Hi Regina, I'm a foodie too but I like this forum. There are some fun people here.

I don't think it's too early to start most seeds. The exception, for me, would be warm season crops. I'll start those around mid March.

I have several lettuces and other greens, lots of onions, chives, herbs, some annuals and a number of perennials.

I'm hoping to make the swap, but not sure yet.

I'm not a foodie -- I just like good food :-).

I just started eggplants, peppers, ground cherries, petunias, nicotiana, parsley, and snapdragons inside last week. And I sowed spinach under glass (old storm windows) a few days ago.

I don't plant out the heat-loving vegetables, like tomatoes and peppers, until the second half of May. But my garden is probably colder than yours.

I'm potting up the digitalis and antirrhinum seedlings I sowed in November (that's foxgloves and snapdragons for you latin-phobic folks). They should go out in the coldframe next month. The assorted perennial seedlings and peppers are still under the lights in my basement - they take a little longer. My tomato seeds are just germinating

Tomatoes already, Cecilia? The one time I started tomatoes this early, I had to pot them up three times, the last time into quart containers, and they were giant monster plants. Now I don't start them until mid-March. When do you plant out? (Did you include an extra Noir de Crimée for me?)

Nice to see a few familiar "faces" here. Hi, homies! Well, I finished putting together my PVC seed-starting rack this morning, except I can't find the hooks to hang the lights on it. And my cheap light timer doesn't take a polarized plug so I'll have to make a quick trip to Lowes this w/e. Going to try to find some little rubber feet for the bottom too, see if it seems a little more stable if at least the feet are flat and don't slip.

I haven't actually started any seeds yet, except for a couple of Silvery Fir Trees, one of which died (I think I fertilizer-burned it by accident). The survivor is a foot tall, looking pretty, it'll stay in the pot so no worries about it being too early for tomatoes -- the idea was actually to have indoor tomatoes in winter, but I guess I didn't plant it early enough for that. But I guess, once I get my lights hung on this rack, I'll go ahead and start a bunch of stuff.

I've got one of those wicking, self-watering seed trays from Gardeners Supply, that I used to start the SFTs, but I seem to be missing a piece ... but I have one egg carton, the plastic kind with the fold-over top, that should get me started until I find it or get fed up and go buy some new ones. Unfortunately I didn't find that brand of eggs the last couple times I went to the grocery store, just the ones in the cardboard carton.

I've got waaay too many tomato seeds (25 varieties ... wheeee!), 4 regular beans & 1 runner, cowpeas, okra, basil, one melon, a few lettuces, collards, summer crookneck squash, nasturtiums, sunflowers, marigolds, and swiss chard. Couple of seed orders (actually 4 seed orders, I'm a procrastinator) in the mail: Baker Creek, SSE public catalog (the yearbook's still not here!), Pinetree, and Burpee. Artichokes, more melons, winter squash, turnips, radishes, peppers, cukes, corn, lots of eggplants (have you browsed through Baker Creek's eggplants?!?!), soybeans, more leafy stuff, more herbs, tomatillo, naranjilla, strawberries, *gasp* .... and some flowers, too!

Don't think it's all gonna get in the ground! I'm on a sunny half-acre, but I haven't even de-lawned one bed yet. And what with the bermuda grass, and it's too late to start lasagna beds so I'm going to be tilling, I fully expect the weeds to get the upper hand before summer's end. But -- I have friendly neighbors with smaller, shadier yards, who might be willing to trade labor for produce, so all is not lost. I'm sure I'll get help breaking ground, not so sure about keeping the b.grass under control later on.

Anyway. Thank you all for indulging my rambling mood. Hope to see some of y'all at the swap.

Green dreams,
Regina

Hi Regina - sounds like you really went a bit nuts on seeds (but don't we all?). I would, however, hold off on sowing anything that grows fast but can't take cool temps (especially things like tomatoes). (FWIW, I grow under lights, cool room, with bottom heat provided by the ballasts from the next set of lights below!)
I just reviewed last year's dates of sowing, germination, and transplanting, and even my latest-seeded toms did great. Of course, I wasn't trying for any records on earliest ripe fruit, but the 4 which were sown on 3/20 all either had to be transplanted twice, or suffered from leaving them in their germination flats too long. Can you tell I'm lazy?
I started most of my tomatoes around 3/26, with the intention of having them ready to sell/swap/plant out the weekend of Mothers' Day, and they made it just fine. They weren't BIG, but stocky and well established. Roots filled 8 oz foam cups, but weren't pot-bound, and my plants here took off when they were put in the ground the 3rd weekend of May.
Basils were started 4/26, and went to new homes around the 3rd week of May. Again, no point in starting them earlier, as they just get bugs or disease, or get too big to keep watered reliably.
Agastache and salvias were started 3/22-26, which seemed to be about right for me (lacking a cold frame). Signet marigolds started 3/26 were too early - they would have done better started later and pushed a little with warmth and food.
Re egg cartons - I assume you're using it to germinate seeds. Try the clear clamshells that grape tomatoes, strawberries, and blueberries come in. The pint containers can take one or two varieties each, the quarts can take two varieties easily, and you've got a mini-greenhouse. I fill half-full with seedling mix (yes, I know this is shallow, but read on), water, and sow my seeds with seedling mix or vermiculite on top. The seedlings only stay in the clamshells until they're ready for transplanting to individual cells or cups, so they haven't time to really have problems with the shallow depth of soil.
Yes, lasagna beds are great, but the principle works even if you cheat, and it is probably better than digging up Bermuda grass. Lay down newspaper as soon as possible, and pile leaves etc on top. When the time comes, poke a hole and plant - easiest with things like tomatoes. That's what I did, and while it could undoubtedly be better, it was OK, and much easier than digging the long bed. You can always improve it as you go.

Green dreams to you, too!

Robin

Alfie, my 'mater plants never get that huge - I guess because my cold basement slows their growth. Usually I only have to repot them once. I put the maters out early in the coldframe, too (or under those garden umbrella contraptions).

And yes, I did start extra Noir de Crimee seeds - but for some reason they're really lazy about germinating this year. So far only three have sprouted.

Does anyone know the last frost date for the D.C. area? I can't seem to find it on the MD cooperative extension website.

Thanks

This website lists March 29 as DC's last frost date.

Here is a link that might be useful: US Frost Dates

... However, THIS website lists April 10th as DC's last frost date!

Here is a link that might be useful: Frost dates

It may be Mar 29 on K St in the district, but in the burbs it's a lot later than that!

April 10 sounds a lot closer to reality in the Hyattsville/Riverdale Pk. area. I assume April 15 when I do my planning.

Steven

All right, I'm going to go with April 10, which is a Sunday. I'll try to get a family & friends work party together to help plant out that weekend or the following. I think I'm too late to start some seeds (like artichokes), but I'm going to do it anyway. I'll just save half the packet for 2006 in case nothing comes of it this year.

Cheers,
Regina

I go by May 15, just to be on the safe side. But my garden is probably colder than most gardens in the DC area -- especially the cold parts of my garden.

I'm in Herndon, VA, 19 miles outside the center of DC according to the map, and I also figure on a mid-May date for last frost. My recollection is that actual frosts that late are rare, but if I put stuff out in April, I know I'm going to have to rush out some night and cover it after work.

Oooooh... I like Steven's answer better! Maybe I'll compromise and go for end of April. Actually, now that I look at it -- my semester (grad school) ends first week of May, so I'll plan to plant out after that.

I'm going to be starting my tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, & other warm weather stuff this weekend.

I'm in Culpeper & have always put out these veggies (after hardening off, of course) on Mother's Day - timing I inherited from my father, who although in Long Island, NY, is still in Zone 7 like me. And dad was never wrong about anything having to do with gardening. :)

I'll start Asian greens, chard, & other cold weather stuff in a few weeks.