Timing Is Everything

Anyone who is considering gardening for a hobby is encouraged to write down a log of their activities. I have been reviewing my past logs to see when the optimum time is to begin starting the seedlings.

 As the title states TIMING IS EVERYTHING. 

The first and foremost thing to consider with plants that are started indoors is when you will be able to move them outdoors. All of the plants I intend to grow inside are not cold hardy plants. So I figure that in Minnesota the safest time to plant them outside is after Memorial day. In fact I just use June 1st as a date of reference for starting the seeds. Most seed packets will tell you how early to begin planting. So I take June 1st and work backward however many weeks the packet specifies. Also, it is much better to be immature in the spring than over grown and root bound. Young immature seedlings will catch up and adapt better than leggy overgrown ones.
Now this is where the log book comes in handy. The seed packets only give averages, "individual results may vary".  A review of your log books during and at the end of the growing season will give you insight for the next season on what worked well and what should be modified. For instance, over the years I've learned that pepper plants need to be started 2 weeks ahead of the tomatoes. I just learned last year some pepper varieties need an earlier start than other ones. So bottom line, keep a log book. This blog is going to serve as my primary log book. The reason I mention that is to warn readers rather than to boast. At times it will be boring, maybe it already is? I just needed to state that it's primary purpose is for reference.