So here's the deal - if you didn't read last year's post - You have to have a grow light or two, suspended from a ceiling or a frame. You start with biodegradable pots (or yogurt cups, or egg cartons - just make sure they have holes cut in the bottom) in a large tray to hold the water. Mine looks like this:
You can see that I have marked each row or half row. When I first started I thought I was cool and I was using popsicle sticks as plant markers. (ooh look at me, Im so GREEN). Yeah. They got moldy. And the marker ran so I couldn't read them. Just get the super cool un-green plastic things.
Fill the cups about 2/3 from the top. Seeds will set on top, or will be pushed in, based on directions. Top with a little bit of soil. Water gently.
But it's bad for the plants if they get too big inside, and you can't plant them outside until after the last frost. So you should be starting about 8 weeks before your last frost date
Detroit last frost date: Approx. May 10th
This is when you should plant indoors:
- 12 to 14 weeks: onions*, leeks*, chives*, pansies*, violas*, impatiens, geranium, and coleus
- 8 to 12 weeks: peppers, lettuce*, cabbage-family crops*, verbena, petunias, impatiens, snapdragons*, alyssum*, and other hardy annual flowers
- 6 to 8 weeks: eggplants, tomatoes, broccoli, dahlia, zinnia
- 5 to 6 weeks: cockscombs (Celosia spp.), marigolds, other tender annuals
- 2 to 4 weeks: cucumbers, melons, okra, pumpkins, squash , cosmos
An asterisk (*) indicates a cold-hardy plant that can be set out 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost.
Peace. Love. Serene
