greetings, we might be neighbors, i'm in the magnolia
area

i have my seeds in one of those covered starter thingys
too

for the past few days, i've kept the lid off, and had them
outside in part sun/shady area, and bringing them
in at night

however, i hear tell its gonna get cold tomorrow, so they'll have to stay in a sunny window 'till the weather
gets better again

i'm sure someone else will chime in with more knowledge
than i, and in fact, i have the same concerns, as my
cosmos are getting tall but i'm not sure i want
to put them in wee pots, and wind up transplanting
them in a month or so

we'll await furthur word together

tesa

YOu need to harden them off before you plant them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hardening off

everybody says to "harden them off" but really, what does that mean? I thought the whole point of starting seeds was to save time, money, etc. I have tried transplanting my "babies" into larger cardboard type containers, and tried the whole 6-10 hours of sunlight, but really, who has the time? Does anyone actually do all this? If you don't, what works??

i understand the concept of hardening off, and have
done it both ways

a few years ago, i was very diligent about it, last
year a bit more lax, both years, it seems my babies
did ok,

this year, so far, my cosmos/coreopsis have done well
in the ground, i watch the weather like a hawk, and
am prepared to cover them, but they seem to be growing
strong, and look good, with several new sets
of leaves

tesa

I've never thought of "starting my own seeds" as a time or money saver. It lets me choose the variety I want to plant. If the regiment of seed starting is not working for you then just buy the plants at the store. Lots of folks do it.......I did it when I started gardening. When you have more time and things slow down in your life, there will be time to start your on seeds. It takes seasons to develop your rhythm in the garden so go with what you can and let the rest wait for a slower time in your life.

good advise! the first few years, i didn't even look
at seeds, just bought transplants

but then i gave some easy/beginner type seeds a go
zinnas, and the like,

this is my first year for cosmos, but have done coreposis
several times, most of them remaining at my old house, and
a few i dug up and sharred with friends

this is my first hear with herb seeds, as in years past
i've bought transplants, so i'm excited!

i do hear some seeds are easier than others, i have a great
book that lists some easy beginner seeds

tesa

I am in the same situation with my seedlings. Some are almost 2" tall (right to the roof of the starter). Does hardening them off help get them less spindly or do they really need to be planted in something else?

Should they be planted in something else like peat pots to harden them off...something that can be planted later...

Those of you with spindly plants ~ how much light are they getting? Seedlings of most things, especially sun-loving things, need a LOT of light, more than just a sunny window can provide. You need to hang a light over them at a level just barely above their tops. You can find out more in the seed starting forum.

Hardening off ~ yes, you really do have to do it or your seedlings will suffer for it when you set them out. Think of it like this ~ you've spent all winter sitting on the couch inside and someone comes along, jerks you out of the house into the bright sun and cold and makes you run a mile. You're not ready for it, so you cramp up, get chest pains and end up with a peeling sunburn. You need to work out a bit and slowly get used to the outside before you can go do all that without any complications. Same thing with your plants ~ they need to slowly get used to the changing temps, changing moisture levels, changing light levels, etc.

"I am in NW Houston, so it is too early to plant them outside, so what should I do with them? Plant them in little pots, keep them indoors then transplant them ouotside?" If there are roots all the way to the bottom of the pots they're in now, then yes, you need to transplant to larger pots and continue to keep them inside. Start hardening them off a week or two before planting out. Have you been feeding them? They need a bit of that, too ~ a weak solution of your favorite fertilizer should do it, as in half strength.

If you are lucky they should go into the ground now. They do better as fall plantings. For Summer, here we start tomatoe seeds around Chirstmas and Peppers in Feb. But if it doesn't freeze your pepper plants, with some help will start producing again the following year. The spinach may make it but don't expect for you to have much luck with the carrots. All cole plants enjoy the cooler weather we have in the cool part of our fall and winters. Just enjoy everything and remember most tomatoes stop producing as soon as it gets close to 95 degrees and that can be a long time here. Just remember all "mistakes" are just learning tools so have fun.

Good catch, Wally. I glossed right over the fact that spinach and carrots are cool weather crops, so can go outside right now if they have a few true leaves. And that carrots aren't good candidates for starting indoors and transplanting.

And, Lisa, since both are cool weather crops, it'll soon be too late to get them out there. If I were you, I'd start over with the carrots and direct seed them where you want them to grow. If your seedlings are still very tiny, you may can transplant them and get some roots, but be careful when you do and do it soon.

I'm not very experienced with Black Eyed Susans, but if they're a Rudbeckia species which are hardy to several zones north of us, I would think they can go outside now as well, after they are hardened off of course. It wouldn't be a bad idea to wait until they have a few true leaves for extra insurance, but by the time you harden them off, they probably will.