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When to start planting seeds for flowers and veggies?

We just recently bought a house whereas before we always lived in apartments. I would like to put some flowers in the front of the house and maybe start a garden in the backyard. i have no knowledge what so ever on gardening. I live in Northeast PA and would like to know when I should plant the seeds? Also I just saw a commercial on TV for the Roll Away Seeds where you just buy this 10 ft pad and roll it in the place you want flowers. Has anybody every used this before?

Public Comments

1. you can start your seeds indoor between apr. 15 and may 1st if you what to sow dricty tothe outdoor garden wait until at least may 25th those roll of seed dont watse your time or money
2. Go to the following gardening forum. There is lots of info about gardening in your area, as well as general info about gardening. You can ask questions there and they will be answered by knowledgeable people.
3. You are gonna love gardening, don't try to do it all in one year. Get to know where the sun shines the most, and where the shaded areas are. Because you will need flowers for the sun areas, and flowers for the shaded areas. Since you are a beginner, this year start your garden with plants that you get from a garden center or nursery. They are called bedding plants and come in a six pack. Look for a little tag sticking in the six pact showing directions on how to grow the plants. If the tag is not there, ask for one or buy something else. Directions are VERY important. Seeds are not always easy to grow. And wildflowers are the hardest so don't be disappointed if they don't show up. Two good things to do for yourself is to call your local County Extension Service and ask for all the information that they have about gardening in your area. They usually have a packet/kit of things for the home gardener. And number two would be to pick up a couple of beginner books. You really do need to know about soil, compost, mulch and etc. To keep from over watering or not watering enough, buy a water analyzer from a nursery or garden center. Be sure to read the directions. This will be one of your best tools. Send for some free gardening catalogs and get use to the different types of plants, colors, and when to plant. They are filled with good informtion and pictures. And they will keep you company during the long winter months. Here is a list of just a very few. There are hundreds more: http://www.waysidegardens.com http://www.dutchbulbs.com http://www.jacksonandperkins.com (Roses) http://www.parkseed.com http://www.burpee.com Other catalogs: http://www.leevalley.com http://www.gardeners.com http://www.GardensAlive.com http://www.deerbusters.com (all types of animal control) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Container/pots/window boxes needs: All need holes in the bottem for water drainage, Potting soil that comes in bags, Slow release fertilizer for flowers (not for green plants), OR liquid fertilizer that will need to be used more often-read directions, Water crystals to be mixed into the soil for holding water, Bedding plants or full grown plants. Here is an excellent link to check out for color combinations and plants that look good together: http://www.fernlea.com/awesomeaccents/recipes.html
4. First of all you need to know somewhat about soils and soil preparations ,safety measures , plant types, their growing seasons and habits. I hereby recommend to contact your neighbores, visit their gardens and get necessary guideline form their regarding gardening including soil preparations, flowers and vegetabls types , growing seasons and seed availibility sources also read some introdutory books then start through seeds of most common and easy to grow seasonal Flowers and vegetables. Expriences through study and practical work will make you an expert gardener
5. start your seeds 6-8 weeks before the last expected frost. i live in delaware and started some 2 wks ago. the rest will be this week. i don't recommend the roll away seeds. in my experience they don't work so well, the seeds don't always grow and the plants tended to seem weak/not sturdy. your best bet would be to get a few buffet tins and a packet, or few, of wild flower mix (or other flowers you want to grow) put about 2 inches of dirt in the tin. sew the seeds in "rows" as much as possible in the tins and water them. oh put a few drain holes in the bottom of the tins. keep them in warm sunny areas inside your house till the seedlings are several inches high. you can then transplant them in to the ground (after you have prepared the soil) if you don't want to use tins (cheap) you can buy the seed starter kits that they sell at walmart, kmart, lowes etc... i can also recommend seed swap sites for you to use via yahoo groups. i scored allllll but 2 packets of seeds via swapping sites.