I start broccoli indoors, in February. I do have to say, however, that the last time I grew it was in 2006, which was less than a stellar year for us (drought). As I understand it broccoli doesn't like to get shocked by temps under 50 F. This is a tremendous challenge for spring planting in Oklahoma.

Hopefully Dorothy can weigh in on starting peas indoors. I wouldn't do it, personally, as our indoor space is limited and peas do very well outside. Usually (in most places) one can plant peas as soon as the soil can be worked. But in 2007 I planted some at the end of January, here in Tahlequah, and they were destroyed by a late frost. You see peas are quite frost resistant until they get some size to them. They they are tender and damage easily. So, it is important to time them so that they are small when frosts occur.

George

Hi Jill,

BROCCOLI:

I usually start broccoli inside but in standard 72-cell flats. I am not a huge fan of peat pellets or peat pots although I sometimes use them. It seems like often peat pellets hold too much moisture too long so, if I have the time, I'd rather use a home-made seed-starting soilless mix or something like Pro-Mix. If the weather is a little uncooperative and I have to hold the plants inside beyond their planned planting date, I might repot them into small paper or plastic cups with drainage holes poked into the bottom of the cups. I do pre-sprout the seeds and I like to have my plants 3-4 weeks old at the time I set them out, although it is OK if they are 5 weeks old. Once they are 6-7 weeks old, they sometimes have minor transplant shock and sit or sulk for a week or two before they begin growing. If you pre-sprout your broccoli seed, you'll have plants up and growing quickly. I usually transplant them outside about 2-3 weeks before the date of our last average frost.

I prefer transplants to seeds for broccoli because our springs can heat up fairly quickly and I have a better chance of getting a good broccoli harvest if I start the plants inside and transplant them outside at the appropriate time.

Only once in my adult life have I had my broccoli crop fail to make heads, and that was a year in which the very cold nights kept recurring into early June. (That's the only year I can ever remember having some overnight lows in the 40s in late May or early June). It still can be challenging to get a good crop--but, usually for me, it is the issue of the days getting too hot too early, not the cool temperatures.

PEAS:

I've done it both ways. Direct seeding works best for me in a moderately rainy year when the seeds will receive enough moisture to sprout but not so much moisture that they'll rot. In a dry winter like we're having here in southern OK, though, I'd probably start them indoors so I could control how much moisture they get. For the peas I do tend to use peat pellets since the peas don't mind being fairly wet as long as they aren't real cold at the same time. I've started peas three ways actually, and had good results each way: direct-seeding into the garden, pre-sprouting and planting in peat pellets or paper cups, and pre-sprouting and planting pre-sprouted peas directly into the raised bed where they will grow.

In our part of the state we can plant peas really, really early--about two months before our last freeze date. The gardening books always say you can plant them as soon as the soil can be worked, but my soil can be worked 12 months out of the year since the ground never freezes here. I am not sure if you can plant them that early there since your part of the state is so prone to ice storms in mid to late winter.

In the years that I plant peas (I don't always plant them--it depends on whether I want to fight the rabbits for them), I try to wait late enough in the winter that the young plants won't be exposed to temps in the 20s for any length of time.

The only real advantage to starting peas inside is that, since you're using transplants, you can have a full, complete row with no "gaps" where direct-sowed peas didn't sprout. Well, there's another advantage to starting indoors and that is this: if you live in a part of the state that frequently has very wet winters (and I don't), you avoid the frustration of having your pea seed rot. Pea seed likes being moist but can't handle being very wet and very cold at the same time.

George's point that small pea plants are more cold-hardy than larger ones is a good one, and many other cool-season crops are the same way. The larger they get, the more susceptible to freeze damage they are. However, you can cover them with floating row covers or blankets if severely cold weather is forecast.

Good luck,

Dawn

Jill, I start both peas--sugar snaps and broccoli on the heated plant stand on the glassed porch. (If you are the Jill that was here, you saw it.) I tried direct sowing peas for years, both dry sowing and soaking, with limited success. If the seed didn't rot, the gophers ate it. Then on a Victory Gardening segment, they showed how to do it with bottom heat in peat pots and I have been doing it that way since.

It only takes two weeks from soaking the seed to setting into the garden. I plant a sprouted seed into each peat cup and place on the bench in mid Feb. The first of March it is into the garden with the tiny seedlings. Last year it stayed so cold I had to hold the seedlings 3 weeks, but they got too lanky and some of them broke when they were put out. And in 07 most of them froze out in that late freeze, as did the broccoli, and I had to start over with both.
As soon as they're in the garden, I sprinkle blood meal down the row to discourage the rabbits and reapply after each rain--human hair helps too.

Broccoli goes onto the bench as soon as the peas come out. I don't usually presoak the seeds, just plant two or three to a cell of the plastic six or nine packs then snip off all but one to a cell when they are a couple inches tall and throw them into a salad. Like Dawn, I hold brocolli only 4 weeks expecting to have it in the garden by April 1. I plant mine all at once, as my daughters and I always set Memorial DAy weekend aside to put up broccoli, but if you don't want it all at once you could stagger the planting. Broccoli is suceptible to cutworm so I buy plastic cups, cut the bottoms out, cut a slit in the side so they can expand and plant through them. Dorothy

Thanks to you all. Yes Dorothy I'm the one who came and I really appreciate everything. I am so anxious to start planting something. Maybe I'll make some carrot seed tape this weekend.

Jill

I was thinking about you the other day Jill, and the others with whom I've shared the daffs and naked ladies and wondering if they were starting to peek out of the ground at your houses as they are here? In Jan of 06, The Warmest January on Record, I actually had a few shallowly planted daffs blooming by the end of the month. Usually it is a good 3-4 weeks later before the first ones show color.

Right now, I can see green tips of the Naked Ladies up around the house as those are the most shallow. The dogs wallowed some and some got covered up by a rick of firewood, but I have so many that it's OK. You're north of me so maybe yours aren't up yet. And this first year they may not bloom well for you, but they will in years to come. I hope you will keep in touch and let me know which varieties of daffs you ended up with. Dorothy