We tried to start seedlings inside this year, and between somewhat general neglect and a crappy growing season in April (they were moved outside to a portable greenhouse) they've pretty much all failed... Miserably. HOWEVER the self-planted sugar snap peas that we found growing out of the side of the garden are doing incredibly well. ~4' tall or so, flowering, and we'll probably even have a few peas in another couple weeks. They must have fallen from one of the plants from last year, and we didn't notice it till they sprouted in late March.
We did *absolutely nothing* for those. Didn't water them, didn't cover them when the temperatures got down to ~25deg, didn't turn the soil over first, didn't fertilize the area, etc. So, we're wondering whether we should just try that with all of the early-plants? Obviously there is always the danger of frost, but should we just plant them (peas, string beans, swiss chard, lettuce/salad greens, beets) in the fall and let nature take it's course? Anyone have any experience with this?
For the rest we'll probably buy seedlings from our local nursery, as it's practically as cheap as trying to start peppers or tomatoes from seeds once you figure in potting soil, plastic trays, etc.
We did *absolutely nothing* for those. Didn't water them, didn't cover them when the temperatures got down to ~25deg, didn't turn the soil over first, didn't fertilize the area, etc. So, we're wondering whether we should just try that with all of the early-plants? Obviously there is always the danger of frost, but should we just plant them (peas, string beans, swiss chard, lettuce/salad greens, beets) in the fall and let nature take it's course? Anyone have any experience with this?
For the rest we'll probably buy seedlings from our local nursery, as it's practically as cheap as trying to start peppers or tomatoes from seeds once you figure in potting soil, plastic trays, etc.