Hi, I just joined today and I'm so glad I found this forum! I've used many different methods to start seeds in- the best so far, and one that I've been using for a couple years is soil blocks. You can purchase them at Johnny's or Territorial Seed. They are really great for plants that benefit from being 'potted on' a few times before going to their permanent home- like tomatoes. They are great for seeds that hate their roots disturbed- you know the ones some stay away from because the packet says direct sow and then you forget about them. They are great for seeds that take forever to germinate! There are 3 that you can buy. You start your really small seeds or ones that take forever to germinate in the micro soil block maker. After they germinate and have grown for about 5-7 days, you 'up-block' them to the next size soil block- the 2" sized. The 2" soil block maker comes with inserts that you put in and when you make them it leaves a square hole in the top that is the same size as the micro soil block! Then there is the 4". You move your plants to it from the 2" the same way. These are nice for a few different reasons- but the most important is that the roots get naturally air pruned when they grow to the edge of the soil block, they stop. They don't have anything to wrap around like a pot. Because of this, when you plant them in the ground they take off! Little to no transplant shock. I have built simple wooden trays to hold them- one side open. These make it easier to water. If you go to my blog (in my profile) read the posts about these- directions are in there including a small video and how to build the wooden flats. If you have any questions about these you can email me. Happy Gardening! Tessa (aka dirtdigr) Here is a link that might be useful: Blunders with shoots, blossoms 'n roots

Donna, Since you have the option of starting seeds both indoors and out in the greenhouse, why not start half inside the house under lights and the other half out in the greenhouse. Then you can compare notes and see which way works best for you or makes you happiest or whatever. I have used lots of experimentation like that over the years to find the methods that work best for me or that I like the most. With lights, if you put the lights so close to the seed flats that they almost but not quite touch the plants, that alone will help eliminate most of the legginess. It also is important to grow on the seedlings at 60-65 degrees after they sprout because hotter temps will make them grow more quickly and get leggy. Running a fan so they have good air flow will thicken up their main stems and make them stronger too. Of all the veggies you listed that you want to grow, only the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants "have to" be started inside under lights in order to get the maximum performance from your plants. With all the others, starting indoors is an option and you may or may not find it to be a worthwhile one. It already is warm enough to direct-sow lettuce, kale and onion seed into the ground if your soil is well-draining. Swiss chard can be direct-sown but I prefer to start it indoors. Each Swiss chard seed actually is a fruit containing several seeds, so I find it easier to let them sprout in flats and then separate them and pot them up in separate containers once they have a couple of leaves. If you choose to direct-sow Swiss chard, you can thin them by pulling up the excess ones or by cutting them off with scissors at the soil once the plants are up and growing. Corn is more typically direct-sown when air temps and soil temps are in the right range. If you choose to start it inside or in the greenhouse, start it in plantable pots and transplant it while it is still very small--just an inch or two tall. It really isn't crazy about being transplanted, but usually will tolerate it as long as you plant before it gets too big. Watermelon and cantaloupe can be either direct-sown or raised as seedlings and transplanted using plantable pots. They also are not crazy about being transplanted. Most people who start them inside start them too early and then the plants are getting too big to stay indoors and have to be put into the ground while it is still too early for them, so don't get in a big hurry for these two because they need warm soil. Peas and beans can be started inside, but also do just fine when direct-sown. With both of them, you can presprout them using the baggie/coffee filter method and put the sprouts right into the ground, or you can raise them in plantable pots. I start peas inside but put them into the ground while they still are very small. As for all those tomato plants....I probably will put only 150 plants or so into the ground, and a lot of those will be paste tomatoes for salsa-making. I raise plenty of extra ones and have them for back-up in the early weeks in case of wicked weather. When it is time for the Spring Fling, I take my extras and back-ups to the fling and give them away. I also give plants to friends, neighbors, family members, etc. People generally do not turn down an offer of free tomato plants. We can a lot. I hope to make 100-120 jars of Annie's Salsa this year and that takes a lot of tomatoes. We eat a lot, preserve a lot and give away a lot. Dorothy, I hope to have a heated germination bench by next year. This year I have started everything indoors so far, but now that the greenhouse is finished and operational, I'd likely start the next round of seeds out there. I hope to move the tomato plants from the light shelf to the greenhouse on Sunday after we get through the next two cold nights. We are having fun with the greenhouse, which the cats happen to think is a cat resort/spa where they can curl up and sleep all nice and warm and protected from the wind. The only drawback so far is that once I'm in the nice, warm greenhouse, it is hard for me to force myself to go back outside into the cold wind. Dawn

Woohooman, Hab isn't DW's fav either, so I have to make two batches of salsa and sauce in this casa. Last year I had four Bhuts around 5'. Here in Bastrop County Texas, I think drip irrigation and bone meal are what gets'em up. That and loads of compost.

No offense was intended. Like I said, if it works for you, fine. It is just when we put the label "perfect" on anything it is always open for debate. If for no other reason then it wouldn't work for many others. Newbies reading it would assume that is all they have to do to be successful and I think we all know that isn't the case as there are simply far too many other variables involved. Your south window light in zone 5 may be very unusual as even further south supplemental lighting is required in greenhouses this time of year, not to mention the average home.. Your expectations for stalk-diameter ratio to height may be very different than others have. And your desire to skip potting up is always one's free choice but the advantages of doing it are well documented. Phototropism - the growth of organisms in response to light as a stimulus - is positive for leaves and stems but is negative for roots. You may like to see them but they would prefer to not see you. :) They shy away from light exposure and can easily be killed by exposure to heat and light. That is why using the clear cups is not recommended and you'd find a simple switch to dark colored cups would drastically improve your root development even without the potting-up trigger. But, as I said, if it works for you, great. That is all that counts. Still there is always room for improvement for all of us. Dave