I am starting seeds this week. I thinks the soil will be warm enough to plant in May. However I am not in your zone and don't know how warm it can get over there.

Ianna

I think it may be a little early to start tomatoes in zone 3.
It depends on when you can put them out. Here it is June.
The end of March or beginning of April will be my tomato start.
I have started geraniums, begonias and petunias under lights indoors.
Hyssop,thyme,delphiniums and poppies in south windows.
Many perennials as a winter sow outside. Might do some veges as winter sow.

Depends when you want to plant out. My experience has been that six weeks before plant-out is fine for tomatoes, and eight weeks for peppers. I usually plant-out in the third week of May, depending on how warm the soil is, how warm the nights, and whether the beds are ready.

IMO it is better to start late than early, unless you're in some kind of neighbourhood contest for the first tomato. If you start too early you risk losing all the seedlings to a late frost. If you start later, the only consequence is a later harvest.

Basil is an easy warm germinator and it won't abide cold soil or cold nights. I usually do mine at six weeks.

Four o'clocks are tropical heat lovers that germinate in a flash and grow really fast. I do mine at four weeks.

Annual asters (Callistephus) are easy warm germinators but not particularly quick to grow on. I usually start them at six weeks. They don't mind cool temperatures as seedlings so you could sow them at eight weeks if you have enough space under the lights.

The key factors IMO are soil temperature and night time temperatures. Species originating in northern climes (or China, or high altitudes) can take cooler temperatures in both soil and air. Anything from equatorial areas, deserts, or the mediterranean is usually a heat lover. Seedlings that have their heat preferences denied or postponed may not die, they just won't thrive. They'll suffer more setback and stress when you plant them out, and the slow recovery will mitigate the early-start advantage you hoped for.

It is SO hard to wait, isn't it? Last year I started way too many tomatoes way too early, thinking I would have a heated greenhouse to put them in. Well, the GH proved unheatable, the weather didn't cooperate, and my attempt at "no till" resulted in very cold soil even in late May. Add a late killer frost and the overall result was very bad year for tomatoes.

This year I'm going to err on the side of caution.

I agree. Last year I started my tomatoes far too early. They just grew too leggy and by the time I had set them outside to harden, I have had to give them a weak fertilizer to keep them going. It's best to time it 6 weeks before and in a zone 3, best have cold frames to extend your season.

A side issue: I work during daytimes.. How do I harden off my tomatoes? Any suggestions? Last year was a disaster for me. I couldn't bring plants in after just a couple of hours and they suffered as a result. I don't have room for a greenhouse. So what do I do?

I had the same problem a few years when I (sigh...) had a job. I tried setting up a little shade house for the seedlings to keep them from burning. But the wind was a bigger problem. If you can keep them out of the cold drying wind with some kind of break, that's good.

When I got my cold frame I'd put the tomatoes inside with the lid open a few inches only. I put some shade cloth over the glass to cut down on the sun. I also set the pots in a tray with an inch or so of water, to keep them from drying out. Drying won't be an issue if they're already in 4" pots, but if they're still in cellpaks or something small like that, there's a risk.

Also, you could do your first days of hardening off on the weekend, or on a stretch of cloudy days.

Or maybe recruit a neighbour to come over and put the tray inside a porch for you.

You could observe your yard and the light/shadow patterns from trees or buildings. Perhaps you can find a spot that is in the sun for a few hours, then moves to shade for the rest of the day.

Then you RUSH home from work to rescue the babies...

I had all troubles. Sun & wind destroyed much of my plants.

Excellent idea about hardening them off during the weekend.

Another question, when (which week) would you recommend for hardening off. One week before week zero?

For me it depends on the plant. If the plants are robust, they can start going outside two weeks before, and after a few days I just leave them out and throw a row cover over them at night. Most plants start going outside on the cloudy, rain-free days on the week before plantout. But if they're busting out of the pots and really difficult to keep watered, I'll plunk them in the garden (if the soil is warm enough) and use a row cover during the day as well.

I have a little greenhouse, so I can start leaving the gh doors and vents open to acclimatize the plants to the colder air.

Ianna,

One of my neighbours is actually not using his two 'hoophouses' this year so he has offered them to me and other neighbours. I've simply asked for 25% of the space. These are big ones which I qualify as greenhouses, but if you don't have someone willing to share, you can build a small one and it's not too expensive. Check out You Tube for videos on how tos. I've attached a link to a simple one - just might build myself one this year. :O) Definitely a season 'extender'!

Couldn't stop myself from starting to clean the gardens this past weekend. All our snow is gone and today I found a flock of Robins having supper in my mulched beds. Oh what a beautiful mess!!

Here is a link that might be useful: You tube small hoop house video

I know you are itching to get planting--so am I. Don't let this nice weather fool you. Take it from a long time gardener in your area, we will have more snow and cold weather yet. I remember one year we had gorgeous weather in March and a blizzard the first part of April.

I open my greenhouse mid april and start my Tomatoes the last week of April no matter what the weather. Why take a chance on frost.

I do have Geraniums growing inside and I will start my Impatiens and snapdragons the first part of next week. As for the rest, mostly I wait until April.

I started my tomatoes early, early, but I have some added flourescent lighting on the windowsill this year to extend the daylight and a greenhouse to put them out in early. Its sort of an experiment. I started them at the end of Jan this year and they are strong, dense and not at all leggy with the extra lighting. When they get a bit too tall, I just replant them deeper. Tomatoes love that and grow roots all along the buried stem. I have done this three times now. Yesterday I replanted most of them into 4L tall, square ice cream buckets with a tip showing above the soil. I am hoping this will hold them until they can go out into the greenhouse. I am quite pleased with the results. I will probably have blooms by the time they can go in the garden.

I have started some various sweet peppers too. They are dong well with the extra lighting.

I have just barely sprouting broccoli, globe onions, red cabbage, bok choi, chichiquelites, ground cherries, canna seedlings, elephant ears, dahlias, dianthus, daturas.

I still have a huge collection of seed to get planted this year! That's one reason I wanted to get a head start on it. I plan to plant one thing every day, if possible, so I don't end up with unused seed that never got planted this year.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Tomatoes

My seeds were started indoors over a month ago. Just some. Tomatoes, peppers, cold weather brassicas, and some kitchen herbs.
It's an on going event until planting out time. Can't wait unti I can plant some seeds outdoors.
But then there are other things, we gardener can do now. Like preparing beds. Yard clean up. Making trellises. Garden design. Making a few birdhouses. Seed and plant swapping.

Nes

I just started my seeds yesterday. I know it's tempting to start them earlier but if my experience last year told me a lesson - it's that it's easy to start them early but it's the hardening off process and the transplanting process that's the trial.

Last year, I started in Feb. I have a grow light system and so these plants were happy indoors. My tomatoes grew too leggy and yes I transplanted them into deeper pots as they grew. They got fed a weak fertilizer. They were looking quite okay until the final day when I had to harden them off. That's where I got into problems. My lesson, it's easier to aclimatize plants when they are tinier.

I am tempted to do some clean ups too, however I just read the 14 day forecast for my area. Looks like cold days ahead. I'll wait until 2 weeks later. Normally I'd leave things be until it's consistently warmer. For example my lavenders do need some pruning but that old dense shrubbery actually keeps the plant's temperature steady. Again, a previous experience taught me that if I prune this early, my lavenders suffer. Same with my roses which I will prune only until I spot the emerging buds. So best to leave things be until then.

I did flower garden clean up today. My vegetable gardens are still under snow ;-( and more to come. I have so many things I want to plant this year that I have made a plan to plant something every other day, starting with the perennials and early veggies that can go into the ground in April.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Country DIY Blog

I'm tempted to plant a row of peas tomorrow, just in case "this is it".

The garden cleanup today was full of nice surprises. We had a pretty easy winter here in SW Ontario.

true. but because we suffered a snow drought, expect to see a tough summer for our plants. We probably won't see the effects on our trees and shrubs in the following year.

BTW - we will have a dip below zero next week.

We had plenty of snow in my area this winter. Last year was a dry winter for us, but a really wet summer.
To me it is a wait and see sort of thing.
Ianna,
To me hardening plants of for planting outdoors is a week long process. Slowly introducing them to the elements. The first day just being half an hour on the porch.
Bev,
I am itching to plant some peas too. Just some on the warm side of the house. I,also want to create a couple more garden beds.
It looks like we might be getting a good rain next week.

I have started putting everything outside in the sun on the deck when we have a warmer day, tomatoes too but not the peppers. They were all outside all day twos ago and were fine. Lots of water is the key to hardening off. Yesterday it was too cool and may be today, as well. Tomorrow it is suppose to be 11c so they will all go out into the sunshine all day tomorrow for sure.

I am hoping to put them all in the cold frame in about three weeks, mid April, after all danger of sub zero weather has passed. The peppers are staying indoors on the windowsill and under lights since they really don't do well without heat.

I have cannas, dahlias and calls growing in pots already too, that can go into the cold frame.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Country DIY Blog