Along about February and early March, the Gardening Bug bites me. Since it’s too early to plant most stuff outdoors, I typically start a few plants indoors from seed.
No more.
I started cucumber and squash plants indoors this spring and they bombed. Nothing, Nanda, Zilch.
The problem with starting young plants indoors is the timing. Often, the plants emerge before they’re ready to be transplanted, then grow tall and spindly – and weak. When they finally go in the ground, if it’s too hot or cold, they shrivel up and die. When professional nurseries start plants, they know what they are doing, and their plants generally do well.
But from now on, I’ll buy tomato plants that have been started by a legitimate nursery, but I’ll wait until May and start my squash and cucumber seeds in the ground. That way, they’ll be better acclimated to changing conditions. It’s live and learn when it comes to backyard gardening – I just don’t learn as quickly others.
