It doesn't always pay to be cheap (unfortunately)

Last year was our first year starting plants indoors and well...it didn't go so well.  We had read so many places that "all you need is a sunny window" so we thought it would be easy!  We bought a bunch of seeds and some cheap organic potting soil and stuck them in a sunny window.  They started to grow, got their second set of leaves...then they started getting really tall, leaves started dropping off, plants died, and I cried because we had spent a lot on heirloom seeds.  All that survived were 2 types of tomatoes.  Well this year I really wanted to do it right.  We bought some shelving and a heat mat and figured that would solve our problems.  Well all of them were doing ok until they got their second set of leaves.  They stopped growing and some leaves started falling off.  They weren't leggy at least so they lighting was helping but I had once again cheaped out and bought the yucky potting soil hoping that the lighting and the heat mat would solve the problem.  I went out and bought some of the really good organic potting soil.  I transplanted all but a couple into the good stuff.  I left a couple in the cheap stuff to see what the difference would be....

uhhh...can you guess which one is in the good stuff? *sigh*

Well we learn so much each year I don't thing we will ever "know everything".  I think that is a good thing...at least it will keep us busy!  Like I have already learned that starting lettuce indoors is not worth the trouble.  The stuff I direct seeded is bigger then the stuff I started inside a monthe earlier!  Now the Kale I started indoors has done really well and is about double the size of the stuff I direct seeded.  So is the Swiss Chard.  I have also learned that seed companies use pretty generic planting instructions for the most part.  The sunflower seed packet says to wait until after all danger of frost to plant.  Well I started some inside and have been taking them outside during the day.  I have left them out all night and it has frosted 3 times and they are fine...

They seem to be doing fine.

I looked up some info and found that you can plant them earlier.  As long as they have not flowered yet and do not have a blossom they can stand temperatures all the way to 26 degrees at night.  I will be starting them outside earlier next year for sure.  Well our first market is this Saturday so I better stop writting and get some stuff done!