Hi VBM, great question regarding temp range. I live on 609 just N of Martin County jail. Started tomato seed in aug last year and they did fine, but like you say, it all depends on night temps, but you can grow plants anytime. I also have some everglade tomatoes that I just transferred to 5 gal buckets. They will supposedly produce very small fruit all summer long.

I am currently getting:corn , squash, okra, tomatoes, peppers , and have just started some new egg plant. something happened to old one, but it had been producing a long time.

Am working on some more raised beds for the fall.

Some things for fall can be started soon too. Sweet peppers take 10-12 weeks before set so I'll start my pepper seed inside under the grow lights around 6/1, move them outside into shade at about 6 weeks, then into the garden 9/1. Tomatoes take 6-8 weeks before set so I'll start them around 7/15, move them outside into shade at 3 weeks and again be ready for a 9/1 set date.

Tom

Thanks for starting this thread vegbed. I'd also be interested in a source for watering guides. I think the biggest mistake I made this year was not enough water.

Yep, I definitely started tomatoes and peppers way too late this past year. I think I started the first seeds around mid-September. I still have some fairly decent potted peppers that never made it into a bed, so I'm hoping that they survive the summer (they get morning sun, and full shade from about 11ish am onwards) so I can put them in the ground come September.

Tom, do you think a sunny, west-facing window can do the trick instead of grow lights?

Mrs.TLC, I'm certainly not an expert, but I like comparing notes to learn about what works for other folks. I didn't plant my bed until early December, but I did water it every day thereafter, and I grew a serious jungle in there. I figured the veggies were thirsty from the dry, sunny "winter."

Flyingfish, you mentioned eggplant. When do you normally start these seeds? I put a September seedling into the ground in December. The plant is huge and beautiful, filled with flowers, but it hasn't set fruit until now. At least I think it's setting fruit.

Tom, do you think a sunny, west-facing window can do the trick instead of grow lights?

I've never been able to keep them from getting leggy without keeping a light right down on top of them until I'm ready for the pot-up, so you'll need advice from some folks that have successfully done it.

I started with a 2' tabletop light like the one in this earlier post by me.

Tom

I want! I want! I want! That is such an awesome setup! I mean, the 2' tabletop is cool, but that shelving unit is just amazing! I'm inspired to aspire to getting one of those when I can afford it. Right now I'm starting up my own business, so I'm not spending any money on anything that is not absolutely essential, which means that this year, my seeds will just have to do the best they can by the window. *sigh*

Lowes stocks the 48" x 18" x 72" chrome shelving unit for $75, and the screw on wheels for $25. You can get 4' T-8 lights for $15 at either Big Box store...a whole lot cheaper than a commercial setup ;-)

Tom

Hey Tom, that is one cool setup! So glad this thread got started as I'm also considering the fall sprouting season.

Tom, what is (and where did you get) that white, raised, cross hatched thingamambob plastic looking base?

Elizabeth

Elizabeth, are you talking about the raised platform in the bottom of the tray? If so, that is an eggcrate grill. You get it in the lighting department of any big box hardware store. They come in 'sheets' of something like 2 x 3 and cut very easily with wire nippers. You can bottom water and if you are wicking your pots then they won't be sitting in water. With some creative thinking, I got enough for 4 trays from one sheet.

~dianne

Sweet! Thank you Dianne! What are you guys putting underneath the egg crate so that you don't get water all over the floor? Any creative ideas for a catchment system?

Elizabeth

I used the burpee seed starter trays. Home Depot has them around here. Around a buck, can't beat the price. I tried some other things but the uniform size is hands down the best.

~dianne

Do you all wick your starter plants so when using the eggcrates you just put water in the trays?

Just want to keep this thread alive!

I have done a wicking system but to be honest, this last sprouting season I did some wicking and some not and didn't really notice a difference. The heat in the room, and the grow lights, seems to have more of an impact.

Elizabeth

A bit late to this, but I did not see whether you already are familiar w/ the UF veggie gardening guide site. They have planting dates & recommended varieties, along w/ a lot of other useful info.

& Floridata.com has good info on a number of commonly grown veggies/fruits.

Here is a link that might be useful: FL veggie gardening guide @ UF/IFAS

That's a great link, Carol B. Thanks.

Julie in WPB

Stealing a moment from work to chip in a bit...

First of all, thanks to those of you keeping this thread alive. =)

Carol, thank you for that website. It's got a ton of great information and I've already bookmarked it.

Question: What exactly is wicking?

VBM

Again, keeping it alive. I'm wanting to start planning too. That chart confuses me! I want someone to say, OK Julia, NOW is when you start your seeds for the following plants!!!!!!!!!!

I think Wicking is when you have a mat of some sort that sits under the sprouting tray and wicks the water from another source. In theory it keeps the dirt the perfect dampness and strengthens the roots. It does make it easier to water because you can water alot at once.

What I find though is that I obsess enough about these sprouts that I check them and water them at least daily. Lol. obsession maybe is good :-)

Julia, try using a seed starting calculator. Typically, they will say 'enter your last frost date' but for us for fall planting, you enter the date you want to plant. So, I will enter Aug 1. Then the calculator will crunch and tell you when to start your seeds.

The calculator requires Excel or Google Documents. If you don't have excel, use google documents. Its free, works great, and you can access it anywhere online.

~dianne

Here is a link that might be useful: Seed Starting Calculator

Thanks Dianne. That's perfect! I use Excel all of the time

I wish it had a fall schedule. The fall schedule wont let me change first frost date.

The concept of the seed starting calculator that Dianne pointed us to is fantastic. I agree with Minderella, however, that it is backwards for our needs. Specifically, this calculator has you set out plants X weeks before or after the last frost date, where the "before" crops prefer cooler temps and the "after" crops prefer warmer temps. This means that the "before" and "after" parts of the calculations need to be inverted so that the warm-temp crops are set out earlier than the cool-temp crops.

Now, I love a challenge almost as much as I love Excel, so I've started creating a calculator better suited to our growing season. It is modeled after the one that Dianne suggested, but instead of "Last Frost Date," I'm basing it on "Last Scorch Date." It's still a rough and dirty draft, and I will likely come back here to ask some questions as I tweak it into something (hopefully) useful.

VBM

Vegbed mia

I would love to see your chart of last scorch date thing. You are a genius to be able to do that.

VBM - I've started creating a calculator better suited to our growing season...... instead of "Last Frost Date," I'm basing it on "Last Scorch Date."

Brilliant! Three Cheers for VBM!

~dianne

VBM,
The link below will give you an idea of how to make a self watering pot by using the wicking system. The same method can be used with plastic solo cups and using yarn as the wick when you start your seeds. The yarn wick dangles in the water below the cup and keeps the soil moist. The yarn inside the cup will moisten the soil through 'wicking'. (make sure the yarn does not stick out above the soil top but stops just a bit below the surface) This way you don't have to water a bunch of seed starter cups every day. You just keep the water level up in the pan under the cups or pots and they wick up the water they need. (like a kid with a straw in his/her drink).

Many of us use this method to start our seeds because it works great and saves time watering.

Lou

Here is a link that might be useful: How to make a self watering pot

Excellent, thank you for the info, Lou! I will most likely use this method next time around. I did bottom watering in a few egg crates last year, but I have a feeling I'll be starting a heckuvalot more seeds this year.

The "Florida Seed Starting Calculator" is ready for viewing. I think that the data in it could still use some tweaking, but I'd like to share it with you all for feedback before putting more time into it. So far, I've only included the data from the other calculator, but I think it would be cool to incorporate the data from the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide.

Big question - does anybody have any ideas on how I can share an Excel file with you all?

VBM

Hi vegbed. That sounds like a great tool; thanks for making it available. You can upload it to a hosting service like mediafire. You could also import it into google documents and share it.

This is my first season gardening in Miami and i'm still getting used to the idea of starting in summer for fall instead of in the winter for spring.

Ok, folks. This is my attempt at sharing the calculator with you. I shall cross my fingers and hope it works. =)

http://www.mediafire.com/?d58b2v599dos86d

Looking forward to your feedback!

VBM

VBM - are these dates for north, central, or south FL?

Hi Truscifi, I believe the correct answer is "none of the above." For the purpose of building the calculator, the date that I entered as the "Last Scorch Date" is the autumnal equinox, and this is the field that you can adjust to what holds true in your area.

My only reference is the climate in Miami, and I noticed that right around the vernal equinox was when temperatures started rising and lettuces started bolting, etc. I also remember that I didn't start my seeds last year until the suffocating heat started to dwindle, which was in mid- to late-September. So, for my own purposes, I think I'll continue using the autumnal equinox as my Last Scorch Date, but if you're in central or north FL, the date you enter there should probably be earlier than that. Also, keep in mind that because my area does not frost, don't need to take frost dates into consideration, which you may need to do if you're further north.

Specifically, the data that I believe will need further tweaking is the length of time before or after the Last Scorch Date when it is safe to set the plants out.

VBM