To answer your seed-starting questions, you might check out this link. Gardeners Supply Store has practically anything that you might want in gardening materials; their internet information is very good.

http://www.gardeners.com
In the search box, enter the words ‘When to Start Your Seeds’.

This is a good link, a favorite for local information for me.
http://www.humeseeds.com/fromseed.htm

The business Ed Hume Seeds was started by a member of my community, and lives somewhat close by. Their gardens for seed trials, is run by his son, and is located in a nearby community. Mr. Ed Hume has written a rather complete gardening book, and I’m constantly into it seeking local information.

Just about all the websites selling garden seeds, will offer growing guides for everything they sell.
And don’t forget the valuable seed growing information that is printed (usually) on the back side of the seed packets. You will need that information when you enter your plant profiles.

Have fun and enjoy!

Information on Potting-Up will come later.

[bossgard]

Uo-potting:

Up-potting is done when a plant has become root bound. You must also be committed to the idea that it should be in a larger pot, triggering an even larger plant. The most common up-potting mistake occurs when gardeners put the plant into a pot that is too large. The result can be soil that holds too much water and starts to sour and degrade prematurely. Resist the urge to go big too fast. Only up-pot to the next-size available pot. This means going to a pot-size increase of only 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm).

Excerpted from a book titled ‘Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion’ authored by Shane Smith.

[ideasguy]

Hi Annie

My signal for re-potting:- when I see roots appearing from the bottom of the pots.
I would go with Tobys recommendation.
When re-potting, I would go for a pot at least 2ins bigger than current.

Ive experimented with re-potting on into various sizes, and (my experience only!) I find the ones re-potted into bigger pots do better - both bigger and stronger. The sooner I can get them into bigger pots, the sooner they will be ready for the great outdoors .

[bossgard]

AuntPol: (May I call you Annie, also?)

Although this interactive tool at Johnny’s’ Seeds might be a little advanced for you right now, you might keep it in mind for a later date. Here’s the link for it:

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/default.aspx

When it loads, scroll down the left side of the screen and click on Interactive Tools under Growing Guides.
On the next screen, scroll down until you find Seed-starting Date Calculator.
It starts out with vegetable seeds, and then goes into flowering types.
Notice that you will have to fill in the last frost date in your local area, and then it will help you figure seed-starting times. Enter the date as and where it’s suggested in the very top horizontal row of the template. Look for the word ENTER.

Hope this adds to the information you’ve requested!