what and when to start indoors in NE

[swoop]

hi all

i am in ny metro area and cant wait for spring! - have all my peat pods - some seed - even baby chickens. what suggestions would any of you folks have on what veggies benefit most from being started indoors now - what have been your experiences re success/failure starting seed indoors. last year was my first season of growing food and it was bliss - i gave away more stuff and found such joy in it - couldn't wait to get home from work to get to the garden. i even grew food in the front yard which i plan to take over completely this season ;)(husband has a weird emotional attachment to the lawn?!).

so i look forward to any wisdom you all can share. :)

[gardengirl72]

Tomatoes and herbs. Also marigolds. What seeds do you have? How much planting room do you have outside?

[Sinfonian]

Cole crops like broccoli and cauliflower also do well indoors. I also did onions last year and they worked well.

Several of the other veggies, like corn and cukes, germinate well indoors, to be planted outside when the soil temps not quite right, though not too early.

Good luck and enjoy your garden!

[nandmsmom]

This month I plan to start peppers, cabbage, broccoli, herbs, onions and leeks. I'll start my tomatoes and flowers in another 2 weeks or so.

[brightbay]

I love using this grow guide to help plan what needs to be started, hardened off and put into the garden. Just enter your info and it tells you what to do each week. I manipulate the dates by changing today's date and put it all on my calendar so that I can plan ahead and make sure I have what I need for the coming weeks.

http://www.chestnut-sw.com/growform.htm

[swoop]

to answer gardengirl72's question ..

i have approx 35x75 fenced in back yard. we are building an 8x8 hen-house with a run (not sure size yet). last yr built four 4x8 24" deep raised beds with organic soil - grew tomatoes (some heirlooms) - eggplant several kinds- zuccini (sp) - cucumber - winter melon - peppers that didnt do well - onions - carrots in pots - marigolds, nasturtiums, and borage in with the tomatoes. the front lawn is smaller but i managed to plant herbs in a raised bed - corn next to the front door on one side and okra on the other side - red cabbage around the mums - bluberry bushes in with the azaleas, raspberry bushes. some strawberry plants in pots.

i grew up in a family that ate alot of casseroles and instant foods so some of the fresh herbs have been an amazing experience for me and i am no spring chicken - never ate fresh basil until last summer!
i think i got started a little late with some stuff last year and i may have planted things like the peppers and some of the basil too early and they grew slowly from cool soil. the peppers were a complete bust.

thanks everyone for sharing what you plant - i will be more brave this yr and start my seeds in the next few weeks.

[swoop]

oops almost forgot - i have the following seeds; tomato, okra, heirloom lemon cucumber, broccoli, eggplant, pepper, sunflower, zuchini, spaghetti squash, onion spanish, kale, beets, butternut squash - in addition i saved marigold seeds, coriander, dill, pepper, and eggplant seeds from last yrs harvest - i know its iffy with the seeds i saved but what the heck. i also ordered yukon gold potato seed which hasnt come yet.

[gardengirl72]

In terms of your peppers, hot peppers are harder to grow up north. sweet peppers need to be well watered. Don't give up on them. give them another try. i love picking a pepper in summer and biting right into it. it's cool juicy and oh so crunchy.