It's time to start readying plants for the garden

By Rennie Phillips

Even though we're still wearing heavy coats and the temperature is hovering around the freezing line, it's time to start some seeds in starting mix or even planting in the ground. As of this weekend we are about two months away from the last frost in this area. Our average last frost is around mid-April.

Broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower and onions can be planted up to four to six weeks before the last frost date, which would make it from about the first of March to mid-March. With the cold weather we have been having, I'd probably wait for it settle down. I might wait till mid-March to the first of April.

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and kohlrabi seedlings don't transplant real easy, so I'd leave them in the starter trays until you move them to the garden. I don't do this with crops such as broccoli. I usually plant them in 2 x 2-inch starter trays. I normally put two or three seeds in each tray and then pull the weaker seedlings and leave the strongest.

Most of the time I start my seedlings in a mix of potting mix and seed-starting mix. Make sure the mix is damp, but not real wet. Once the seedling is up and growing, I water with water with some fertilizer in it with a high middle number. This will promote root development. It's not a good idea to fertilize them with too much nitrogen. These cold crops will germinate at a cooler temperature, so don't use heat mats under the starter trays.

You really don't have to use grow lights. I use fluorescent lights over all my seedlings. I buy the cheap two-bulb, four-foot light fixtures. The goal is to keep the light within one inch of the tops of the seedlings as they grow.

Peppers take about 10 to 12 weeks from planting the seed to being ready to transplant into the garden, so you can start them anytime. They grow real slow, so get them started. I think a good time to plant them in the garden is May 1 to 15. Peppers like warmer weather, so don't get in a hurry.

You are probably a little late getting onions started from seed. You can plant either onion sets or plants. I believe the sets are the easiest to grow, but you won't be able to grow sweet onions from sets. For sweet onions, you will have to buy onion plants, which you can purchase locally or online. I started a number of onion seeds in December, and they are looking real good and should be ready to transplant around April 1.

Tomatoes take eight to nine weeks from planting the seed to being ready to transplant, so you can start your seedlings any time. But be sure to have your lights ready because tomatoes will really get leggy if you don't. If you don't have a warm place for your seed-starting tray, I'd use heat mats under the,.

Tomatoes need to be around 80 degrees for the seeds to germinate properly. Again, keep the starter mix moist, but not wet. I start my tomatoes in 5 x 5-inch trays, then transplant them into individual trays, where they remain till I transplant into the garden. Tomatoes are easy to transplant, so don't worry about moving them. Plant the seedlings deep each time you move them.

I have a hard time growing dill, so I start them in little seeding trays and transplant into my garden later in the spring. The last couple years I've planted the dill seedlings into plastic mulch. I lay down a dripper tape, then cover with a three-foot-wide plastic mulch. I then plant my seedlings through the plastic mulch along the dripper tape. The best part is there is virtually no weeds. A few dill plants seem to make the whole garden smell better.

I also use this plastic mulch for most of my tomatoes, onions, zucchini, cabbage, kohlrabi and so on. About the only crops I don't use plastic mulch on is potatoes, corn, green beans and beets. I have grown cucumbers in the plastic mulch and they did really well. Last year I put paper and straw around most of my cucumbers.

Zucchini and other squash usually take about a month to six weeks to get ready to transplant. Same with cucumbers. I figure about a month to six weeks from planting the seed to transplanting them. Many people plant zucchini, squash and cucumbers seed directly in the garden, but I don't. I prefer starting them indoors, then transplanting.

My onion plants should be ready to be transplanted sometime in April. I lay down my dripper line and then cover with the plastic mulch. I punch a hole through the mulch and into the ground with a 3/4-inch dibbler. I stick an onion plant into the hole, then squish soil around it. It worked like a charm last year; we grew baseball to softball-size onions. Some of the Texas 1015 sweet onions were just amazing.

We are going to plant zinnias and marigolds as well. I normally plant marigolds in a 72-cell flat. I like marigolds. Some people say they help with bugs, but I really don't know. I know I like them scattered around the garden amongst the other plants. My wife likes zinnias, so she is in charge of them. I'm not sure if she will start indoors, then transplant, or just plant them outdoors from the start.

Don't forget to plant your lettuce seed. Some feel Valentine's Day is the day to plant.

Happy gardening.