Sarah, that sounds right to me. Our last frost date, here in Tahlequah, OK, is about the 15th of April. I started my tomatoes on February 19. When we lived in NJ, and our last expected frost was May 8, I used to start my tomatoes on March 4, or there about. I had started them nearly a month earlier, but found that they got too leggy and I ran out of space for them. Peppers and eggplant can be started a couple weeks later than tomatoes, since they shouldn't go out until you know that the cold nights are over with. I'm just now going to start our pepper seeds. Be sure that you either have a very sunny (southern exposure) window where your plants can fit, or else plenty of lights. Remember, if you use lights, that in order to give your plants the same benefit as normal sun, you should have the lights only just off the top of their leaves. I use fluorescent shops lights and they work great. George

Hi Nancyjane, are your seedlings already transplanted outdoors at this moment? I too find my own seed grown seedlings slow to establish when they're first transplanted. But sometimes the store bought seedlings are so early, they're way ahead of the season. I have to cut off their flower heads every day because I prefer them to be growing root when they're young rather than fruit. What worked really well for me from seeds are tomato. I've been planting toms for over two decades and find them very forgiving. if I can grow tomato from seeds, anyone can! Most of my toms are the late variety, so what's important to me is not their size, but how soon the fruits ripen. If you're planting early variety, then it sure makes a big difference to be early. What really hasn't worked for me are peppers. My pepper seeds always grow so slowly, I get tired of waiting every year and simply just buy seedlings from the store. In recent years I really started veggie planting and found the ones really worth starting from seeds are brussel sprouts, chinese broccoli, swiss chard, basil, mints, etc. Then of course what veggiefaery already mentioned things that prefer direct sowing such as legume, squash, gourd, etc. But you'll have so many early seedlings in your new greenhouse next year, you may wonder why you ever bought starts from the nursery :-)

I've only done 12 containers so far and there is too much snow (4-5 feet) out where my containers go to put any new ones out there. Because of that I'm thinking about reducing the number of perennials this year and do mostly annuals, herbs, and veggies. But you still have plenty of time if you can get your containers out there. Most perennials seem to do okay with about 30 days cold stratification which we have left in this season. Some don't need any. I just did a germination test on some seeds I collected last fall from Liatris spicata 'Kobold' and Heath Aster/Aster ericoides. Had lots of healthy germination after about 1 week - with no cold stratification at all. Not sure if you have enough time for most trees and shrubs.

I use regular flourescent lights, not grow lights (they're too expensive. Some of my plants do get leggy, but for the most I keep the house heat (where the plants are) at about 70-74 degrees and I keep the lights very close to the top of the plants. Low enough for the plants not to touch, but very close. Besides the house heat, I have 1 heat mat that I'm using this year for germinating the pepper seeds. As far as how many, right now, I have 4 4' and 4 2' lights, with 15 trays (10x20) under them. I have racks set up with lights, and instead of changing the height of the lights, I put risers under the trays. After I get done with the lights/shelves that I have (without buying more) I will have 60' of lights. This is all inside of my 14x50 mobile home, along with 2 adults and 4 cats living with the plants. I will need to buy more lights/shelves this year, but I'm not sure how many more. Only crazy people (me) do this this early in the year. Our greenhouse people start their plants in early March, but I don't have their advantages. I'm glad my husband is understanding. I will actually have close to 700 tomato plants instead of 624. Marla