It`s not too early to start many vegetable seedlings, even though the average last frost date is April 25 along Chicago`s lakefront, April 30 for much of the rest of the city and May 5 for most suburban areas, according to the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service. (There is a 50-50 chance of a freeze after those dates.)
Onions, for example, can stand 8 to 10 weeks indoors before being planted in mid- to late April. They are easy to start, but because they resemble grass blades, they can be somewhat fragile. They don`t mind being thickly sown and having their roots detangled when going into the garden.
The cole crops-broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower-all need to be planted during our cool weather. They generally do better if started indoors in containers such as peat pots or Jiffy-7s (peat disks in a biodegradable mesh that swell when submersed in warm water). Once germinated, grow them between 60 and 70 degrees during the day and cooler at night to keep them stocky.
Lettuce does not necessarily need to be started indoors, but it can be grown for a month or more before being planted. Make sure to grow it in peat pots or gently unpot these plants to lessen the shock of transplanting.
For summer vegetables, Susan Grupp of the Extension Service recommends planting outside on Memorial Day, and even then there is a 5 percent chance of a frost occurring. Peppers, tomatoes and eggplant are the real challenges of the indoor seed starter because they need between 6 and 10 weeks of nurturing before they hit the garden. But many of us make the mistake of growing all of them under the same conditions.
”Peppers are a beast to germinate,” says gardening expert Doc Abraham, noting that it can take up to two weeks for them to emerge. Once up, they
”take a warmer temperature than tomatoes. They want 80 degrees during the day and warm nights, too. Eggplant likes it like peppers.” Tomatoes are easy to grow but need bright light to keep them stocky.
Cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, muskmelons and watermelons can all be planted as seeds directly in the garden in late May when the weather firms or they can be started up to a month before indoors.
Abraham warns that cucumbers and melons are two vegetables that have a tap root, which must not be damaged in transplanting. A Jiffy-7 or peat pot minimize the chance of damaging the roots.
The following are sources of more information:
– A detailed list of seed and supply companies can be found in Barbara Barton`s ”Gardening by Mail” (Houghton Mifflin, $16.95).
– ”Vegetable Gardening for Illinois” (University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service) is being revised. A few copies may be available from local extension offices or often can be found in local libraries. The Extension Service has a range of publications available for seed starting. Local offices are listed in the White Pages under the University.
– For a wide selection of seeds, write for catalogs to: W. Atlee Burpee & Co., 300 Park Ave., Warminster, Pa. 18974; Park Seed Co., P.O. Box 46, Greenwood, S.C. 29648; Johnny`s Selected Seeds, Foss Hill Rd., Albion, Me. 04910; The Cook`s Garden, P.O. Box 65, Londonderry, Vt. 05148.
– For specialty vegetable catalogs, write to: Shepherd`s Garden Seeds, 30 Irene St., Torrington, Conn. 06790; Le Jardin du Gourmet, P.O. Box 75N, St. Johnsbury Center, Vt. 05863; Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 N. Pacific Hwy., Albany, Ore. 97321.
