Starting seeds indoors - zone 5

Mortomo

I live in zone 5.  I have a very small garden and would like to start seeds indoors.  We don't have a window that gets a lot of sunlight so I was thinking of getting something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-2-Foot-Start-Light-System/dp/B0006856EQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326133481&sr=8-1

I would probably set it up in the basement.  Anyone have any recommendations?  I'm mostly just going to grow tomatoes, bell peppers and maybe some eggplants.  I started them indoors last year, but not until late March and without special light (set them in a west window).  They ended up turning out okay, but I didn't get tomatoes until September and a lot got wasted because they didn't ripen in time.  I never got a decent sized pepper that was usable.

Also, should I be starting the seeds next month for my zone?

specialk84

I would start the seeds inside about 6-8 weeks before you want to plant them in the ground.

goldenjes

I'm in zone 5, and won't be starting tomatoes, etc indoors until probably the beginning of March. 

I'm planning on planting mid-May, fully aware that I may get a frost, but we're not planning on being OOT or anything.  I'll probably use the black landscape fabric again & maybe even tomato walls - if I can convince DH that we need to increase the garden fund. 

I'm also thinking of staggering some of my tomatoes - esp the determinate varieties.

 

GRsweetpea

Zone 5 here too.  We start our tomatoes in early March.  Don't start too soon, or you'll get leggy (and less productive) plants.  You may have fruit later on the plants you start from seed ,but that's okay, good sauce and salsa making harvest.  I always buy one plant from the nursery so I can have tomatoes earlier.

 

GRsweetpea

Mortomo:

  Anyone have any recommendations?  I'm mostly just going to grow tomatoes, bell peppers and maybe some eggplants. 

didn't get tomatoes until September and a lot got wasted because they didn't ripen in time.  I never got a decent sized pepper that was usable.

Oops, I posted too soon.

I had little luck with bell peppers, but others have done well.

You can also start basil.  Natural pairing w/ tomatoes.

When you get tomatoes late, just put them all in a brown paper bag, and keep an eye on them daily.  They'll ripen in the bag.  I take all of my tomatoes off of the plants in late September, and make a lot of sauces.

goldenjes

GRsweetpea:

Oops, I posted too soon.

I had little luck with bell peppers, but others have done well.

You can also start basil.  Natural pairing w/ tomatoes.

When you get tomatoes late, just put them all in a brown paper bag, and keep an eye on them daily.  They'll ripen in the bag.  I take all of my tomatoes off of the plants in late September, and make a lot of sauces.

I was skeptical about the paper bag thing (MIL told me about it) but it works!  I think I had 25 of the lunch bag sized bags full up to 4" high at one point.  Almost all of them ripened, and I made trays of oven-dried tomatoes with them.  They lasted over 8 weeks!

pdxmouse

I found these plans floating around pinterest. When I took a class on seed starting, the one thing that was really emphasized was to keep potting up. Start with the little pellets or cups or whatever, and keep moving up a container size regularly. I think newbs like me tend to get impatient (I have to repot again?) and shock the plants. Also remember to go through the hardening off process correctly.

Mortomo

Thanks everyone.  I was just so disappointed this past summer because I didn't really get anything until later in the season.  I did pick a bunch of green ones and let them ripen on the counter in my kitchen and froze quite a few.  I was just really hoping to get some tomatoes earlier in the season.

pdxmouse

Maybe buy one start at the beginning of season and do the rest from seed? Have you tried doing early varieties like Early Girl? I also found my cherry tomatoes came in a lot sooner. It helps to have some tomatoes ASAP, instead of fretting over scrawny plants that don't take off until August. I know because I've been there, the last two summers in Oregon have been unusually rainy, even for us.

Mortomo

I did have four Early Girl plants that I bought at a nursery and still didn't get any ripe ones until September.  I planted them over Memorial Day weekend last year.  I got a ton of tomatoes off of the plants, but it was the first week in September (or maybe end of August?) before I got a ripe one.

I know last year the season to plant started late because of the weather, so maybe this year it will be a little better.

rhythmicgoldfish

also from zone 5 and i start in early march ... you would probably have better luck with a light like this http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Systems-LEDGP14-GlowPanel-Light/dp/B001N4K2QE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ol_4 and it will last you over a decade! look for a blue spectrum grow light to stimulate vegetative growth and keep in mind that many plants flower and fruit based on the amount of daylight and spectrum of light they are receiving