Anyone ever start their gardens indoors then transplant them?

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Had a lot of late freezes this winter so I started cucumbers, radishes & tomatoes indoors. Never done this before and the cucumbers went in today but don't look very healthy. Is that normal or should I just start over?

The mounds are potatoes that the damn squirrels keep digging up. Really pissing me off.

Tomatoes and radishes are still in the house.

Any tips? Especially for keeping squirrels and rabbits out of my garden? I've tried lattice to block the rabbits but it doesn't work

 

[lg325]

If the roots were not damaged when planting they should sprout back up with watering. Plants tend to go into a type of shock when transplanted.

 

[The Irish Ram]

Had a lot of late freezes this winter so I started cucumbers, radishes & tomatoes indoors. Never done this before and the cucumbers went in today but don't look very healthy. Is that normal or should I just start over?

View attachment 782240

The mounds are potatoes that the damn squirrels keep digging up. Really pissing me off.

Tomatoes and radishes are still in the house.

Any tips? Especially for keeping squirrels and rabbits out of my garden? I've tried lattice to block the rabbits but it doesn't work

I start all my stuff inside. You can try a motion owl, or eagle to scare away the critters. And some fake snakes...

 

[White 6]

Had a lot of late freezes this winter so I started cucumbers, radishes & tomatoes indoors. Never done this before and the cucumbers went in today but don't look very healthy. Is that normal or should I just start over?

View attachment 782240

The mounds are potatoes that the damn squirrels keep digging up. Really pissing me off.

Tomatoes and radishes are still in the house.

Any tips? Especially for keeping squirrels and rabbits out of my garden? I've tried lattice to block the rabbits but it doesn't work

Had a guy (new member) 3 or 4 weeks ago posted in garden for, that sounded like he had his sh#t together. Not sure he has been back, as I wouldn't let him plug his blog (triggered a automatic mod spam alert). I do remember, his loggin name here matched his blog name. I read his post, but may have cut out the link, when I approved. If you can find it. I bet he knows your answers.

I'm just trying to get my Zoysia to come back after the lawn company I hired premerged monthly over the winter, so now my front looks like a checkerboard, when I sodded, summer before last and the established not greening up evenly at all, right up to the demarcation line, where my Zoysia had spread to the neighbor's yard 10 feet, untreated, looking healthy and coming on like gangbusters. The whole pool area is just brown, and that was sodded, established and healthy for the since 5 or 6 years ago. Brother-in-law out in a high-end estate area is really pissed. A different law service treated his 3 acre lawn the same way with the same results. His was put in 4 years ago, professionally with tractors and semi-flatbed of rolls of Zoysia. We don't know what to do, but we know which lawn service companies are no long allowed on our properties.

 

[toobfreak]

Anyone ever start their gardens indoors then transplant them?​

All of the time. Actually, best way to start most veggies is indoors under gro lights in peat pots or little clay pots. I like the peat pots because you just plant the whole thing is and dissolves and the roots just grow out undisturbed. They make a cool thing called Jiffy Pots. Then you can start your seeds, pick your strong plants and move them outside when they and the weather is ready.

Any tips? Especially for keeping squirrels and rabbits out of my garden? I've tried lattice to block the rabbits but it doesn't work

Only way to stop squirrels is to make a cage over each plant out of 1/2" rodent fence buried so they can't undo it big enough to protect the plants until they are big enough. Other option is to lay a sheet of 1/2" rodent fence on the ground with just a small opening for each plant to grow up through held in place with landscaping wire nails, that will stop their digging and burrowing, but its a lot of extra work, but done right, it can be resuable year after year cause it's galvanized. Rabbits are stopped easy with a 2' chicken wire fence around the garden.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

More than likely the squirrels are burying their peanuts, or are in search of last years stash. So your potatoes should be fine.

The cucumbers will come back, just give them a couple of days.

Do not plant your tomatoes close to the potatoes because they are both from the nightshade family and are susceptible to the same bugs and disease.

When you do plant the tomatoes, put some crushed egg shells in the hole first for the calcium to feed the roots to help fight/prevent blossom end rot.

In future, save your cardboard egg cartons and use them for starting seeds in. Then carefully cut or tear each cell to plant directly in the soil. Much the same way as using peat pots, like mentioned above^^. They too will breakdown in the soil and your roots will be undisturbed.

Get some kind of material to use as a mulch to put over the top of the soil. Things like straw, grass clippings, even pieces of cardboard......they help to keep the soil moist, provide shelter for good bugs/worms, etc from the heat of the sun, and will break down to feed the soil. BUT straw does have seeds that will sprout/grow and is usually wheat, though sometimes it may have weeds too. AND you have to be careful using fresh grass clippings. They are pure nitrogen and will heat up and possibly burn your plants, so it's best to spread them out to 'cool off' and dry for a day or so before putting them near the plants. Mulch should be atleast 3 to 4 inches thick, preferably more by the heat of summer. And when you've harvested everything, turn it under to feed the soil like fertilizer for next year.


One of the most common mistakes is to over water the plants. To know if it needs water, scratch down into the soil an inch or two. If it's damp, DON'T.

 

[progressive hunter]

Had a lot of late freezes this winter so I started cucumbers, radishes & tomatoes indoors. Never done this before and the cucumbers went in today but don't look very healthy. Is that normal or should I just start over?

View attachment 782240

The mounds are potatoes that the damn squirrels keep digging up. Really pissing me off.

Tomatoes and radishes are still in the house.

Any tips? Especially for keeping squirrels and rabbits out of my garden? I've tried lattice to block the rabbits but it doesn't work

if youre a serious gardener for food you always start early in the spring inside so you can hit the ground running once last frost hits,,

more so for things like peppers and tomatos,,

I am trying to get a little over a hundred tomato and peppers plants in,
there are some plants you can seed early that can handle a small frost like spinach and cabbage,,

 

[progressive hunter]

Had a lot of late freezes this winter so I started cucumbers, radishes & tomatoes indoors. Never done this before and the cucumbers went in today but don't look very healthy. Is that normal or should I just start over?

View attachment 782240

The mounds are potatoes that the damn squirrels keep digging up. Really pissing me off.

Tomatoes and radishes are still in the house.

Any tips? Especially for keeping squirrels and rabbits out of my garden? I've tried lattice to block the rabbits but it doesn't work

looking at your spacing you can add a few seeds between what you have planted if youre concerned,,

 

[whitehall]

I buy a lot of my veggie plants at Lowes in little pots. This year I repotted them in bigger pots and my tomato really took off. Taters and lettuce and onions are in but the cold snap in western Va. set everything back. Frost warnings tonight. May is the time to sprout pumpkins that you put in in June. I have been trying for the giant kind for years and finally got one that weighed in at 164 lbs last year. No record by any means but impressive to family, friends and neighbors.

 

[Moonglow]

I have starter planters outside that I do starters in. The cucumbers are ok for this time of year.

 

[Concerned American]

Had a lot of late freezes this winter so I started cucumbers, radishes & tomatoes indoors. Never done this before and the cucumbers went in today but don't look very healthy. Is that normal or should I just start over?

View attachment 782240

The mounds are potatoes that the damn squirrels keep digging up. Really pissing me off.

Tomatoes and radishes are still in the house.

Any tips? Especially for keeping squirrels and rabbits out of my garden? I've tried lattice to block the rabbits but it doesn't work

I have tomatoes and jalapenos that I started from seed two weeks ago. I will be transferring them to peat pots tomorrow for a week before putting them in deck pots next week to harden up and spend the summer. Figure on fruit in late July/early Aug.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Thank you for all the advice everyone