I start all my veggies by wintersowing, as well as perennials and annuals. I do start the veggies later - maybe late March or even into April, as opposed to January or February. Lettuce and spinach do get started in February, peas get started in March, as well as (if I remember correctly) onions and beets, and then tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cukes, squash, etc. get started in April and even into May. I have to tell you the plants really do catch up quickly, even if they are smaller when they are first put out in the garden. Annual herbs I start in April also. Annual flowers depend on the flower. Things that do well direct- or fall-sown get wintersown in February (calendulas, snaps, poppies, rudbeckias, celosias, amaranthus, dahlias) or early March, if I'm behind (heh heh, which I usually am!). Zinnias I usually do in March also. Asters and sunflowers I usually do in April. Nothing's set in stone for me. I pretty much look in my seed box on any given day and ask myself what I feel like sowing, but I do follow the above general guidelines. I just never had any luck with starting things indoors. If they didn't die of damp-off or get too leggy or die from neglect, I would bring them outside to harden off and completely forget to bring them back in, and they'd die overnight. Wintersowing has really changed my gardening world, so I do like to let others know about it in case they'd like to try it. I know it's not for everyone, but just in case, I always like to mention it. Dee

Image by: PCG #1 Get Fresh Seeds For the best chances of success, acquire your seeds from reputable commercial sources. As tomato seeds age, their germination rate decreases. It is best to use seed that is less than 4 years old; however, seed that is much older can usually be germinated if has been stored in cool and dry conditions. #2 Get a Seed Starting Mix Garden soil is not a good choice, as it compacts too easily and can harbor organisms that cause diseases. A commercially prepared seed starting mix, usually a combination of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite, is recommended. Avoid mixes that have a high fertilizer content, as this causes more problems than good. Commonly used and recommended mixes are Jiffy Mix, ProMix, MetroMix and Fafard. Many other brands, or even homemade mixes, can be used. Combine the seed starting mix thoroughly with warm water to bring it to a useable state. This may take quite a lot of mixing, as completely dry mixes can be difficult to wet. Sometimes it's best to let the moistened mix sit overnight to be sure that it is evenly wet. The final mix should be damp like a wrung-out sponge, not soaked or soggy. #3 Select Some Containers Tomato seeds will germinate in anything as long as the seeds get moisture and warmth. After germination and initial growth, the seedlings need to be potted up to larger containers. Containers must be able to drain excess water. If using old or previously used containers, its best to sterilize them with a 10% bleach solution. Your choice of containers for potting up depends on the number of plants you desire. Professional nurseries use growing "flats" with various-sized plastic cell inserts. Many sizes and kinds of flats are commercially available to the home grower, but they are not essential. Many home growers use styrofoam or plastic drinking cups with holes poked in the bottom. Just about anything will work as long as excess water can drain. #4 Determine When to Start Many novices fail at starting tomatoes simply because they start too early. Given the proper care, full-sized tomato transplants can be grown in 6 to 8 weeks. Before planting seeds, you must determine when your plants can be safely placed into the garden. Planting outdoors is best done about 1 or 2 weeks after the average last frost date for your area. Ask friends or use web resources to find your average last frost date, then do the math to calculate your seed starting date. #5 Plant Your Seeds Fill a small container with damp seed starting mix. Plant your seeds about 1/8 inch (3 mm) deep. Firm the mix lightly to ensure that the seed is in direct contact with the moist mix. The seed needs to absorb moisture during the germination process. You can plant lots of seeds close together because the resulting seedlings will be moved to larger containers after germination (when the first true leaves appear). It is a good idea to provide some sort of covering over your germination containers to preserve moisture. You can place the container in a plastic bag or cover it with a sheet of plastic. Allow for some air to circulate but don't let the mix dry out. Dry seeds will not germinate. #6 Patiently Wait for Germination Place the germination container in a warm location out of direct sunlight. Light is not needed during the germination process, but will not be harmful as long as high temperatures are avoided. Tomato seeds usually germinate within 5 to 10 days when kept in the optimum temperature range of 70 to 80F (21 to 27C). Germination is delayed by lower temperatures and accelerated by higher temperatures. Temperatures below 50F (10C) or above 95F (35C) are detrimental to germination. Keep a close eye on the first seedlings, as they need to be moved into bright light as soon as they emerge from the soil. They will explosively reach for light, and if the light is not adequate, you will get 3-inch-long (8 cm long) stems shortly after germination - this is very undesirable. If this occurs, you could try to transplant to a deeper container, or you may want to start over. #7 Put the Seedlings under Light Very strong light is needed to support tomato growth. A heated greenhouse is the ultimate location to continue growing your seedlings. A second choice would be a cold frame (possibly with supplemental heat for cool nights). Many home growers use inexpensive fluorescent shop lights. A south-facing windowsill can work but usually presents more problems than the fluorescent shop light setup. If fluorescent shop lights are used, the leaves of the plants must be within inches of the bulbs. Use your own creativity to make a setup that gets the plants directly under the bulbs. The lights should remain on for 16 to 18 hours per day. #8 Monitor the Plants as They Grow On Tomato seedlings grow best at a temperature of about 65F (18C) with some air circulation and lots of light. When watering, most growers soak the mix and then let it get nearly dry before providing more water. When the plants develop their first true leaves, they should be transplanted into larger individual containers. The plants actually benefit from this re-potting step, as it helps them develop a strong root system. The plants may be set deeply into their new containers to shorten the height of the seedling. Most commercial seed starting mixtures have a small amount of fertilizer that will support small seedlings for some time. Depending on the components of your starting mix, you may need to begin fertilizing. If you do fertilize, do it very, very sparingly with a weak dilution. Depending on the size of your containers and your growing conditions, you may need to pot up a second or third time to prevent your plants from becoming rootbound. The plants require good lighting to continue to grow well. Place the plants where they get plenty of sunlight, and if that is not possible or adequate, use fluorescent fixtures, or specialized high-intensity grow lamps, or use a combination of natural and artificial lighting. Keeping large tomato plants indoors, under artifical lighting, can be quite difficult. To avoid problems, don't start too early. The best solution to the lighting dilemma is to plan your seed starting date so that the transplants reach a reasonable size along with the arrival of suitable outdoor temperatures. #9 Harden Off your Transplants Introduce the plants to outdoor conditions slowly. This is called "hardening off". If it is not done slowly your plants may be shocked and their growth may temporarily cease. The longer the plants remains indoors, the harder it will be to acclimate them to the outdoors. Avoid full sun and wind when you first move them outside. Cold frames can be used to harden off the plants. The covers can remain in place on inclement days and removed on moderate days. Temporary structures can be built from plastic sheeting. Buildings and fences can be used to provide sun and wind protection while the plants adapt to outside conditions. If really cold weather is forecast After the transplants are hardened off, they can be planted to their final outdoor growing locations either in the garden or in large growing containers. Most agree that any early blossoms should be plucked off prior to transplanting. Others leave the early blossoms in place, especially if the transplant is strong, healthy, and not rootbound. Common Problems Leggy Seedlings The plants can become "leggy," the stems being elongated and limp, and the foliage sparse. Leggy seedlings usually occur due to insufficient lighting, too much heat, or too much fertilizer. Suggested remedies, short of starting over, are to repot the plants deeper as described earlier in Step #8, and to use a fan to improve air circulation and keep temperatures moderated, resulting in stockier and stronger plants. Damping Off Characterized by lack of germination (pre-emergent) or causes narrowing of the newly emerged stems at the soil line and the tiny seedlings then flop over and die (post-emergent). Various fungi are responsible for the condition and they are found in high concentrations in any mix with real soil. That's why it's best to use the artificial seed starting mixes mentioned in step #2. Also, it's very important to be sure that plastic domes or baggies on your containers are not airtight. If these precautions are observed, it is unlikely that you will experience damping off. Slow Growth When seedlings refuse to grow it is usually because the temperature is too low or the nutrient level is insufficient. Stuck Leaves Sometimes the cotyledons (the first leaves formed from the seed) have trouble getting loose from the seed coating. Be patient, as the leaves will usually escape. You could wet the seed coating, or you could try to carefully pinch off the seed coat, but if you pinch off the cotyledons, the seedling will likely die. A simple way to wet the seedlings is with a spray bottle of water set to mist. A small drop of saliva is also very effective at loosening seedcoats. Over-watering Many growers fail with tomato plants because they over-water. Soggy soil will cause seed to rot. Once the seedlings are growing, they should be watered thoroughly then left un-watered until they are almost ready to wilt. Over-fertilizing Overfertilizing can cause seedlings to die, to stop growing, or to grow rapidly into spindly plants. One or at most 2 applications of very dilute fertilizer are adequate to get a seedling through to transplant size. Credits:This FAQ is a collaborative effort of Gardenweb members. Specifically, Carolyn137, chemocurl, Earl, funky_demon, Fusion_Power, gardengalrn, Gimme3Steps, greggf, hermantomato, John_Colorado, korney19, Linda_Xn_10_CA, LizzieA, mindsmile, mnewsom30, naturelle, NCTomatoman, Paul2101, reginak, Sally_84, sarah_may, tmflyfish, vaped, zabby17 image by : Paul2101 Good luck and feel free to ask detailed questions in the Growing Tomatoes Forum

Hibiscus Seed Capsules Seed saving is a lot of fun and it's easy to do! This is how I do it....and these are general and universal instructions. Mother Nature is pretty easy to figure out if we keep with the idea that SHE needs to keep it simple too. Take a good look at a flower. When the flower fades leave it where it is, do not remove it. Eventually at the base of the flower there will be some swelling. This is where the seeds are forming. Do keep the petals where they are and let them fall naturally...I don't touch it or bother it, I just leave it be. The base of the flower will swell even more and soon you'll notice that the flower stem and the swollen base are turning a papery-brown. This is a very good indication that the seeds are almost fully ripe....in effect the plant has achieved it's goal of reproduction for that flower...it has produced viable seeds and no longer needs to expend energy to keep it alive, so it doesn't sends it's sugars and water up to the stem anymore. That's why it's turning papery-brown. It's no longer being supplied with nutrients and so it's dying back. The drying action will continue and as the swollen pod continues to dry you will see it start to open....some pods will open in a starry design, plants like poppies create a ridge of tiny little circles near the top of the pod....they make themselves into something like a little "salt-shaker" (sorta...but you could imagine it.) All flower pods will open in some manner when the seeds are ripe....it's so they can disperse their seeds. When you see that the pods and stems are both brownish in color, AND you notice that the pods are starting to open you can then collect the pods. I place the pods on an open plate or in open bowls in a safe place where they won't be disturbed and let them continue to dry naturally for another week or two. Then I remove the seeds from them. To assure that the seeds are thoroughly dry I let them dry on an open plate for a few more days...I even will stir them every now and then to make sure the bottom layers will get a chance to dry too. Storing the dried seeds is easy. I use paper envelopes. I make my own with my printer, but you could use coin envelopes or even mailing envelopes will do fine too. Label them so you know what's inside. Store them where they'll be away from heat or direct sunlight. I use cardboard file boxes to keep my seeds in and those do just fine. Another good place to keep them is in your dining room drawers. Those are dark places and your dining room is sure to be safe from extreme fluctuations in temperature. Good luck with your seed saving! Trudi

This is a pic of pepper seeds that were sowed into a germination mix. I really don't like germination mixes because they are too fine and dense, but I had run out of my normal sowing mix. Notice there is very little perlite and bark pieces. When I transplant these seedlings out, they will go into a much coarser mix. Here is a picture of what my normal SOWING mix looks like. Notice there is alot more perlite and bark pieces in the picture below. I typically will transplant these seedlings into Fafards 52 mix, my all-time favorite soilless mix. BUT, if your mix(in the white containers) looks like the mix below and is SOILLESS (meaning it only consists of peat, perlite, vermiculite, bark, and not REAL soil) then you should be OK. With that said, I think you need to get more soil into your containers. You are on the right track about sinking your seedlings during transplanting so they don't get leggy, but you need to provide them more soil to grow in AND provide a light source right above them or else they will get leggy real quick! Here is a picture of pepper seedlings recently transplanted into their own containers (the clear cups work indoors only, I tried experimenting with them one spring. I prefer transplanting into 9 or 18 oz. SOLO cups, I just didn't have a good picture to show). Notice how high the soil line is in the cup? That is what you should be shooting for. Let us know what type of mix your seedlings are in, and if it was me (and I was happy with my soil mix), I would pop those seedlings up and out and add more soil to the containers. Hope the pictures help :) p.s. I agree with the above poster, those domes should only be on for germinating seeds. If you have seedlings under them, get those domes off! -m