Who's starting their garden early?

[Bebop]

I'm saving up for a shop light to grow some seedlings, still not sure where and how I'm going to set it up though..
Who starts their garden early? And does anyone have pictures of their set up? I'm looking for some inspiration, especially from those who have small set-ups!

Planning on planting:
Brandywine tomatoes
San Marzano tomatoes
cherry tomatoes (not sure the variety, but I've had them a while)
Black Beauty Eggplants
A hot pepper mix someone traded me
Jalepeno M? (That's what it says haha)
and a bunch of different basils (genovese, purple ruffles, dark opal, lettuce leaf, cinnamon, lemon, lime, thai, (and sweet if I can find my seeds for them))

>^.^<

 

[hoosier]

Wow! How do you use all of those different types of basil?

 

[Beekissed]

Bebop, I got some 4 ft. flourescent lights at Lowe's for around $8 a piece. I plan to build a frame to hold my seed flats, hang sides on it constructed of cardboard covered with tinfoil, fit the lights over each shelf and keep the whole mess up in my bedroom next to the chimney. The tinfoil will reflect the lights, the heat will keep them warm and I hope my soil additive of super composted pig manure will be a good soil booster. This will be my first year doing this and I'm hoping for a good result.

I got the idea for a set up like this from a Mother Earth News mag where someone had converted their bookshelf in their living room to a mini-greenhouse, using these materials. Since I'm planting a pretty big garden, I will need more than just a few bookshelves, I'm thinking!

I will be seeding for tomatoes (4 dozen), squash(str. neck yellow and another variety), cucumbers, green peppers (2-3 doz.), hot peppers (2-3 doz.), and about 6-8 different types of perennials, about 10 different kinds of herbs, some calendula, a few annuals for my porch containers, maybe some broccoli...not sure, as I've never had luck with broccoli. Hope I have room for it all!

 

[Bebop]

Right? I hope I have room too!
I completely forgot my cucumbers, squash and melons. I'm going to direct seed my beans, peas and greens, so I don't need to worry about them..
Which issue of Mother Earth? Maybe I could get that article scanned for me, or look it up on their website. I could probably use a regular table and make a tinfoil poster/cardboard a la science project thingy since I don't have extra bookshelves! I wish I kept my reptile rack...

hoosier - I usually use them for regular cooking, I make a lot of Asian, Mexican, and Italian food, and for tea. I want to try making pesto, relishes, and selling starts, tea, and herbs. They all have so many flavors and smells yet very versatile!

 

[poppycat]

Whoa, you are way ahead of me!

I just realized that my fig tree and artichoke patch are probably not going to survive the freeze we're in right now. So I'm deciding whether to replace them or go with something either more hardy or annual. Hmmmm. Let me think about that for a few days...

 

[PamsPride]

Wow! You are on the ball! It is supposed to be in the low 20's tonight so I am not even thinking about gardening right now!

 

[FarmerChick]

We direct sow all early type veggies directly into the fields.

We push the frost date and pray.

2 varities of Daikon radishes--hotter the better.

3 other varities radishes, cherrybelle, french breakfast and ? --can't remember..LOL
turnips

other greens

spring onions (plan on planting over 25,000 very early)
----usually we plant and winter these for super early spring harvest but we didn't this year. too tired..LOL


Do you know I am sitting here thinking of all we early direct sow and I can't remember.....I am going into my 2 months of downtime on the farm. Jan and Feb mean I don't have to mess with planting etc....so right now I am brain dead after a full season of work....LOL-LOL

I do push everything as early as I can in the fields but sometimes lose alot.....lost like 1,000 cabbage plants by doing it too soon, had to replant...hate those days..HA HA

 

[Henrietta23]

I usually spend part of New Year's Day looking through seed and garden catalogs making plans. I don't remember when I started doing it that way but it seems to have become a tradition!

 

[TanksHill]

Dang FarmerChick, You do have your hands full. Enjoy your down time!!!

I think this year I will be seed starting on my laundry room counter. The room gets good light and stays pretty warm with all the wash I do. I am already gathering all those little toilet paper tubes. Great idea there. I think I am going to construct a little hoop house type structure to set directly over my raised bed.

So what goes in the ground first???? I guess I should refresh my memory a bit.

Its fruit trees this weekend. I should be out already. Kinda lagging a bit this morning.

 

[FarmerChick]

hey gina
everything is done by equipment for planting except onions. we do those by hand. tony wants to buy an onion planter but I can't foot that bill....so backbreaking but about 6 of us get out there, put our heads down and plant like mad...not too bad though and profit on those stupid onions is fab.....and they are delish anyway...so worth it.

I need fruit trees but where I want to plant them they will be alone and subject to tons of deer....hmm...Tony keeps saying not to bother but so what, at least the trees get established and all. Hmm...he just doesn't want to plant them, lazy thing...I might have to just do it myself..LOL