See link below, it gives normal first and last frost dates for all over the US. How early exactly you want to start out depends a lot on what you're seeding, but my general rule of thumb is 4-6 weeks before the last frost date. For my area, last frost is April 3rd. It's suggestion of going 2 weeks earlier than that is generally a good one, so that would make it March 20th. 4-6 weeks prior to that would be 2/7-2/21. I'm getting antsy though, so I've already started quite a few peppers. I'll wait until end of Feb to start my tomatoes and corn though. Here is a link that might be useful: Frost Dates

Actually keeping your seed in the fridge might not be the best idea - unless they were sealed in a jar with a packet of silica gel. Because your fridge is pretty humid, too humid for many seeds. Your plastic container is probably nowhere near as air-tight as you might think. Just keep your seed packets in an index card box in a cool dry place. They will still last for years, in most cases. I used to use a 1:1 mixture of coarse vermiculite and sphagnum peat moss for a seedling mixture - in fact for my potting mix too. It worked well for decades. But in the last 15 years or so I've not been able to lay hands on coarse vermiculite so I've switched to a 1:1 mixture of sphagnum peat and a good bagged soil, like Miracle Grow garden soil. It's not ideal but it has worked for me. Recently (like a week or so ago) I ended up using straight MG potting medium as seed starter because that's what I had on hand. Again, not ideal - but things are still coming up. I don't see anything particularly wrong with your current mix, except maybe the polystyrene beads. Those really contribute Zilch to your potting mix. But why are you steam treating it? All those ingredients (except the polystyrene beads perhaps) come to you relatively sterile out of the bag. I don't think it probably hurts anything, but I have never sterilized new potting soil nor did I ever see my mother do the same so that's at least 75 years of combined experience that has generated a rather large body of anecdotal evidence that says it isn't necessary. I know a lot of people germinate in plastic bags but I don't think its a very easy or forgiving method. I'd invest in some plastic domes instead. They are much easier to vent and far less likely to lead to damping off. Also I have noticed that when there is condensation it tends to form on the sides where it will drip down harmlessly. Also, the domes can be easily removed and wiped down. A dome is MUCH easier to adjust, quicker to deal with, unlikely to sag down onto the new plants, and because it is easy and quick to deal with, people are much more likely to attend to them in a timely fashion. Or you can go commando. In 40 years of seed starting I've never used a dome until just this year, and that was for starting some curry leaf plant seeds. If you keep the soil evenly moist, humidity isn't normally an issue, even in a dry region. Don't give up, but do try it on a smaller scale. If your basil isn't even coming up there's a problem. That stuff grows like a weed. Even you suspect damping off (and I do as well). Be brave, go commando! Lose the plastic bags! And the polystyrene and the steaming of new soil. This post was edited by zensojourner on Sat, Sep 27, 14 at 18:55

I have some pictures that shows the soil block form s I made using some 3 inch PVC pipe, a 3 inch circle of thin plywood, and a 8 inch piece of 3/8 threaded stock. The hole in the plywood was drilled tight so that the plywood disk could be screwed ontp the threded stock with a 3/8 nut backing it up. Enough was left protruding through the disk to produce a hole in the top of the casting. Once the mix is packed into the pipe, push down on the 3/8 shaft to force the soil out.

yes, definitely. They may well germinate this spring and you may see little sprouting leaves but if not, be patient - lilies can take a while to get going but are surprisingly reliable. Because there is a possibility of hypogeal germination, soil planting is always the best way. Take a look at the germination pages on lilynook (I think) - there are a number of helpful websites out there.