Seeding Calendar 2013 Simplified

So your seed packets say, plant 6-8 weeks before transplanting or plant 4 weeks before last frost, and a lot of other things. Honestly, this really confused me. I realized last night that the logical thing to do is to plant cold weather crops however many weeks the packet says before their cold weather planting date (In Madison, this can vary in March and April), and warm weather crops the number of weeks it says before their warm weather planting date (In Madison, around Mother's Day or May 10.

FEBRUARY 16
So, I've started seeds in soil blocks for the following crops on February 16, 6-8 weeks before the soil may be able to be worked (mid April???) I'm keeping in mind that I have a LOT of work to do on my beds before they are plantable:

Start Seeds:

Tray 1:

Crisp Mint Lettuce (best in cold)

Cabbage

Kale

Collards

Tray 2:

Peppers

I will need to give a lot of these away to friends after they germinate to make room in the greenhouse.

Hopefully I can inspire others to have their own greenhouse with their already started seedlings. Maybe I could even trade for marigold, zucchini, summer squash, winter squash, melon, and/or pumpkin seeds.

Then again, maybe none of them will germinate because I forgot the compost in the seed starting formula :)

MARCH 17

Sow seeds that need 8 weeks of development before the last frost. Hopefully by the time these germinate, I will be hardening off (putting outside to get used to the cold and wind for gradually longer increments of time) Tray 1 above of cold weather crops.

Tray 3:

Eggplant

Broccoli - succession planting, start some, not all
Marigold

MARCH 31

Sow seeds indoors that need 6 weeks of development before the last frost:

Tray 4:

Tomatoes!!!

Add to Tray 3:
Ground Cherry

Broccoli

Leeks 

Collards

Kale

Cabbage
Swiss Chard

APRIL 14

At this point, Tray 1 and 3 will be transplanted outside and ready to be filled up with some new mini-soil blocks/seeds!
Sow indoors (crops that want 3-4 weeks before last frost seed starting):

Thai Basil

Nasturtium
Zucchini (3-4 per soil block)

This is also when I will begin to direct sow the cold weather crops:

Lettuces (that aren't specific to cold weather)

Snap Peas

Pac Choy

Carrots
Radish
Beets (Plant in rows with radishes)

I will also direct seed the rest of the chard, lettuce, cabbage, kale, spinach, collards and leeks to compare how they do with direct sowing to how they did with transplanting from soil blocks (pics to follow hopefully)

APRIL 28

Start half of my cucumber and watermelon seedlings indoors

MAY 12

This is when I will feel safe enough to transplant those seedlings which must be transplanted "after the last frost date"(those that I started the seeds of on March 17 and March 31st respectively). 

Direct Seed:

Sunflowers

Beans
Cucumber
Corn

To see where/how I will be planting all of these seedlings, check out my garden bed planning chart.

JUNE 30

Direct Seed:
Rutabaga
Lettuce
Brassicas (brocolli, cauliflower)
Radish
Beets
Cabbage