Growing Vegetables From Seed in July, In The Midwest.

[SteveSteve]

I believe I have a failed attempt at growing in a raised bed, and Im basically going to light it on fire and start over... hyperbole... sort-of.

I want to grow Perpetual, Malabar and Egyptian Spinaches, and Dino Kale.

1) Should I be starting these from little seed starter things indoors?

I am new and tried to cram as much youtube info in my head as I could in 3 weeks.... as I said, I tried direct sowing these in a raised bed, and they appear stunted.

2) Because youtube learning is fragmented, you have to piece together all kinds of.. well... pieces of info into a cohesive whole that reveals an overall pattern.

If we look at the chronological life of a plant... from seed to harvest... especially with regard to how humans can choose to execute these processes, in a manner which increases chances of success, I';m seeing the following order of events:

Seed Starter > to Pot > to Ground.

So you start seed in little tray with peat and perlite... then move to Pot, where its more peat perlite and some nutrient source, like compost.. and THEN, when its bigger, it can go in the ground?... is this what I should have done?

 

[Chuck]

I believe I have a failed attempt at growing in a raised bed, and Im basically going to light it on fire and start over... hyperbole... sort-of.

I want to grow Perpetual, Malabar and Egyptian Spinaches, and Dino Kale.

1) Should I be starting these from little seed starter things indoors?

I am new and tried to cram as much youtube info in my head as I could in 3 weeks.... as I said, I tried direct sowing these in a raised bed, and they appear stunted.

2) Because youtube learning is fragmented, you have to piece together all kinds of.. well... pieces of info into a cohesive whole that reveals an overall pattern.

If we look at the chronological life of a plant... from seed to harvest... especially with regard to how humans can choose to execute these processes, in a manner which increases chances of success, I';m seeing the following order of events:

Seed Starter > to Pot > to Ground.

So you start seed in little tray with peat and perlite... then move to Pot, where its more peat perlite and some nutrient source, like compost.. and THEN, when its bigger, it can go in the ground?... is this what I should have done?

First of all peat moss has zero nutritional value. All it does is retain moisture and add acid, which your seedlings may or may not like. Perlite also has zero nutritional value. All it does is help with the oxygen supply and helps retain moisture. I would not use peat, I would use a good potting mix like Happy Frog if I were to start seedlings. Your choice of plants are all well suited to direct sowing. Sure, you can start all of them as seedlings but why?

 

[Mr_Yan]

OK so Midwest 6B - you and I are nominally-ish close to the same. But midwest 6B could still be a 14+ hour drive between us.

Yes you can start from seed now.

I have not been a fan of the little expanding peat disks for seed starting. They just don't work for me.

This heat wave can also be something to fight against in starting.

If you want to start seeds on a bench in your garage or window-sill:
Minimal to zero cost seed starting I would point you to the plastic 4 packs or 6 packs. Fill with potting mix, start them until you have a second set of leafs then transplant out in the evening. When you plant them out make sure you water them well.

If you want to also direct seed:
Rake out the row and seed per the packet. Mist water them in. Then cover them with either a board or a strip of loose fabric - old timers say burlap is great. You will need to lift the board or fabric up twice a day to check them and remove it when they are breaking the ground.

I do Kale all season and have done malabar spinach one year.

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Two days ago I started seeds in soil blocks for basil, radish, cabbage, beets, and dill. The basil, radish, and cabbage are up, and the beets are just starting to emerge. 2" soil blocks made with the tool sold by Johnny's seeds is my go to seed starting way for transplants. I use a mix of 2 parts native garden soil, 2 parts fluffy peat, 1 part sand by volume.

 

[SteveSteve]

OK so Midwest 6B - you and I are nominally-ish close to the same. But midwest 6B could still be a 14+ hour drive between us.

Yes you can start from seed now.

I have not been a fan of the little expanding peat disks for seed starting. They just don't work for me.

This heat wave can also be something to fight against in starting.

If you want to start seeds on a bench in your garage or window-sill:
Minimal to zero cost seed starting I would point you to the plastic 4 packs or 6 packs. Fill with potting mix, start them until you have a second set of leafs then transplant out in the evening. When you plant them out make sure you water them well.

If you want to also direct seed:
Rake out the row and seed per the packet. Mist water them in. Then cover them with either a board or a strip of loose fabric - old timers say burlap is great. You will need to lift the board or fabric up twice a day to check them and remove it when they are breaking the ground.

I do Kale all season and have done malabar spinach one year.

----------

Two days ago I started seeds in soil blocks for basil, radish, cabbage, beets, and dill. The basil, radish, and cabbage are up, and the beets are just starting to emerge. 2" soil blocks made with the tool sold by Johnny's seeds is my go to seed starting way for transplants. I use a mix of 2 parts native garden soil, 2 parts fluffy peat, 1 part sand by volume.

Wow.. thank you for the info... Yeah, I bought a seed starting tray and have started seeds in a mix of perlite and peet. I had started moringa in paper towels in a drawer and they sproouted well. I have them in pots and using lights and stuff in my garage, before having sit in sun directly. They are growing fast... I was blown away by those.

Anyhow, Im gonna scrap the bed and use half of it to plant the seedlings that sprout in my trays. I really want to do the Mel's Mix thing (1 part Peet. 1-part Vermiculite and 1-part Compost), but its pretty expensive... I want to also use the "planting-mix" soil I bought oringinally from the landscape company. If I were to start all over, removing the woodchips from the bottom of the bed...

QUESTION: what should I mix in with the planting soil I have already? It seems kinda clayish... the description sure as heck didnt mention that, but, I feel they ripped me off... any ideas?