wondering when to start my plants???

Hi i had a question and it is about growing some different veggies: 1) My lettuce is only supposed to take 47 days to grow and my date to start them (indoors) says between now and the 16th, where i still have 2-3 feet of snow on the ground and i don't want to grow them completely indoors, would it be wise to go by this date or should i hold off a little and if so how long would you suggest?      Also i have the same question about my hybrid broccoli which takes 57 days??   Or should i hold off and plant them both outside when the time comes?

2) Does anyone have any thing to say about what time of day you may think is the best to sow any seeds indoors?  Like say where i am is 8pm, would this be an okay time to sow seeds?

3) I have some flower seedlings (they have been alive for 24 days) they are dwarf sunflower and Zinnias, would it be okay to stick them on my table that is by a sunny window now instead of under my lights, i need room for other plants?

Thanks again for your time, it is always appreciated!! Happy growing 

To give you a good answer it would really help to know where in the US you are located.

It may be that the dates you are showing are probably days from transplanting.

camprn wrote:To give you a good answer it would really help to know where in the US you are located.

It may be that the dates you are showing are probably days from transplanting.

I live in maine zone 4b.

camprn wrote:
It may be that the dates you are showing are probably days from transplanting.

Would it help to know where i got my seeds? Then we can know for sure if my date is from transplanting time, because i have no idea. I purchased my seeds from Superseeds.com (Pinetree seeds & accessories) I got Tom Thumb lettuce (47 days), Gypsy broccoli (F1 hybrid 57 days), & many others but these are the 2 i was asking about in my post. I got a mixture of types, hybrids, heirloom and reg. would all of their days be from time of transplant? Thanks!!  

Things like broccoli are from transplant  and shorter season plants like lettuce would probably from seed. Anyone else have any idea?

Cherbear wrote:Things like broccoli are from transplant  and shorter season plants like lettuce would probably from seed.

Thank you, i have a hard time knowing exactly what every thing means, this is a big learning process for me! I am thankful for this forum and the people in it!

Even people who live in your zone and county and city/town and neighborhood don't live in your house. There are peculiarities galore in most every site. With plants that can be harvested over a period of time, like lettuce that can be picked leaf by leaf, it might be a good idea to plant every week or two so that you have continuous harvests. In the process, if you keep good records, you can find out what temperatures suit them best, so each subsequent year growing them will be easier. Lettuce seeds come in huge amounts per pack. How about planting some every week? If some turn out failures, lose the lettuce but keep the knowledge and keep planting. You'll be bound to learn something and bound to eat something.

I agree w/ Marc.  Your microclimate is key.  We live literally on the edge of zone 7a/8b.  We're 7a.  But a mile down the road is 8b.  Then a mile & a half later, back to 7a.  It's interesting when we get an ice storm.  We'll be ice, then water/fog, then ice again.

I'm keeping detailed notes on weather, when things come up, what struggles, etc.  I'm hoping that will help me narrow down what I want to plant next year.

And you're right Immah - it's a process!  This is my first year SFGing too.  And I'm VERY grateful for the advice I've received on this forum!

Immah, I would say go ahead and sow all your indoor seeds now, including the lettuce and broccoli.

Knowing where you got your seeds is not information that will change the number of days to harvest. Generally speaking that number is from transplant unless the seeds are sown directly into the garden.

Ok that is good to know, and now that i do know i will go forth and plant my Broccoli and Lettuce, and yes i got alot alot of lettuce seeds, so i do believe i'll do succession planting, may as well use them up this year, so they don't go to waste. Thanks again guys!!