It isn't so much a safety issue as one of taste. All those vegetables can be and are grown hydroponically by many commercial growers. So they are suspended in a fertilizer solution for their whole life. Other growers use soil but with fertigation set-ups so the plants are low-dose fed continuously. If you want to grow them in small containers then you need a fast draining soil-less mix and an automated watering and feeding system for best results. It is much easier to just use a larger container and feed regularly. The common recommendation for container gardening is any 1/2 strength diluted liquid fertilizer weekly or 1/4 strength each time you water. But that is also going to be affected by your climate/weather and how often you need to water. Dave

Let me start out by saying I'm no expert, but have been gardening, lets say 60+ years. I love peat pots because of easy plant watering and easy planting. Yes, I use all kinds of little and big solid containers but peat pots let me keep using two words, easy & reliable. This is my approach. Never buy a jiffy peat pot because they are too thick, too short and have no holes for water absorption. There are peat pots out there ½ the thickness of jiffies, aprox an inch deeper and most important they have at least 4 slits around the bottom that go up about ¾ inch. This all leads to easy watering by putting 18 pots in those black plant trays you see everywhere. Put the tray where you want it, put an inch or plus of water in the tray, come back next day to see if top is damp, if not, put more water in tray. Just keep top damp about 50% of the time. One more little item-----is the tray & water level? If not get that level out and make it so. This is nearly always necessary in my state of TN. When planting take your finger and with a little thump the wet bottom will fall off without disturbing the root system..That's it, nothing fancy.

My cucumbers, zucchini, and okra all sprouted in 2 days. Now (4th day), my tomatoes are sprouting. Only thing that hasn't sprouted yet are my peppers and eggplant. Tomatos should be started from seed 5 or 6 weeks before being set out. Some start earlier if they plan for large plants (needs more than a floro light can provide). You ideally want 6-8" plants when put into the ground. Peppers you want to start about 8 weeks before planting outside. Not sure about eggplant or Okra as I don't grow or eat either. Your cukes and zukes are way too early to have started if you are looking mid to late May for plant out. You want plants that just set their 3rd set of true leaves at plant out time. Any later and explosive root growth begins and being in a small container limits root growth not to mention it's hard to get enough light to them as they grow huge. Starting 3 weeks before plant out date is good. Where I'm a little confused is what to do next. I understand that I should wait until the seedlings produce a "true pair" of leaves and then transplant them into bigger containers. How big? Is 4" big enough? I need to grow these guys until around memorial day before they are planted without the danger of frost. Also I could use some recommendations as to where to get some cheap 4" pots. I like to use 20 oz. disposable cups from the store. You can also use smaller for the peppers, but the 20 oz cups with a drain hole poked in the bottom have served me well over the years. After I transplant the seedlings into their pots, am I supposed to feed them? What can I feed them with? I have access to horticultural lime (white fine powder), alfalfa meal, bone meal, coffee grounds and corn meal (I bought some a few months ago and left it in the fridge, does it go bad?). Correct me if I'm wrong but I wouldn't want to use corn meal until the seedlings are more developed because it inhibits growth? Anyways how much of what and how (tea or mulch)? Yes, once true leaves grow the seedling is on it's own and the comfort of the seed is gone. For most veggies it is enough to give any old fert at half strength one time before planting out. Nothing you listed is good for seedlings indoors, but fine outside. For any containerized plant seedling or not a water soluble fertilizer is preferred as it gives nutrients right away and doesn't rely upon natural processes to make the nutrients available. I noticed that you used worm castings in the starting media. That should be enough until they are planted outside. It has had time to start releasing nutrients so you should be just fine. Lastly once again I'm growing zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes, okra and peppers. I will be planting them in a newly created lasagna garden (which I will be creating soon). Is there anything I want to avoid putting in the lasagna garden that could stun their growth or burn them? I will be using straw, leaves, coffee grounds, and 6 month old horse manure. Sounds good. Keep any eye on leaf coloration though. If it lightens/yellows add some fast acting fertilizer. Lack of Nitrogen *may* be a concern in the first season due to the browns composting. If so add the corn or coffee grounds in greater amounts.

I am zone 5 but will do some testing this winter to see what works best. I do have a couple of cold frames made with patio doors. I think I will plant one of my small rosemary plants in there for the winter as an experiment. I have 6 smallish plants made from cuttings last spring so I can afford to do some experimenting. I don't know what kind they are. I grew two from seed I got in a trade and four from grocery store cuttings. I will also put one in the cold cellar with the squash, perhaps on the NW windowsill in there. It's not much light but a little might help. Should I give it a little water occasionally or let it go completely dry while dormant? The rest I will put on a south windowsill in a cold unheated bedroom, watering sparingly. When can I plant them back outside in the spring? I don't need to wait for last frost do I? Can they go outside as soon as the ground thaws and dries out some in mid April? I think I'm going to blog this test and keep it updated over the winter.