N&C Midwest - What seeds have you started?

Here in the N&C Midwest we seem to be having an early spring. By that I mean that many areas currently have no snow, we have had some record high temps, and the relative warmth and lack of white may just have many of us starting seeds earlier than usual.

Altho' I am leaving in 1 week for a 1 week out-of-state training and must leave my babies in the hands of Hubby, I took a chance and planted 3 small flats of seeds. He has the greener Indoor Thumb but my garden seedlings are not his highest priority. His indoor jungle (on the plant table I built for him to hold his plant light and what used to be MY spider plants, aloe, pothos, etc.) are lush and beautiful, but how my broccoli and 'maters will fare is to be determined!

Broccoli: 20 seedling cells - all up, leggy, and BEGGING to be potted up

Tomatoes: Most up and getting their first true leaves - definitely need to be potted up before I leave town (Amish Paste, Russian Big Roma, Purple Russian, & Brandy Sweet Plum). Only one of my Couilles de Taureau sprouted, 3 still in hiding, but one is really all I need if I can keep it alive long enough to get it in the ground. White Bush have not made an appearance. Last time I tried them, only 1 germinated out of 6 cells and that took 3 weeks! I then proceeded to give it a fatal sunburn while hardening off.

Peppers: Usually my slowest to germinate, both varieties have several popping up. I have King of the North and Tam Jalapeno (an heirloom low-to-no heat jalapeno).

I was surprised to see my peppers up so well, but I will NOT complain!!! Now if I can just somehow get a white tomato to grow.....

We've started:
10-12 cabbage, 8-10 cilantro, 5-6 parsley, 20-24 basil, 5-6 chamomile, 4-6 rosemary, 16-20 thyme, 18-24 tomato, 6-8 sweet pepper, 6 lettuce, 4-6 brussel sprout, and 2 kale.

We're taking advantage of the warmth to clean up outside beds and containers.
I'm also screening compost, and waking up the worms

I don't actually have a SQFT garden, but I've joined the forum to learn more. Haven't started any seeds yet, but last fall I put in two long rows of garlic, which I visited (my plot is out at a friend's rural home) and it has started to peek up out of the soil! I have an approx 10x20 foot patch of my friend's garden, which I was thinking of doing some SQFT gardening in. Maybe I'll do one 16 SQFT garden within that this year and see how that goes... Basically, I'm just here to learn...

BonnieBon! Congrats on having a little bit of space that you can use to play! Have you read Mel's ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING book? It sounds like you must be a bit familiar with the method since I read in your other post that you know about mixing up Mel's Mix. Ask any questions that may come up, you will get a few answers here (or a hundred!), as we definitely LOVE to talk SFG!

I know that money is a concern for the initial set-up for you. My boxes were pretty cheap to make. I found 1x6 cedar boards in a bargain stack at Menard's for $1.59 each - approximately 4 ft each, give or take an inch. I matched up the ones that were the most evenly sized, bought some deck screws, and ended up with four 4x3 boxes. Still wasn't enough (had only spent $20 on boards) so I got some 6 ft boards to use up the rest of my 4 footers, and made three 4x6 boxes. Since the wood was so cheap I splurged a bit on the vermiculite, but I already had peat from my previous year's end of season clearance find - about $2 per bale. I also scrounged well-composted manure from as many rancher friends as I could, and so filling my beds was pretty cheap compared to what some have to do. The vermiculite still was not terribly expensive - I found it in the insulation section of Menard's for $14.99 for a 3 cu ft bag.

Search around now for your building bargains and you may be able to get started for a lot less than you think! My new boxes going in next month will be built entirely with scrounged wood. Can't beat FREE!!!

Hi BonnieBon.  Welcome from Atlanta, GA!  Glad you've joined us.

Ask lots of questions.  And make sure to read thru the archives.  You'll find all sorts of helpful & practical info there.

Okay, I just went downstairs and did an inventory of what is "up" so far... a "*" indicates started from seed that I saved from last year...
Bee Balm - 8
English Lavender - 22
Vera Lavender - 16
French Stoechas Lavender - 8
Thyme - 22
Oregano - 6
Basil - 6
Sage - 6
Rosemary - 12
Parsley - 12
Dill - 12*
Yarrow - Gold - 24*
Purple Coneflower - 8*
Blue Lupine - 8*
Snapdragon - 24
Columbine - 12
Silene regia - 48
Liatris aspera - 12
Liatris pycnostachya - 48
Pepper - Jalepeno - 12*
Pepper - Anaheim - 8*
Pepper - Green - 12*
Pepper - Golden Wonder - 42
Tomato - Chocolate Cherry - 6*
Tomato - Bantom - 6
Tomato - Arkansas Traveler - 6
Tomato - Cherokee Purple - 6
Tomato - Italian Roma - 6
Tomato - Bonny's Best - 6
Tomato - Riesentraube - 6
Broccoli - 48 (already planted outside)
Kale - 6 (already planted outside)

Lots of lettuce and spinach already coming up outside. Peas and potatoes are in the ground as well.

I think that's about it. There's still a few more that are planted, but that haven't come up yet, mostly violets and other groundcovers.

Wow, you must like peppers.  That is 74 pepper plants !!!

We go through a lot of onions and peppers, and when you consider peppers can cost $2-$3 each in the off-season, it's a good investment. I'll probably sell / give away some of the pepper plants though.
Now, if someone can tell me the secret to growing broccoli (I'm reading up, but not having much luck), I'm game. The seedlings I transplanted are kind of keeled over and not really maintaining an upright stature. I planted broccoli seeds next to them in the hopes they come up, just in case.

Well, it is snowing again here today, but I did pot up 14 tomato plants and 14 broccoli plants.  My peppers are up and very healthy looking, but only about 1-1 1/2 inches tall and are doing fine in their coir pellet starters.  I was a bit hesitant to try the coir because I have had NO success with peat starter disks, but the coir did just great!  No damping off.  I had to trim down the broccoli starts since ALL 20 sprouted.  I only had room for 14 to be potted up, so I just had to snack on the other 6.  What a cryin' shame!!!

Well, I just arrived home from a week in Albuquerque, NM.  Hubby has been taking care of my seedlings.  I am proud to say that they are all looking dandy and the peppers are the best looking starts I have had in years.  WAY TO GO, HUBBY!!!

That's awesome!  Glad to hear it!

I just seeded 10 cells of Basil:  5 Sweet Basil, 5 Dark Opal Basil.

It is just about time to put my broccoli outside, so I will have space to pot up my peppers and then stick the Basil sprouts under the light.  For now, the Basil flat is going on top of the furnace for some sprouting warmth!

I've started tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and some others.  This is the latest I've started tomatoes and hopefully won't have to deal with spindly plants like other years, despite using the very-very low light trick.  After they get into cups with Mel's Mix they take off and get too big and too fast in my experience. This year will be different, when they are ready to 'run' it'll be much warmer outside and they can be transplanted and grow all they want.
That's my big plan. I hope, I hope, I hope it works this year.