Last edited by HoneyBadger; 06-16-2014 at 20:56.
My Feedback
"When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law." -Frederic Bastiat
"I am a conservative. Quite possibly I am on the losing side; often I think so. Yet, out of a curious perversity I had rather lose with Socrates, let us say, than win with Lenin."
― Russell Kirk, Author of The Conservative Mind
The first time I started seeds inside I made a mistake and the plants didn't grow strong. I mounted the lights much too high. I've found that the most important thing is to keep the lights mere inches (1-2) above the plants. But not everything transplants well. Tomatoes, peppers, celery, onions, strawberries and herbs are what I start inside. Some people start lettuce, cucumbers, squash and beans inside but they grow fast enough I don't see the point in starting them inside. I had two zucchini plants last year and they produced twice as much as I could eat, so no need to start them early. Spaghetti squash? I had two plants and I still have 4 squash in the basement that need to be eaten...they were direct sowed outside last year. But that's one reason I LOVE winter squash...they last through the winter and spring in the cool basement. Something that's very important if food supplies were short.
Also, carrots do not transplant well at all...it makes them not grow straight for some reason.
I am still experimenting. I have a pretty small yard so I'm working on some methods for small spaces. This is my second year with a real garden of my own but my Dad kept a very large garden when I was growing up that I spent some time in and that has helped wonders. I hope to pass that on to my kiddos too.