Starting veggies/fruit indoors

[JennyP824]

I live in VT and am wondering when I can/should start growing seeds inside? And when is a good time to transfer them outside?

 

[Chuck]

The normal rule of thumb is to start your seeds about 6 weeks prior to your last frost. Transplanting into the ground differs with the type of vegetable seed planted but the usual time to put your seedlings into the ground is when the soil temperature is about 65F but transplanting into warmer soil is better. Some seeds such as squash, melons, beans, corn, beets, okra and cucumbers are usually direct seeded into the garden when soil temperatures are favorable, but, can be grown as transplants. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are better started as transplants. Soil temperatures are extremely important when either transplanting or direct seeding.

 

[JennyP824]

The normal rule of thumb is to start your seeds about 6 weeks prior to your last frost. Transplanting into the ground differs with the type of vegetable seed planted but the usual time to put your seedlings into the ground is when the soil temperature is about 65F but transplanting into warmer soil is better. Some seeds such as squash, melons, beans, corn, beets, okra and cucumbers are usually direct seeded into the garden when soil temperatures are favorable, but, can be grown as transplants. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are better started as transplants. Soil temperatures are extremely important when either transplanting or direct seedi

 

[Meadowlark]

Check out the "almanac" and select your location.

https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates/VT

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I now plant in a propagator, but before I had one I would use anywhere warm, airing cupboard, wrapped in a towel on top of the radiator. Of course that means starting in something covered, just keep an eye out and as soon as they shoot lids off and onto a nice sunny windowsill, same goes for the propagator nowadays. They need that light or they grow tall and thin. When they go outside varies, some things it is good to give them a day in the sun and then bring them back in overnight for a day or two. Another thing I use when they are still small and just out there is a bamboo next to them, cut the bottom off a clear plastic bottle, and pop it over the top. Push the bottle into the ground a bit and the bamboo sticks out of the neck of the bottle and stops it blowing about if you angle it.

Do what you can to make transitions gentle and gradual. When you transplant seedlings hold them gently by the leaves, the roots are fragile and they only have one stem, leaves plants replace all the time.

Most seed packets contain more seeds than you will want, so you can plant some now, some next week, and some more after that. The very best time for planting can vary from year to year, but that way you will have some that are perfect, and some you can give away.

 

[egranty]

Time to start growing seeds inside very depends on the vegetable. Pls specify the vegetables you are interested in - get more specific answers.

For example, cucumbers painfully tolerate transplanting, so the best seedlings of cucumber are a plant with 2 real leaves. It looks like:

The usual period of planting cucumbers for seedlings is 18 days before transplanting into the ground (3 days for seedlings and 15 days for growth up to 2 leaflets).

Vermont is USDA 5b hardiness zone. My mother lives in the USDA 4a zone with short summer period. She transplants tomatoes and pepper into the ground at the beginning of June. So she start growing seeds indoor in the middle of March. Peppers - in the end of February.

PS: Growing seedlings takes a lot of time. Also seedlings require sunlight - the windows must be on the sunny side, otherwise you will have to buy infrared lamps.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

, otherwise you will have to buy infrared lamps.

Do you really mean infra red? I would look for something with ultra violet to imitate daylight rather than make heat.

 

[egranty]

Do you really mean infra red? I would look for something with ultra violet to imitate daylight rather than make heat.

"infra red" is because of may non native english. For growing seedling, lamps with a specific radiation spectrum are used:

Yes, they produce a lot of heat. When I lived in UK, the local police used helicopters with Thermal Imagers to find "smart" guys who were growing drugs in the attic.

Tomorrow I will load a picture which shows who grows seedlings in the house opposite - their windows glow at night with an "infrared" light, like in the above image.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

There are modern lights which don't heat up. The 'smart' guys used to use a system with the lights in a glass tube that took the heat off somewhere else, or heavily insulated the roof. Seriously, it is the light, not the heat, the plants need, using the old style lights often needed a fan to keep the plants cooled down.

 

[Chuck]

"infra red" is because of may non native english. For growing seedling, lamps with a specific radiation spectrum are used:
View attachment 94713
Yes, they produce a lot of heat. When I lived in UK, the local police used helicopters with Thermal Imagers to find "smart" guys who were growing drugs in the attic.

Tomorrow I will load a picture which shows who grows seedlings in the house opposite - their windows glow at night with an "infrared" light, like in the above image.

That picture is not from infrared, it is from Ultraviolet A (UVA) bulbs

 

[egranty]

That picture is not from infrared, it is from Ultraviolet A (UVA) bulbs

Thanks for the clarification.

Here is a night photo of a multi-storey building opposite, you can immediately see those flats where seedlings are growing.