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Vegetable Gardening

Do I need to start over?

16 years ago

Greetings!

I am quite new to vegetable gardening...hence my question. I started quite seeds a few weeks ago, and some of them have gotten a bit leggy despite my dedicated attempts to provide them the "right" kind of lighting. I do have grow lamps but some of them are better than others. Among some of my leggy plants are about a 9" stem cow pea, a few 7-10" melons, cucumbers, squash, and few leggy buy not really spindly okra. So living in Memphis TN, and having the growing season that I do, is it better just to yank them and start over with them growing up outside and being pulled in if it gets to cold or, I am okay?

Thank you,

Amanda

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Comments (7)

paulc_gardener
16 years ago
I think that most of what you mentioned should be direct seeded. It might be ok to do okra because it's a very slow grower when direct seeded.
ruthieg__tx
16 years ago
Okra is a slow grower because it is a heat loving plant...we southerners try to plant it as early as possible and it sort of sits there but the truth is as soon as it gets to a temp it likes....it takes off and grows like crazy...but I agree that okra does just as well direct seeded...My own direct seeded plants always do better that the spindly long legged thing that I try to raise indoors.. I have given up on most of those things because we really have an early start date for gardening and there isn't much advantage to starting them indoors. I do tomatoes..but I do them outside and just bring them in if need be. Good luck...
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denninmi
16 years ago
With the possible exception of the cow peas, I think everything else you mention should be ok to plant. The cow peas, if they're so stressed that they're starting to try to bud up, might not do much, but it's hard to say. Since you have a really long growing season, I say plant them -- if they haven't done much in three or four weeks, you still have plenty of time to replace them.

You must be at or near your last frost date -- should be safe to plant now, I would think.
digdirt2
16 years ago
Agree, no need to start over (tho next year I would direct seed all those). Plant the ones you have and plant them deeply to just below the first set of leaves and they will do fine.

Dave
midnightgardener
16 years ago
I would not worry much about it, just plant them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Enter To Win $50.00 Of Free Seeds!
yfchoice
16 years ago
I agree about the okra. Having moved to Salt Lake from the Texas Gulf Coast, I had to hold off from direct seeding my okra...cause of the cold. But when it warms up in June and I plant, I have no problems getting a full crop cause the heat hits a consistent mid 90's during the summer. Good thing cause you can't buy okra in the groceries here.
catsgurleygirl
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks so much for your replies everyone! One question though about burying the stem up close to the leaves, will it not rot esp. the okra?

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