Peppers like to "hold hands". If two seeds germinate and survive, plant them together when you up pot or transplant in your garden. They should do well. Good luck!
@@AcreHomestead I’m excited you all are excited AND I fan girl with MI gardener, so impressed he reached out to you! Also, I have a lot of the same seeds. Let’s goooooo!
@@chrisferrario1540 I have a lot of these same seeds as well. So far I've only started 4 varieties each of tomatoes and peppers (around 2 weeks ago), lettuce, 3 varieties of peas, cabbage, and potatoes. Hmm maybe I should get going on onions and the rest. She's really getting me inspired and I'm impressed MIgardener watches her videos toooo!
Becky you would make a lovely teacher 💕You are so loving and kind informative and helpful inquisitive and nurturing to yourself and your viewers... you really do have that something special!!!!! That is why you have grown so fast and people adore you 😉😊 thanks for being you! 👋
Becky, given your zone, my advice is to always re-sow if something is killed (as long as there are enough days until harvest). I've discovered once the weather is good, the plants catch up. I live in zone 5 and several years I've sown by seed after July 4 and everything caught up enough to give me good harvests. In fact, I avoided much of the insect and some of the disease pressures. You could run an experiment sowing the same variety each month until June or July to see.
@@MommaLousKitchen yup, I'm 8b in Texas & I couldn't get anything to start after may, it was just too hot. Might try starting indoors & acclimating them to the heat 🤔
Becky, thank you so much for videos like this! I seriously appreciate your "okay to not know everything" approach. I'm someone who overthinks/analyzes to the point that I don't take action unless I 100% know to do it... and then I never do anything! So learning with you encourages me to go ahead and give things a shot, without worrying about perfection! 😊
I put masking tape on those plant tags and write on the tape, that way you can re-use them over and over. Super easy and resists fading by moisture etc…. Plus one can use ball point pens on masking tape. Just a tip. I seeded 75% of our crops yesterday.
Terrible idea. With Masking tape words immediately faded in the sun and/or words washed off no matter which type of maker I used and I tried two different indelible sharpies, plus two other types of pens.
To help reduce gnats and bacteria, boil water and add it to your seed starting mix, that will kill any larvae or mugs in the soil and will reduce pests. Once the soil is cold, then fill your seed trays and plant your seeds. This really helps!
I have a little advice to give you that my daddy taught me growing up and doing our gardens. He said never plant tomatoes in the same place two years in a row. We always had beautiful tomatoes. Rotating crops is very important! Good luck. Hopefully gonna have a garden this year.
Not with tomatoes, but I have always had a lot of volunteer plants. In those places, I tested the soil & amended if needed. There's great, inexpensive places in PNWto send soil samples
ps - Broccoli and cauliflower I also had a hard time with them until I started them inside in AUGUST and Planted them September 1st - wow, they went crazy and also did as told by my farmer fam, and did NOT harvest until after nights started frosting. I thought they were crazy, but dang I got some good heads, Also my brussel sprouts did better as well. didn't realize the plants were so picky.
Im in zone 5b and I will be starting my seeds around the middle of March. I keep seeing everyone starting now and I’m trying so hard not to start early. The anticipation is killing me!
Becky, the app Seed to Spoon has helped me SO MUCH in the garden. You can track your zone’s weather, planting dates, and it even gives growing and pest advice based on every plant! AND IT’S TOTALLY FREEEEEE. ✨ this will be the second year I’m using it!
I have always had issues with bell peppers being small and kind of whimpy. Then a customer of mine told me to add some powdered milk. I did, and was amazed at the difference!
When I saw your thumbnail I thought you went crazy making so many brownies and then I read the title of the video and I got super excited I'm just getting into gardening and I really love your videos 😊
If you want large fruit and quick starting growth once you plant in the garden in the soil, be sure to get yourself some Rock Phosphate. Put a tablespoon of rock phosphate in the hole, this is the only way it will work, then put in your start and fill in with soil and fertilize. I have had great success with production and healthy plantings using this method that I learned from a very old TH-cam gardening seminar that I watched about 15 years ago. I will see if I can find it and will share the link. When he said that the plants will look like they grow overnight, he wasn't kidding! So get some rock phosphate! I swear by it! You can order it from Amazon. I use the brand Espoma. This is good for all plants but especially good for all nightshades such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant. Hope that helps!
Collect old sheets. If you put plants out & it’s going to be below 40, put a sheet over them just before sunset. Take them off by 10am or so. It should keep them safe through a hard frost.
I've been a gardener all my life in the northeast of the US. We always had a garden when I was a kid. We preserved most of what we grew. I moved to Southern Florida which is a totally different ballgame when it comes to gardening. I feel like a newbie. I've killed so many seedlings and plants while trying to garden in my new growing zone which is 10b. As long as you learn from your mistakes, always move forward in gardening. It's always an adventure! I'm having fun watching you start your garden even though I'm well into my growing season already. I've already harvested my first peppers. I have tomatoes on the vine that should be ready to pick in a few weeks with lots more flowers already. My lettuce and spinach are coming along nicely and my chocolate mint is already trying to take over my garden. It's my first time growing the chocolate mint. So far, it's way more aggressive than any mint I've ever grown which is saying something because mint grows like crazy. It smells amazing though! My current project is growing my own sweet potato slips so I can plant those toward the end of May. I'm told sweet potatoes do really well when nothing else does during the heat of a Florida summer. I still have so much to learn about growing down here. Good luck with your garden this year!
@@jenniferwalizer724 I lived in upstate NY for about 20 years. While I loved gardening there, the wildlife is murder on the garden. My biggest bit of advice is to fence in your garden whenever possible if you have deer. Barring that, plant sunflowers for the deer. They love them and might keep them out of the main part of your garden. Rocks were terrible in the upstate area where I was. But once you've gardened in a particular spot, you will have removed most of them. Other than that, start small with a few vegetables that you know you like. Read up on how to care for them in your growing zone, but you have to grow more to the weather in NY. It always seemed to change from year to year. Mostly, it never seemed to get as hot as the garden needed until late in the season and then we would have record heat temperatures that required daily watering of the garden. Good luck!
@@kaylab5987 That's definitely on my list of things to try with this mint. I'm looking forward to it. I'm a tea girl myself. I don't like coffee, but I love tea!
I recommend starting a worm composter. It’s cheap, you can put in your cardboard and food scraps and the worms will make you such beautiful and rich soil. It’s great for seedlings as it’s so rich in minerals and other good stuff 👌🏻 I have to worm boxes and the worms are doing a great job! Every time I peal a fruit, veggie or potatoe it goes straight into my two worm composters and I get a bag of beautiful soil every spring in retourn. Worms are happy, I am happy! Win win situation 😃👍🏻
I live in Michigan and have not started most of mine yet. My last frost date is about mid may. I just got my seed order placed online yesterday. I hope I get them in time to start. I have started onions but that is it.
I'm so excited my husband went to Michaels craft store today to pick up some storage/seed/picture containers for me. ON Sale for $14 something each. He got me 4. Thank you, thank you for recommending these. Reg. Price $41 something. WOW I love a good sale. 2/28/22
An easy way to put holes in plastic trays and bins is to buy a cheap soldering iron ($3/5) it melts holes easily and quickly and seems to reinforce the holes with the melted plastic. It is quick and easy.
Cover your cabbage,broccoli, and cauliflower with the white light row cover fabric to keep the bugs off of them when they go outside. I’m jealous, we still have snow on the ground. 💙
I found you because of your harvest videos. Everything I’ve learned since then has been invaluable. I won’t be able to start my garden for at LEAST another year, so learning everything I can through your experience (and of course other channels) is so helpful! I really appreciate you putting so much work into content for us, sharing all your successes and all your mistakes!
could you do container gardening just so you have a couple plants and can figure things out? everything we do is in containers and i found that even a few plans brought me joy last year so this year ive expanded
I started 30% of my seeds today. Tomatoes tomorrow. And I am waiting for another week for most of everything else because I expect our 6b frost date pushed back a bit bc the weather is broken basically 😜😬🤪
Up here in Seattle I already stared a lot of seeds: onions/leeks, tomatoes, lettuce, tomatillos, basil, peppers, eggplant, celery, and annual herbs. My kitchen/breakfast nook will end up looking like a greenhouse by the time I can put them outside.
Hey Becky, wondering if you’ve investigated soil blocking for seed starting at all! That’s what I’m doing and it’s so great for zero waste and less risk of damping off or root disturbance after planting! I’m no expert but go watch Blossom and Branch Farm’s video on her channel! I’m using fiberglass trays like she does, so I won’t be trashing and repurchasing trays year after year when the plastic ones break. Love getting to hang out with you while you start your 2022 garden! Lots of love! ❤️
Quick tip for anyone on a budget: if you live by a Daiso (Japanese dollar store) check out their gardening section. I found some large mesh bottom plastic trays that are that hard plastic that will last forever for $1.75 each. I use newspaper pots and start my seeds in there outside in a greenhouse (I live in zone 10a) and water them from the top with a hose and the excess water just drips out so I don’t worry too much about over watering.
The easiest way to put holes in plastic trays/pots is to heat a metal skewer (or a screwdriver/nail etc.) over a flame and then melt the holes. It can be a bit smelly, but it doesn't risk cracking the whole tray like using an unheated sharp implement does.
I grew sugar rush peach peppers last year and it was very productive. I actually decided to make hot sauce with them after watching your video. I also made a apricot pepper jelly. Both turned out delicious! Great job getting all those trays of seeds done. 👏
Becky I'm not starting till sometime in March, towards the end actually. We live in the same area and I can tell you with out a doubt, you're not starting too late. Maybe a tad bit too early however. But the excitement is real so I understand why you are. I did start my onions, leeks and kale as well.
Becky we have good success in seed starting using a humidity dome (even a covering of plastic wrap at first) to help hold the moisture until germination. That might help with the seeds since wood heating your house might cause dry interior air.
I grew the chilepin peppers last year for the first time. I had 2 plants and they produced a TON of little smokin hot peppers! 2 plants was more than enough to do what you want.
Sugar Rush Peach is one of my favorite peppers! Sweet, spicy, and smokey, they make a delicious hot sauce. A word of caution as you grow them: they're SUPER prolific! They get pretty bushy, and you will need a support of some sort (a tomato cage is what I use) because the insane amount of peppers this plant grows will pull the branches down to the ground. Also, while very prolific, they're kind of slow to fully ripen to that peach color. It could be a sun issue for me as well (I'm in Puget Sound area) that makes ripening take so long. Also, for hot peppers, the amount of water you give them will determine how spicy they are. If you want mild peppers, water often. If you want spicy peppers, stress them out a bit with less water.
I give a good rinse of my trays with really hot water and done. I started onions and leeks first since they take longer and they are the first to go out into the ground and then I started my brassicas I also started some sweet peppers that take up to 21 days to germinate. tomatoes and peppers I won’t start till about 2nd week March.
I worked in a greenhouse for 9 years,I did all of the seeding for the spring season and we never sterilized our trays..I have tomatoes,peppers, onions and a few herbs
I have about 2 weeks till I start mine. Generally, middle of March for starting gets me to outdoor planting around Mothers Day...which is the safe frost free date. I have all the seeds I need and everything else for planting other than new soil for my containers...since my tomato stealing dog learned how to get in the garden...and how to eat them straight off the plant last year. I can't wait for harvesting!!
Same with me. One year I planted a few days before Mother's Day and a frost killed most of my plants! And, I actually had a lab who would steal my tomatoes as I harvested! I didn't realize until I turned and caught her in the act. Probably thought I picked them for her!
I’m not one to have the energy to sow all the seeds at once. I group by the week and don’t find it so overwhelming. I started onions & leeks 2/11, peppers and eggplant 2/18, brassicas and celery 2/27 and will do lettuce this week. Next week flowers and the following week tomatoes and basil, etc. I find them easier to pay attention to when they’re spaced out like that.
Pro tip that helped me a TON last year with most of my plants, but most of all - my tomatoes: keep those grow lights on all the time. I'm just using fluorescent lights and they don't really compare to the actual sun, but having them on all the time they get the best amount possible. They acclimate very well after moving them out to hardening them off. That was a big reason why my plants didn't do well in previous years. My very best wishes to you and your gardening endeavours. ♥
I love your channel! 💗 My husband and I just purchased our first home on 11 acres in Florida and we're in the beginning stages of turning it into a homestead. I'm learning a lot from you! Keep the videos coming! I need a canning for beginners video if you're looking for ideas! 🌴☀️🐊
Haven't watched your video yet, but I just started my seeds yesterday! I live on Vancouver Island in southern BC, and I started two types of onions and a herbal headache mix I got online from Metchosin Farm. Next week I will be starting peppers, tomatoes, more herbs, and maybe a watermelon! It's so exciting to learn how to do this. :) I found those plastic salad containers with lids gave me the best success. Created a greenhouse effect that was better than egg cartons and plastic wrap because it didn't dry out as fast. I have a spray bottle with a fine mist and that's how I water. Worked great last year!
We started some greens in big planter. We will start some peppers and tomatoes end of week. We are in zone 6 a. King Arthur is all we plant for green peppers as they are good producers for us.
I'm in NE TX, zone 8a, and I started seeds a few weeks ago for celery and bunching onions and I did peppers, tomatoes and luffa about 2 weeks ago. Gardening is my absolute favorite thing to do! Happy growing!! :)
I started leeks, blueberries, strawberries, and goji berries, but I'm not starting anything else until Wednesday. If you're confused about when you should plant things, the Farmer's Almanac has a free planting schedule based on your zip code and growing zone. Most of what I need to plant doesn't need to be started until April or May because my last frost isn't until May 18th.
Hi Becky...it's always so great to start the seeds! I am in southern Alberta Canada zone 3b4a and we have 100 day growing season only...we also still have snow and may until April/May (sometimes we have surprise snows mothers day weekend), I have a grow light system in the basement but also last fall I planted 3 dozen potatoes, onion sets I had left over and some peas as an experiment after reading a woman's post that her family did that every fall and they just came up in the spring, I have raised beds also. I am looking forward to seeing if it works! Also today I am starting Winter Sowing for the first time! There are you tube videos on it ,Frankie-Lou-Fuller (she lives in Calgary about 1 1/2 hours west of me, I am in Brooks) is one of the people who explains it well...I have watched videos of people in the USA doing it also. So I am planting flowers and herbs, onions, celery, leeks and peas in the milk jugs today, and in March it will be time to start other seeds in them. I am doing some in the trays as backups and also plant for my moms garden just in case...lol...seems like people are very successful at it...wish me luck!
I'm in zone 5b and started onion seeds 2 weeks ago. I don't start my tomatoes and peppers until later because they don't take as long and last year they had to potted up 2 times and were 3ft. tall before the weather allowed me to put them out in the garden. I will not start them too early this year. Cold season crops can go out earlier so Ill start them tomorrow.
I am in northern Michigan, I have not started seeds. I will start them in two weeks. I have not had a garden for 10 years. Love watching your enthusiasm for all this commitment and work! You are amazing 👏 ❤
When I used Promix for my African Violets, I used hot water to saturate my mix. When it had cooled off to room temperature, it meant that it had absorbed the water sufficiently to plant my seedlings.
I grew those ground cherries last year, and they TOOK OVER my raised bed, so make sure you give them lots of room :) You will get loads of them from just a couple plants!
I agree. They spread out a lot. And you will get lots of cherries. If you just grow them to eat raw, a couple plants is good. But if you want jam, your have to have A LOT for a batch.
I came in the comments just to say that! Hahahah!! Do not plant your ground cherry plants in your garden, each fruit that falls down on the ground will make hundreds of volunteers plants!!! Find them a nice spot on your Homestead and you will have some forever! :)
I live on the western slope of Colorado in zone 5b. Our last frost date is mid-May so I don't start seeds until mid April. One thing that may help you with your wee plants is to HARDEN THEM OFF BEFORE you transplant outside in the garden. I do this by taking the plants out to our patio during the day and bringing them inside at night and do this for at least a week before I finally plant out. By doing this you plants can get used to the changes in the temps. Wishing you good luck with your gardening this year.
I’m starting my seeds this week too. Not all of them, I basically have a few trays to start every week till mid April. I have a lot of surface sow flowers and beans. It might be handy to get some frost blankets to have on hand if you get an unexpected frost. You can just cover the plants at night until you’re absolutely sure no more frosts are coming.
Your Chippin peppers are called chiltepes in Guatemala. They harvest them green when they look like peas. Smash them just a bit and mix with as little vinegar/lime and thin sliced onions. It is CRAZY good and REALLY hot. I’m so happy to see them here now!
I usually tuck the empty package in the edge between the bottom and top tray. When I move the plant to the garden I put the labels in snack baggie, staple to a wooden peg then stick in the ground. Pegs and baggies are often reuseable.
Starting seeds now too! I’m in CT and last frost date is May 1st. So we’re pretty much 8 weeks perfectly to last frost date. A big tip just because you mentioned planting out tomatoes etc. tomatoes can take a little bit of “cooler” (not cold) weather. But peppers do not! I suggest waiting an extra 2/3 weeks to plant them so nighttime temps are higher. So excited for the growing season!!
LMAO!!! watching you do the seeds! I forget to label also! you are so organized, fun and adorable! I just started watching you, and I love your wonderful spirit! You are enthusiastic, genuine, smart and frugal, all qualities that make it a joy to watch you. How many years have you been gardening and cooking what you grow? I just started too. I can’t believe you just started! You are so smart and know so much!!! This is a subject that is so needed, how to use what we grow, recipes, new ideas that are smart and prudent! I believe you got a gift girl, and sharing it with us is such a blessing! Thank you, love Caroline. BTW congrats!!!! I can’t wait to see/watch you in this new adventure!
Spent this morning doing a planting calender, weekly, I've done it like you mum does her big dinner plans, backwards from my last frost. I start next week, so I have been getting all my trays ready, think I need more, but definitely not as many as you. Mine is a tub garden, so I will be extra excited for those videos this year. Try a soldering iron next time you want alto put holes in plant pots/trays.
The goal is to get our seeds planted this week. We are in East Tennessee. Normally we already have ours planted by now, but we have a 4 month old and a 4 year old and life happens. We also have had a terrible time with field rats in our greenhouse, so we have been dealing with that.
Gasp! it wasn't until you got to the tomatoes that I realized this wasn't for the container patio to plate challenge 😵 I was super excited! this video is just a tease and we cannot wait until the container challenge starts I'm about to plant my seeds soon! Woo hoooo!
Becky, you’ve got to give yourself more grace. You are a beast and a true inspiration to me. You are non stop and extremely generous. I don’t know how you do it. I enjoy all of your videos. Thank you!
I live in NorCal, so I will be starting some seeds outside in about a week or two ( not corn or watermelon). We have an over 8 month growing season 😁🌞 And cinnamon is a great natural fungicide, plus you shouldn’t get any pests gnats flying around either. 🙂
Potentially dumb q but when you say you’re starting outside, do you mean you’ll be planting directly in pots? I also live in NorCal and am wondering if I can just plant seeds directly in containers? Thank you!
@@annejohnson8807 yes, I plant most everything in containers…flowers, veggies, herbs. Some I plant the seed directly into the container, others I start in small starter pots, then transplant. What are you planting? 🙂
I learned something new this year. Tarragon does NOT want light while germinating. I'm on round 3 of trying to get tarragon to sprout this season and this is the only one i didn't put under the lights immediately... they sprouted lol
Becky! I'm also growing ground cherries, Paul Robeson, and Dr. Wyche's. This is my first year to really try starting seeds though. I did try a bit last year, but I was LATE so the only tomatoes I got were from plants I bought rather than my own seeds.
Another thought to add to your growing space- get some Green Stalk planters! Don't get a cheap knockoff. You can grow shallower rooted plants like strawberries and lettuces, saving space in your ground for tomatoes and peppers!
Hi Becky! I don't think you are seeding too late. I live in Mpls, MN (Zone 4) and used to start my seedlings too early with poor results. I won't start my cool weather seedlings until mid March. Even if you are little late for Spring cool weather plants in your zone, they will most likely do well. I do wash out my trays at the end of the season because you never know- by the end of the season they've been all around my yard and garden picking up who knows what. I just spend some time outside at the end of the season with a big storage tote full of vinegar diluted in water. I use shower mode on my hose nozzle first, then wash them with a bottle brush. I let them dry in the sun. This year I plan to clean them as I go. So fun to share your adventures!
I'm hoping you do a video when you fertilize all your plants. I'm a new gardener and I haven't been able to get the timing right on fertilizing. Thanks for showing the REAL life ups and downs.
I think the way you handle failure as a learning experience helps us to not worry about failure and enjoy the process and have faith in ourselves that we did the best we could do. You wear your failure like a badge of honor! I love watching your enthusiasm and your love for "process". Thank you!
Peppers like to "hold hands". If two seeds germinate and survive, plant them together when you up pot or transplant in your garden. They should do well. Good luck!
I’m gonna do this, mainly because it just sounds so cute!
What spacing would you do from another holding hands pepper group?
@@Fattiapples about one foot. I've read where others have even gone closer.
Hmmm. I like this idea, especially since I sow peppers 2 to a pot planning to thin to one. Are you talking about sweet or 🔥 🔥 🔥 peppers?
@@darcinda9249 I did this with my sweet bell peppers. I don't have much experience with hot peppers as I'm a lightweight and can't handle the heat!
OMG! BECKY! 😂😂😂😂 You HAVE to watch this video over again now! It's sooooo foretelling of the rest of the year!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
lets goooo! :D So excited to see how your garden grows this year.
I'm so excited!! It's going to be fun year!!
I'm super excited as well ☺
@@AcreHomestead I’m excited you all are excited AND I fan girl with MI gardener, so impressed he reached out to you! Also, I have a lot of the same seeds. Let’s goooooo!
@@chrisferrario1540 I have a lot of these same seeds as well. So far I've only started 4 varieties each of tomatoes and peppers (around 2 weeks ago), lettuce, 3 varieties of peas, cabbage, and potatoes. Hmm maybe I should get going on onions and the rest. She's really getting me inspired and I'm impressed MIgardener watches her videos toooo!
Becky you would make a lovely teacher 💕You are so loving and kind informative and helpful inquisitive and nurturing to yourself and your viewers... you really do have that something special!!!!! That is why you have grown so fast and people adore you 😉😊 thanks for being you! 👋
Thank you so much!
I agree 100%
She already is a teacher, for us 😀
I am an elementary school teacher, and I agree! ❤️
Becky, given your zone, my advice is to always re-sow if something is killed (as long as there are enough days until harvest). I've discovered once the weather is good, the plants catch up. I live in zone 5 and several years I've sown by seed after July 4 and everything caught up enough to give me good harvests. In fact, I avoided much of the insect and some of the disease pressures. You could run an experiment sowing the same variety each month until June or July to see.
Huh! Great advice! Very interesting! Thanks
Becky lives in Washington in my zone. I'm about 2 hours north. Our zone is 7b-8b
Definitely doesn't work in 8b down south, summer heat is no joke.
@@MommaLousKitchen yup, I'm 8b in Texas & I couldn't get anything to start after may, it was just too hot.
Might try starting indoors & acclimating them to the heat 🤔
@@darknight0dc doing that now with tomato and pepper seedlings with the cold though, leave them on porch daytime, bring em in nighttime
OMG. Just the thumbnail has me so excited! Can't wait to watch this Becky!
Yay!!
I am so relieved I am not the only one feeling behind. I am hoping to start tomorrow to get them planted.
Becky, thank you so much for videos like this! I seriously appreciate your "okay to not know everything" approach. I'm someone who overthinks/analyzes to the point that I don't take action unless I 100% know to do it... and then I never do anything! So learning with you encourages me to go ahead and give things a shot, without worrying about perfection! 😊
I put masking tape on those plant tags and write on the tape, that way you can re-use them over and over. Super easy and resists fading by moisture etc…. Plus one can use ball point pens on masking tape. Just a tip. I seeded 75% of our crops yesterday.
Good idea
Ditto, I use blue painters tape. Easy to see and is designed to come off without leaving residue.
Terrible idea. With Masking tape words immediately faded in the sun and/or words washed off no matter which type of maker I used and I tried two different indelible sharpies, plus two other types of pens.
Genius!
To help reduce gnats and bacteria, boil water and add it to your seed starting mix, that will kill any larvae or mugs in the soil and will reduce pests. Once the soil is cold, then fill your seed trays and plant your seeds. This really helps!
Great idea!
Every time I watch you, I get inspired to either start a project or finish one Ive already started! Thank you for all you do!
You are so welcome! Thank you for watching!!
Me too!!!
I have a little advice to give you that my daddy taught me growing up and doing our gardens. He said never plant tomatoes in the same place two years in a row. We always had beautiful tomatoes. Rotating crops is very important! Good luck. Hopefully gonna have a garden this year.
Yes and rotating them with a legume 😉
Thanks for the tips!
Not with tomatoes, but I have always had a lot of volunteer plants. In those places, I tested the soil & amended if needed. There's great, inexpensive places in PNWto send soil samples
Potatoes too!!!
We rotate all of our crops every season.
ps - Broccoli and cauliflower I also had a hard time with them until I started them inside in AUGUST and Planted them September 1st - wow, they went crazy and also did as told by my farmer fam, and did NOT harvest until after nights started frosting. I thought they were crazy, but dang I got some good heads, Also my brussel sprouts did better as well. didn't realize the plants were so picky.
Im in zone 5b and I will be starting my seeds around the middle of March. I keep seeing everyone starting now and I’m trying so hard not to start early. The anticipation is killing me!
Me too!!!
Me too! I’m 5A
I feel your pain. Can’t wait to get started but I don’t want to jump the gun.
I hear ya in zone 3! I need to wait until April.
Zone 6a and still not time yet but really close.
Becky, the app Seed to Spoon has helped me SO MUCH in the garden. You can track your zone’s weather, planting dates, and it even gives growing and pest advice based on every plant! AND IT’S TOTALLY FREEEEEE. ✨ this will be the second year I’m using it!
I just loaded the app. Thank you!
Wow!!! 🙏
is seed to spoon a free app??
@@jenniferwarwick5644 yep!!
@@alexadavidson6227 thank you
I have always had issues with bell peppers being small and kind of whimpy. Then a customer of mine told me to add some powdered milk. I did, and was amazed at the difference!
When I saw your thumbnail I thought you went crazy making so many brownies and then I read the title of the video and I got super excited I'm just getting into gardening and I really love your videos 😊
I fill my bottom tray and let my cells absorb before I plant
If you want large fruit and quick starting growth once you plant in the garden in the soil, be sure to get yourself some Rock Phosphate. Put a tablespoon of rock phosphate in the hole, this is the only way it will work, then put in your start and fill in with soil and fertilize. I have had great success with production and healthy plantings using this method that I learned from a very old TH-cam gardening seminar that I watched about 15 years ago. I will see if I can find it and will share the link. When he said that the plants will look like they grow overnight, he wasn't kidding! So get some rock phosphate! I swear by it! You can order it from Amazon. I use the brand Espoma. This is good for all plants but especially good for all nightshades such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant. Hope that helps!
Thank you!
Found the video. This has lots of good information. th-cam.com/video/85Be3BbLJ68/w-d-xo.html
@@NoreensKitchenOfficial Thank you for this! :)
Collect old sheets. If you put plants out & it’s going to be below 40, put a sheet over them just before sunset. Take them off by 10am or so. It should keep them safe through a hard frost.
I've been a gardener all my life in the northeast of the US. We always had a garden when I was a kid. We preserved most of what we grew. I moved to Southern Florida which is a totally different ballgame when it comes to gardening. I feel like a newbie. I've killed so many seedlings and plants while trying to garden in my new growing zone which is 10b. As long as you learn from your mistakes, always move forward in gardening. It's always an adventure!
I'm having fun watching you start your garden even though I'm well into my growing season already. I've already harvested my first peppers. I have tomatoes on the vine that should be ready to pick in a few weeks with lots more flowers already. My lettuce and spinach are coming along nicely and my chocolate mint is already trying to take over my garden. It's my first time growing the chocolate mint. So far, it's way more aggressive than any mint I've ever grown which is saying something because mint grows like crazy. It smells amazing though!
My current project is growing my own sweet potato slips so I can plant those toward the end of May. I'm told sweet potatoes do really well when nothing else does during the heat of a Florida summer. I still have so much to learn about growing down here.
Good luck with your garden this year!
any suggestions for a beginner in the north east. i am in upstate ny near the west southern border of vermont
Chocolate mint tea .. I miss mine sadly it was the only mint that died.
@@jenniferwalizer724 I lived in upstate NY for about 20 years. While I loved gardening there, the wildlife is murder on the garden.
My biggest bit of advice is to fence in your garden whenever possible if you have deer. Barring that, plant sunflowers for the deer. They love them and might keep them out of the main part of your garden.
Rocks were terrible in the upstate area where I was. But once you've gardened in a particular spot, you will have removed most of them. Other than that, start small with a few vegetables that you know you like. Read up on how to care for them in your growing zone, but you have to grow more to the weather in NY. It always seemed to change from year to year. Mostly, it never seemed to get as hot as the garden needed until late in the season and then we would have record heat temperatures that required daily watering of the garden.
Good luck!
@@kaylab5987 That's definitely on my list of things to try with this mint. I'm looking forward to it. I'm a tea girl myself. I don't like coffee, but I love tea!
Last year after making beautiful labels for my outdoor garden plants my puppy pulled them out and chewed them up.
I recommend starting a worm composter.
It’s cheap, you can put in your cardboard and food scraps and the worms will make you such beautiful and rich soil. It’s great for seedlings as it’s so rich in minerals and other good stuff 👌🏻
I have to worm boxes and the worms are doing a great job!
Every time I peal a fruit, veggie or potatoe it goes straight into my two worm composters and I get a bag of beautiful soil every spring in retourn. Worms are happy, I am happy! Win win situation 😃👍🏻
I agree!
Wow I need this! Thank you!!
Hi Jessica what container do you use?
Ooooo more video content if you create a compost! I would love a patio compost challenge as well!
I live in Michigan and have not started most of mine yet. My last frost date is about mid may. I just got my seed order placed online yesterday. I hope I get them in time to start. I have started onions but that is it.
I start most of my seeds in the paper part of a toilet tube. I fold it into a little box shape and safe them until I need them.
I'm so excited my husband went to Michaels craft store today to pick up some storage/seed/picture containers for me. ON Sale for $14 something each. He got me 4. Thank you, thank you for recommending these. Reg. Price $41 something. WOW I love a good sale. 2/28/22
Hobby Lobby also has them. And walmart.
Thx for posting this! I need to grab a few more too!
Your very welcome. Happy gardening!
An easy way to put holes in plastic trays and bins is to buy a cheap soldering iron ($3/5) it melts holes easily and quickly and seems to reinforce the holes with the melted plastic. It is quick and easy.
Hi Becky, You can melt holes in plastic with the tip of a hot glue gun. It works great😎
Also don’t forget to harden off trays for a few days before going into the ground!
We all have failures. The important thing to remember is NOT to give up!
Cover your cabbage,broccoli, and cauliflower with the white light row cover fabric to keep the bugs off of them when they go outside. I’m jealous, we still have snow on the ground. 💙
I found you because of your harvest videos. Everything I’ve learned since then has been invaluable. I won’t be able to start my garden for at LEAST another year, so learning everything I can through your experience (and of course other channels) is so helpful! I really appreciate you putting so much work into content for us, sharing all your successes and all your mistakes!
could you do container gardening just so you have a couple plants and can figure things out? everything we do is in containers and i found that even a few plans brought me joy last year so this year ive expanded
I second the container or pot garden. Pick 3-4 things you want to eat and plant away. Good luck. Let us know if you do and how it goes!
I started 30% of my seeds today. Tomatoes tomorrow. And I am waiting for another week for most of everything else because I expect our 6b frost date pushed back a bit bc the weather is broken basically 😜😬🤪
Southern BC here. I feel ya
Up here in Seattle I already stared a lot of seeds: onions/leeks, tomatoes, lettuce, tomatillos, basil, peppers, eggplant, celery, and annual herbs. My kitchen/breakfast nook will end up looking like a greenhouse by the time I can put them outside.
I started mine yesterday. But l am in Florida. This is my first year doing seeds.
I did the milk carton seed starting outside this past weekend. I’m in zone 4
Hey Becky, wondering if you’ve investigated soil blocking for seed starting at all! That’s what I’m doing and it’s so great for zero waste and less risk of damping off or root disturbance after planting! I’m no expert but go watch Blossom and Branch Farm’s video on her channel! I’m using fiberglass trays like she does, so I won’t be trashing and repurchasing trays year after year when the plastic ones break. Love getting to hang out with you while you start your 2022 garden! Lots of love! ❤️
Quick tip for anyone on a budget: if you live by a Daiso (Japanese dollar store) check out their gardening section. I found some large mesh bottom plastic trays that are that hard plastic that will last forever for $1.75 each. I use newspaper pots and start my seeds in there outside in a greenhouse (I live in zone 10a) and water them from the top with a hose and the excess water just drips out so I don’t worry too much about over watering.
I found some 5ft plastic rods for our tree supports. 3 for $1.25 love our Daiso
Yes! Daiso has a really nice selection of pots and trays and even seed starting lil plastic containers. 100 for $1.25! Perfect for seeds!!!
Yes! I am 7b and started 2 weeks ago.
Thank the Lord spring is near! I started some last week.. Going to plant more tonight. God bless all!
Wonderful!
All the tomato farms around where I live grow Bella Rosa tomatoes. They are beautiful and bountiful. I have canned with them for years.
As a newbie gardener I am so happy I found u. Now I understand to plant different varieties with different harvest times
The easiest way to put holes in plastic trays/pots is to heat a metal skewer (or a screwdriver/nail etc.) over a flame and then melt the holes. It can be a bit smelly, but it doesn't risk cracking the whole tray like using an unheated sharp implement does.
I said a soldering iron 😁 great minds think alike.
I grew sugar rush peach peppers last year and it was very productive. I actually decided to make hot sauce with them after watching your video. I also made a apricot pepper jelly. Both turned out delicious! Great job getting all those trays of seeds done. 👏
That's a great idea! I'm so excited!!
That sounds amazing!
Yummmmmm.....or maybe a savory chutney of some sort.
@@76Joplin yummy that's a great idea!
Becky I'm not starting till sometime in March, towards the end actually. We live in the same area and I can tell you with out a doubt, you're not starting too late. Maybe a tad bit too early however. But the excitement is real so I understand why you are. I did start my onions, leeks and kale as well.
Becky we have good success in seed starting using a humidity dome (even a covering of plastic wrap at first) to help hold the moisture until germination. That might help with the seeds since wood heating your house might cause dry interior air.
I use old dry cleaning plastic. It’s large and works great!
I grew the chilepin peppers last year for the first time. I had 2 plants and they produced a TON of little smokin hot peppers! 2 plants was more than enough to do what you want.
I did the same with serrano, two plants, still have a quart in freezer and pint pickled lol
Going to utilize my dehydrator this year, fs
Sugar Rush Peach is one of my favorite peppers! Sweet, spicy, and smokey, they make a delicious hot sauce. A word of caution as you grow them: they're SUPER prolific! They get pretty bushy, and you will need a support of some sort (a tomato cage is what I use) because the insane amount of peppers this plant grows will pull the branches down to the ground. Also, while very prolific, they're kind of slow to fully ripen to that peach color. It could be a sun issue for me as well (I'm in Puget Sound area) that makes ripening take so long. Also, for hot peppers, the amount of water you give them will determine how spicy they are. If you want mild peppers, water often. If you want spicy peppers, stress them out a bit with less water.
Sugar Rush seem to be the last pepper to harvest for most gardeners even in the south.
I give a good rinse of my trays with really hot water and done.
I started onions and leeks first since they take longer and they are the first to go out into the ground and then I started my brassicas I also started some sweet peppers that take up to 21 days to germinate. tomatoes and peppers I won’t start till about 2nd week March.
I worked in a greenhouse for 9 years,I did all of the seeding for the spring season and we never sterilized our trays..I have tomatoes,peppers, onions and a few herbs
Wow good to know! Thank you!!
I have my onions and celery started. I can't put anything in my garden until the end of May at best.
Love ya Becky & Josh! Hello from Dallas, TX zone 8a. I always look forward to ALl your videos. You both and your extended family & pets are awesome!!
I always add a week to my last frost date and then reverse count for the variety. I’ve def started things too early or too late in the past
I have about 2 weeks till I start mine. Generally, middle of March for starting gets me to outdoor planting around Mothers Day...which is the safe frost free date. I have all the seeds I need and everything else for planting other than new soil for my containers...since my tomato stealing dog learned how to get in the garden...and how to eat them straight off the plant last year. I can't wait for harvesting!!
Are you in Michigan? That is the timeline I am going by as well
@@bigtoeproductions9195 No, in Nebraska
Same with me. One year I planted a few days before Mother's Day and a frost killed most of my plants! And, I actually had a lab who would steal my tomatoes as I harvested! I didn't realize until I turned and caught her in the act. Probably thought I picked them for her!
Have you watched Charles Dowding? He starts seeds like that, then 'pricks' them into new trays. Kinda like thinning, but with less waste 😊
I’m not one to have the energy to sow all the seeds at once. I group by the week and don’t find it so overwhelming. I started onions & leeks 2/11, peppers and eggplant 2/18, brassicas and celery 2/27 and will do lettuce this week. Next week flowers and the following week tomatoes and basil, etc. I find them easier to pay attention to when they’re spaced out like that.
Makes sense!!!
Pro tip that helped me a TON last year with most of my plants, but most of all - my tomatoes: keep those grow lights on all the time. I'm just using fluorescent lights and they don't really compare to the actual sun, but having them on all the time they get the best amount possible. They acclimate very well after moving them out to hardening them off. That was a big reason why my plants didn't do well in previous years. My very best wishes to you and your gardening endeavours. ♥
I love your channel! 💗 My husband and I just purchased our first home on 11 acres in Florida and we're in the beginning stages of turning it into a homestead. I'm learning a lot from you! Keep the videos coming! I need a canning for beginners video if you're looking for ideas! 🌴☀️🐊
I started my cool weather plants and s a few veges that take forever for germinate almost 2 weeks ago
Haven't watched your video yet, but I just started my seeds yesterday! I live on Vancouver Island in southern BC, and I started two types of onions and a herbal headache mix I got online from Metchosin Farm. Next week I will be starting peppers, tomatoes, more herbs, and maybe a watermelon! It's so exciting to learn how to do this. :) I found those plastic salad containers with lids gave me the best success. Created a greenhouse effect that was better than egg cartons and plastic wrap because it didn't dry out as fast. I have a spray bottle with a fine mist and that's how I water. Worked great last year!
We started some greens in big planter. We will start some peppers and tomatoes end of week. We are in zone 6 a. King Arthur is all we plant for green peppers as they are good producers for us.
I'm in NE TX, zone 8a, and I started seeds a few weeks ago for celery and bunching onions and I did peppers, tomatoes and luffa about 2 weeks ago. Gardening is my absolute favorite thing to do! Happy growing!! :)
I am in East Texas!
I started leeks, blueberries, strawberries, and goji berries, but I'm not starting anything else until Wednesday. If you're confused about when you should plant things, the Farmer's Almanac has a free planting schedule based on your zip code and growing zone. Most of what I need to plant doesn't need to be started until April or May because my last frost isn't until May 18th.
Hi Becky...it's always so great to start the seeds! I am in southern Alberta Canada zone 3b4a and we have 100 day growing season only...we also still have snow and may until April/May (sometimes we have surprise snows mothers day weekend), I have a grow light system in the basement but also last fall I planted 3 dozen potatoes, onion sets I had left over and some peas as an experiment after reading a woman's post that her family did that every fall and they just came up in the spring, I have raised beds also. I am looking forward to seeing if it works! Also today I am starting Winter Sowing for the first time! There are you tube videos on it ,Frankie-Lou-Fuller (she lives in Calgary about 1 1/2 hours west of me, I am in Brooks) is one of the people who explains it well...I have watched videos of people in the USA doing it also. So I am planting flowers and herbs, onions, celery, leeks and peas in the milk jugs today, and in March it will be time to start other seeds in them. I am doing some in the trays as backups and also plant for my moms garden just in case...lol...seems like people are very successful at it...wish me luck!
I winter sow as well. I direct sow my lettuce and spinach.
I'm in zone 5b and started onion seeds 2 weeks ago. I don't start my tomatoes and peppers until later because they don't take as long and last year they had to potted up 2 times and were 3ft. tall before the weather allowed me to put them out in the garden. I will not start them too early this year. Cold season crops can go out earlier so Ill start them tomorrow.
Your excitement is contagious..so much so that I got off my behind today and planted my seedlings into my garden…in zone 9b! Thank you for the video!!
I am in northern Michigan, I have not started seeds. I will start them in two weeks. I have not had a garden for 10 years. Love watching your enthusiasm for all this commitment and work! You are amazing 👏 ❤
I have started my seeds and I’m in zone 5b. But I will be doing more in the coming weeks!🌱Good luck to you!!
I love this person's enthusiasm in everything - it's contagious
When I used Promix for my African Violets, I used hot water to saturate my mix. When it had cooled off to room temperature, it meant that it had absorbed the water sufficiently to plant my seedlings.
when putting water in your soil you can use boiling water to kill all/any fungi eggs that may be in the soil.
I've had a rough day and just seeing this video being released made me so happy!!!
Becky, you can overwinter pepper plants.
I grew those ground cherries last year, and they TOOK OVER my raised bed, so make sure you give them lots of room :) You will get loads of them from just a couple plants!
I agree. They spread out a lot. And you will get lots of cherries. If you just grow them to eat raw, a couple plants is good. But if you want jam, your have to have A LOT for a batch.
I came in the comments just to say that! Hahahah!! Do not plant your ground cherry plants in your garden, each fruit that falls down on the ground will make hundreds of volunteers plants!!! Find them a nice spot on your Homestead and you will have some forever! :)
They are great for kids. They store at room temp in the husks for 6 weeks.
Wow good to know. I’m growing for the first time this year. Might container them.
@@Olivia54984 thank you. I didn’t know that. Growing these for the first time.
I live on the western slope of Colorado in zone 5b. Our last frost date is mid-May so I don't start seeds until mid April. One thing that may help you with your wee plants is to HARDEN THEM OFF BEFORE you transplant outside in the garden. I do this by taking the plants out to our patio during the day and bringing them inside at night and do this for at least a week before I finally plant out. By doing this you plants can get used to the changes in the temps. Wishing you good luck with your gardening this year.
I’m starting my seeds this week too. Not all of them, I basically have a few trays to start every week till mid April. I have a lot of surface sow flowers and beans. It might be handy to get some frost blankets to have on hand if you get an unexpected frost. You can just cover the plants at night until you’re absolutely sure no more frosts are coming.
My mom used to get flannel sheets and blankets from thrift stores to throw over the garden plants or flowers when we got a late frost.
Your Chippin peppers are called chiltepes in Guatemala. They harvest them green when they look like peas. Smash them just a bit and mix with as little vinegar/lime and thin sliced onions. It is CRAZY good and REALLY hot. I’m so happy to see them here now!
Your excitement with your garden is contagious!! Good luck with this year’s planting.
I usually tuck the empty package in the edge between the bottom and top tray. When I move the plant to the garden I put the labels in snack baggie, staple to a wooden peg then stick in the ground. Pegs and baggies are often reuseable.
Starting seeds now too! I’m in CT and last frost date is May 1st. So we’re pretty much 8 weeks perfectly to last frost date. A big tip just because you mentioned planting out tomatoes etc. tomatoes can take a little bit of “cooler” (not cold) weather. But peppers do not! I suggest waiting an extra 2/3 weeks to plant them so nighttime temps are higher. So excited for the growing season!!
YAY!!!
Fellow CT Gardener! Happy seed starting 😁
LMAO!!! watching you do the seeds! I forget to label also! you are so organized, fun and adorable! I just started watching you, and I love your wonderful spirit! You are enthusiastic, genuine, smart and frugal, all qualities that make it a joy to watch you. How many years have you been gardening and cooking what you grow? I just started too. I can’t believe you just started! You are so smart and know so much!!! This is a subject that is so needed, how to use what we grow, recipes, new ideas that are smart and prudent! I believe you got a gift girl, and sharing it with us is such a blessing! Thank you, love Caroline. BTW congrats!!!! I can’t wait to see/watch you in this new adventure!
Spent this morning doing a planting calender, weekly, I've done it like you mum does her big dinner plans, backwards from my last frost. I start next week, so I have been getting all my trays ready, think I need more, but definitely not as many as you. Mine is a tub garden, so I will be extra excited for those videos this year. Try a soldering iron next time you want alto put holes in plant pots/trays.
The goal is to get our seeds planted this week. We are in East Tennessee. Normally we already have ours planted by now, but we have a 4 month old and a 4 year old and life happens. We also have had a terrible time with field rats in our greenhouse, so we have been dealing with that.
Hi Becky! So excited to see your garden this year 😍 last year was so lovely
Thank you! Me too
I was a nail tech before going into healthcare and yours Beck always look so nice , love them .
Gasp! it wasn't until you got to the tomatoes that I realized this wasn't for the container patio to plate challenge 😵 I was super excited! this video is just a tease and we cannot wait until the container challenge starts I'm about to plant my seeds soon! Woo hoooo!
Becky, you’ve got to give yourself more grace. You are a beast and a true inspiration to me. You are non stop and extremely generous. I don’t know how you do it. I enjoy all of your videos. Thank you!
I live in NorCal, so I will be starting some seeds outside in about a week or two ( not corn or watermelon). We have an over 8 month growing season 😁🌞 And cinnamon is a great natural fungicide, plus you shouldn’t get any pests gnats flying around either. 🙂
Potentially dumb q but when you say you’re starting outside, do you mean you’ll be planting directly in pots? I also live in NorCal and am wondering if I can just plant seeds directly in containers? Thank you!
@@annejohnson8807 yes, I plant most everything in containers…flowers, veggies, herbs. Some I plant the seed directly into the container, others I start in small starter pots, then transplant. What are you planting? 🙂
I learned something new this year. Tarragon does NOT want light while germinating. I'm on round 3 of trying to get tarragon to sprout this season and this is the only one i didn't put under the lights immediately... they sprouted lol
Becky! I'm also growing ground cherries, Paul Robeson, and Dr. Wyche's. This is my first year to really try starting seeds though. I did try a bit last year, but I was LATE so the only tomatoes I got were from plants I bought rather than my own seeds.
Another thought to add to your growing space- get some Green Stalk planters! Don't get a cheap knockoff. You can grow shallower rooted plants like strawberries and lettuces, saving space in your ground for tomatoes and peppers!
Love your informative content! There are so many things I want to grow and preserve this year with your TH-cam video guidance! ☺️
Yay! Thank you! That is so exciting
Hi Becky! I don't think you are seeding too late. I live in Mpls, MN (Zone 4) and used to start my seedlings too early with poor results. I won't start my cool weather seedlings until mid March. Even if you are little late for Spring cool weather plants in your zone, they will most likely do well. I do wash out my trays at the end of the season because you never know- by the end of the season they've been all around my yard and garden picking up who knows what. I just spend some time outside at the end of the season with a big storage tote full of vinegar diluted in water. I use shower mode on my hose nozzle first, then wash them with a bottle brush. I let them dry in the sun. This year I plan to clean them as I go. So fun to share your adventures!
Happy anniversary! I guess I'm late by a day but I hope you guys had some quality time together with lots of big belly laughs :)
Becky use duck tape and fix the 2 cheap trays to use and your bottom trays
Lol, my nephew looked at the thumbnail and asked "she can grow brownies?!". Will definitely drag him as unpaid labor for my garden tomorrow.
☺️
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm hoping you do a video when you fertilize all your plants. I'm a new gardener and I haven't been able to get the timing right on fertilizing. Thanks for showing the REAL life ups and downs.
So excited to get the seeds started and planted in the garden! Spring is coming!!
When you ready to plant them smaller peppers I would plant them in a container you can bring in side ..they can last for years…like a small tree
So, they don’t need that much sun?
Yes! Loving your videos!
I think the way you handle failure as a learning experience helps us to not worry about failure and enjoy the process and have faith in ourselves that we did the best we could do.
You wear your failure like a badge of honor! I love watching your enthusiasm and your love for "process".
Thank you!