USING PLANTS VS. SEEDS: Garden Advice for Every Vegetable!

[@simpleman4196]

When you get to planting your gardens I would like to see video oh how you plant and space everything. I really like how you garden and would like to copy your spacings

[@LazyDogFarm]

We'll definitely talk about our spacing and the reasoning behind as we start our spring planting. Stay tuned ...

[@saltlifess6226]

Zone 9 here. Started two tomatoes in a heated g/h in November. Have green tomatoes right now. Plants are 4' tall.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Nice!

[@amilynnstapay796]

Most excellent. My zone area was just changed to 8b. I transplant a lot, but direct seed my english peas in February.

[@LazyDogFarm]

For us it's easier to direct seed those peas because we plant them so thick.

[@smokeytexx]

try the gutter method for starting english peas it works well .

[@prnprn4024]

Thumbs up for the stache!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Preciate it!

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

Nice rundown on your planting list. I transplant my 1st succession of sweet corn. Start them 3 weeks before my last frost date. Gives me a little jump on my favorite summer veggie. Trying Yellowstone this year after your success with it last year.

[@LazyDogFarm]

You'll enjoy Yellowstone. It's really sweet, but that's how we like it.

[@laurierich5161]

Still a long ways off for starting seeds (5b) but enjoying the videos. Sure wish I had a small green house but have been making do. Just use what u have!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Definitely use what you have. You don't need a greenhouse to grow great transplants!

[@laurelharrison9304]

Awesome thanks for the update on planting

[@LazyDogFarm]

Our pleasure Laurel!

[@nancytharp8213]

Thanks for sharing 🙏 😎 🏖 🏝

[@LazyDogFarm]

You bet

[@beverlyboyce1041]

I have a small kerosene heater, the square type tat i use for really cold nights with wind. It runs about 18 hours on low setting. I also have electric thermostat controlled heater but it struggles in high wind. My greenhouse is 8x16.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Almost the same size as ours. I think ours is 10x16. High wind definitely makes things trickier. The barn helps to block the wind on ours a little.

[@ETXChris]

That Stache... looking more legit everyday.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Preciate it. The struggle is real.

[@markb3129]

Great information!!! ✌

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Mark B!

[@Grandma.Lilly.]

I prefer to transplant when I can. I have six greenstalks and a bunch of raised beds. So when a plant comes out, a transplant goes in asap.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Takes some good planning to do that! Great job!

[@tommathews3964]

Good stuff, T!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Tom!

[@mattshepherd8586]

Thanks!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Matt!

[@craigermcgreger1068]

That stache is all business

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Craiger!

[@johnmccoy2721]

Thank you! Love hearing your plans and reasoning on timings. Helps us learn!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks John!

[@suesweetpea7]

TRAVIS, AS ALWAYS YOU ARE VERY HELPFUL IN THIS SERIES AND I LOOK FORWARD TO GROWING THIS YEAR.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Susan!

[@elliottmcfadden6261]

Anytime I struggle with getting germination on direct sowing plants (carrots, celery, lettuce) I put the seeds on a damp paper towel and then put it inside a zip lock bag and put flat on top of the refrigerator or a counter. I mist every day to keep damp. Within a few days, I will start to see the radical of the seeds sprout on the good seeds. I then use the edge of a flat head screw drive to gently pick each up for planting, radical pointing down. This works nearly 100% of the time to yield a seedling out of the ground. It’s a lot of work for large area plantings, but it you just can’t get direct sow plants to grow, this will work.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Good tip Elliott!

[@loganyoutube4818]

How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains? 😂

[@LazyDogFarm]

Back in '82, I used to be able to throw a pigskin a quarter mile. I'm dead serious.

[@mousiebrown1747]

Cool spell my SE Louisiana right hind hoof! It’s freezing!!! Hope your back is holding up ok…. I’m just puny in my old age, I think… This info is very helpful-thankee-thankee!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Back is holding up well.

[@Frank-fs5nv]

Hi Travis, I'm in 6b/7a near the coast. I enjoy your videos and learn a lot. Happy to see you doing so well after your back injury.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Doing great Frank! Back in the gym now and feeling good!

[@takeitslowhomestead5218]

Thank you for being so thorough. I’ll be watching and taking notes, so that I can start seeds indoors at about the time you are putting your starts outside in the ground. (Our last average frost is May 20.) This year will be my first time trying grow lights, (and maybe a heat mat or two).

[@LazyDogFarm]

Hope you have a great seed-starting season!

[@lawrencebeeles6738]

If you put ground cover on your floor will build more heat during day stay warmer longer at nite

[@apiecemaker1163]

That’s a great idea. Never thought of that. 👩‍🌾👍

[@zmblion]

All the wasted space under the shelves could be used as well. Maybe water barrels sand bags bricks something would be better than nothing

[@jeaniepartridge6701]

I am about 2 months behind you.🙃

[@LazyDogFarm]

But I bet you have a beautiful garden in August and September while ours is toast.

[@jeaniepartridge6701]

@@LazyDogFarm I pick tomatoes in the fall .

[@justinbukoski1]

if you are going to transplant peas I highly recommend using the gutter method to do so. Peas hate having their roots disturbed and sliding them into a furrow from a gutter seems to work much better than transplanting plugs.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for the tip Justin!

[@suepatterson2702]

This has been a wonderful series, thanks. I have an idea that might help keep your seedtrays warmer at night: place an under tray upside down on top of the seed tray. This will trap the heat you are generating from the mats. Right now it's just dispersing in the air.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Shortly after filming this video, I actually tried using a clear storage container over the top and it works great at night to keep the temps warm.

[@lynnes3659]

I am in 6b and getting so excited for the garden this year. So far all I have started are my onions but keeping busy adding more raised beds. Great info as always! Thanks, Travis!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Very exciting! Thanks for joining us!

[@RICHat22]

I don't have time to maintain temps in a greenhouse I found out last year. But I use AL Coop Ext Office planting guide. Works pretty good. Plus, I watch weather close. Last 2-3 years you've helped a LOT, along with a couple local friends that garden. Okries, tomatoes, and peppers were off the chart in the ground and raised bed last year. Oddly, my collards were full grown, moved from raised bed to ground, and still growing to this day.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Great to hear. Collards are tough!

[@carebearb2007]

Hi love :) Thank you for all your content. Much love from Oregon. xoxo

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for watching carebear!

[@Daddyo_farms]

My buddy in Sumter county swears by transplanting squash and cucumbers. I am going to give that a try this year

[@LazyDogFarm]

It works. I see it done every year by the big farmers.

[@Coastal.Redwood.Homestead]

Just a thought but have you ever consider putting a tent camping wood stove in your greenhouse. You would save a lot of money and I’m sure you could modify your greenhouse so that it wouldn’t melt your plastic

[@LazyDogFarm]

I haven't. After this week, I probably won't need the heater at all. I really only need heat in there a few weeks of the entire year, so not really worth a ton of infrastructure for just those few weeks.

[@GreenLove1]

Fantastic video as usual, Travis. I always learn something new from you. I am on a similar planting schedule, zone 9B Northern California. Hot and dry so a bit different here and there. No disease pressure on tomatoes so we can grow throughout from Spring through Fall, and the eggplants and peppers love our dry heat. So much to do, and my indoor growing space is full already, waiting for last frost in mid-March so I can start getting some stuff outdoors. Excited for the 2022 growing season!!!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Lucky you on the long tomato season!

[@jonlewis6630]

Thanks for the timing info. I am in 8b, coastal NC. I am still trying to learn all the timing for starting seeds. I do appreciate the help.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@urbanbackyardcontainergardenin]

Thank you for sharing. As usual very helpful, especially knowing what to direct sow versus what to transplant.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@misstrcarter]

Here in Maryland (7B), we have a short Spring like you guys. Most of my cool weather crops are grown in the Fall but we want some Spring veggies too. This year, I am starting a lot more indoors in order to transplant as soon as possible. I usually direct sow kales, collards, beets, lettuces, cilantro and spinach, but I am starting those indoors this year. The only ones I am questioning, is the spinach and cilantro so I also did a backup with the winter sew method in plastic jugs with those two.

[@LazyDogFarm]

We transplant cilantro and it does well. But I like to direct-seed spinach mainly because of the density at which we plant it. It does better when planted really thick in a band. It's almost impossible to get the same plant density from transplanting.

[@misstrcarter]

@@LazyDogFarm I think I'll experiment with planting my spinach really thick because I just don't have any luck with it. I saw your row of spinach from the fall but couldn't find a video of how you planted it.

[@katrinalucas9823]

Thanks for these helpful videos. I just transplanted some lettuce in the greenstalk planter in my hoop house.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Awesome! I bet lettuce does great in those greenstalk planters.

[@kittiew260]

Ty for video. Great reminder what can & can't be transplanted. Gonna try beets transplants this year. Never thought root crops would make it. For my areas (short season) we definitely do transplants for most crops outside root, peas & corn. Great video...Cheers

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Kittie! Best of luck with your beet transplants!

[@chadstrutzenberg9171]

Great information Travis!

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Chad!

[@apiecemaker1163]

Hey Travis, we are supposed to be 17 and 22 Friday and Saturday here in central AL. 🥶 brrrrr Probably headed your way after us. My mom in south GA is generally a day behind us. Thanks for info about plants and seedlings. I am in 7b. Hard to wait to plant this time of year. Ready to get my hands in the dirt. Thanks for another great video.

[@RICHat22]

I have the AL coop extension planting guide printed and highlight the plant dates and conditions. I'm in 7b East Central AL. Good luck.

[@apiecemaker1163]

@@RICHat22 thank you I will look that up to print out. Good luck to you also.

[@timfetner8029]

Hey Travis. Great video series on seed starting. Thanks a bunch for your continued willingness to share your gardening knowledge. Again, I learn something new every time I watch on of your videos, and I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years. Ad now to the important question - why did you dispatch the goatee and go with the “stache”??

[@LazyDogFarm]

Not really sure. Just woke up one morning and said the goatee needs to go. And so it did.

[@Coastal.Redwood.Homestead]

Ps I grow all my beans in pots and transplant them once they start getting their curly things lol and here I have to do transplant everything except carrots and potatoes because the slugs will eat everything 😢

[@LazyDogFarm]

Do what works for you!

[@DsHomeyGarden]

Great information again. Have you thought about building some type of low plastic dome maybe out of PVC to sit over your seed tables to keep extra heating?

[@LazyDogFarm]

I actually used a clear plastic container the other day and it worked pretty well. Can't leave it on there during the day because it causes things to get too hot, but it works well to help maintain the temps at night.

[@laurasnowden1759]

Getting a good stand of beets seems to be challenging for me...maybe I'll try transplanting them this spring. Thanks for the great information.

[@LazyDogFarm]

If you have issues with direct-seeding them, that's a great option to try!

[@melissasullivan1658]

If it makes you feel better, I’m in my third year and can’t get a root veggie to grow to save my life! 😂

[@laurasnowden1759]

@@melissasullivan1658 I never could either...I've gotten more patient in my old age which I think is the key. Just keep trying!!

[@melissasullivan1658]

@@laurasnowden1759 this makes me feel immensely better actually. I use grow bags and it may be that I need to ‘fluff’ my soil first but I swear folks say that root crops are a great way to break up soil, so I dunno what it going wrong.

[@haroldandaliceoddan5059]

What strawberry plants do you recomment? Any suggestions on how to keep ants out of pots next to a house? How serious are ants if you come across ants in your garden.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I've never grown strawberries, so I don't have any good recommendations on that front. As far as the ants go, remember that ants don't like disturbance. They tend to build beds in areas that are undisturbed. So the easiest way to get rid of ants is to scratch around in your garden beds more regularly.

[@jtharp9265]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks Josette!

[@MrsLovelyPendragon]

Well I wasn't gonna get taters yet but imma sure check out them taters to grow this year! Great video

[@LazyDogFarm]

Let us know which ones you decide to try!

[@leroneerwin7605]

Hey Fam! I haven't typed in awhile but please know I don't miss a video. I'm so excited. We closed on another house today with a little more land for me to get The PeeWee League Homestead goin'! I wish I could hire you to give me some ideas on how to setup my backyard gros'ree stow. Also, have you ever grown any pinto beans?

[@LazyDogFarm]

Congrats on your new homestead! I've never grown dried beans because it's so hard to keep the pests from getting them while we wait on them to dry. And with the humidity we have, they don't always dry that great on the plant. Sometimes they get moldy inside the shell prior to harvesting.

[@russrhondamartin6454]

Another great video in this series Travis! You had discussed cucumber direct seed vs transplant, for our final succession planting last fall I started a few Max Pack transplants instead of direct seeding just for an experiment, they went from seed to viable transplant in just 11 days, didn't see any difference in maturity verses direct seeding. I tend to think that cuc's aren't worth the trouble to transplant, unless maybe to give the plants a head start for the 1st spring planting. We are about 15 miles south of the zone 8b/9a line in southeast Texas, so we are maybe a week or two ahead of you? Started our peppers on Jan 8, tomatoes on Jan 18, and eggplants on Jan 21.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Gonna have to try transplanting the cukes at least once just to compare.

[@DavidBrown-vx6fb]

Enjoy your videos! Have you ever planted sweet peas with sweet corn?

[@LazyDogFarm]

I have not. The growing seasons for those two don't really coincide down here. English peas usually bite the dust in spring down here when things start to get hot. But corn does well in the heat.

[@DavidBrown-vx6fb]

Thanks

[@kimritchie3521]

Hi Travis, I also ordered seed potatoes from wood prairie. Not sure what to do with them until ready to plant in February. Please help,first time growing potatoes. Thanks

[@LazyDogFarm]

Since they're in bags, you shouldn't have to worry about light getting to them. I just have them sitting in my office inside the opened box. Just don't want them to freeze -- that's the biggie.

[@mary303030]

Just be careful with the propane heater. Seedlings don't like some of the off gases. The greenhouse probably drafty enough to not bother them, but rather be safe vs. a bunch of dead plants...

[@LazyDogFarm]

Yeah I did some testing with that before running it all night. Haven't killed anything yet.

[@mercedvaldezv7364]

Thanks for the great series! This is my first year starting seeds. I have a 162 seed tray and was just wondering when is the right time to move up the seedling to a bigger container prior to transplanting outdoors. I have heirloom tomato’s and peppers. I’m in Zone 9b .

[@LazyDogFarm]

When you pull the transplant from the tray just by gently tugging on the stem, and when they have a solid root ball formed.

[@mercedvaldezv7364]

@@LazyDogFarm 👍🏼👍🏼 thanks for the reply!

[@shannonlee745]

Thank you for all this info Travis. I'm moving from WA to TN in March and my growing processes and timing is going to be so different. I was wondering how you handle herbs like Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Fennel in regards to transplant or direct sow.

[@Grandma.Lilly.]

I always direct sow cilantro, I find that transplants bolt faster than direct seed. But I do transplant everything else.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I transplant all my herbs, but many of them will do just fine direct-seeded as well.

[@melissasullivan1658]

I find dill to be temp sensitive in my 9b balcony garden, kind of like basil but for the shoulder/spring season preference. I start mine indoors so I can hit that spring sweet spot when it will give the most benefit to overall growth before the time the arid summers hit.

[@johnbrzenksforearm8295]

It always blows my mind that you plant seedless watermelon seeds. I transplant everything except squash, corn, and melons.

[@LazyDogFarm]

They're technically not "seedless" until they are pollinated. But for simplicity sake, they're called "seedless" seeds. Confusing, I know.

[@chrisjones5965]

Awesome. Thanks for covering the timing question I had on the last video. We're just a little north of you right on the line of 8a/7b so not too far behind. Got a follow up question. Got any suggestions for soil prep this time of year with a cover crop in place? We overseeded with annual rye last fall to keep things from washing away this winter. I've seen covering with tarp to kill it, I've seen mow+till, I've even seen no-till and throw the glyphosate to it. Any thoughts? Seems like we're always late getting things in the ground because of wet ground and it's only going to be worse/more difficult this year with the rye on it.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Winter rye is one of the toughest cool-season cover crops to terminate IMO. That's why I rarely grow it. It's a great cover crop with lots of benefits, but just tough to terminate. If you have a tarp, I would do this. Mow it and till it once -- just lightly. Then tarp it until a couple weeks before you're ready to plant. Pull the tarp back two weeks prior to planting, till it and get it ready for planting. Then put the tarp back on until you're ready to plant. On planting day, just remove the tarp and you're ready to go!

[@chrisjones5965]

@@LazyDogFarm Thanks! Our dirt is pretty red, so went with rye to try to get some more organic material mixed in and read that rye was good for that. Will go back to trying kale/mustard/collards for winter cover next year. (Assuming I can get his year's rye killed off first. Ha) Looking to get a section headed toward prep for potatoes soon so that will let me test out a plan and adjust as necessary for the rest of the area. Thanks again!

[@lisareis8117]

What size tray are you thinking about starting your English peas in? I was thinking of trying that also. I’ve never had success with transplanting cucumbers. I think the hardening off process makes them weak but I start indoors...may be different in a greenhouse.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I was gonna put them in a 162 tray.

[@allenhickman5914]

I’ll try Wood Prairie … I ordered some seed spuds from someone else. Ordered only 5 lbs on one I wanted. They went ahead and shipped…BTW, I weighed them and only got 3 lbs 3 oz!!! …..mind you we’re having 0 degrees and below nights… they shipped by mail… didn’t know the day it would be delivered. Was delivered yesterday, and I was 200 miles away! Didn’t know they were delivered for a few hours so I called a neighbor and he got them out of my mailbox… but pretty sure they were frozen. Won’t order from them again!

[@LazyDogFarm]

I haven't weighed mine to see if they were exactly 5 lbs, but it felt like it was.

[@allenhickman5914]

@@LazyDogFarm I probably wouldn’t have thought to weigh them either, but they just didn’t ‘feel’ like the bag was heavy enough. Think what a 5 pound bag of potatoes in your local supermarket feels like.

[@Windyhillfarm71]

Have you ever used Mayco Bliss on your seedlings if so how did it do?

[@LazyDogFarm]

I have not ever used that. What is it exactly?

[@gailpetchenik3048]

Glad u cut off the goat bread😁

[@LazyDogFarm]

I feel better!

[@jimoyler1780]

Something seems amiss here. Is Travis doing alright? Good information just the same.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Doing just fine Jim! How are you?

[@jimoyler1780]

@@LazyDogFarm Doing well! Thanks for asking. Glad to find your channel.

[@bonniemiller4371]

For peppers - It sounds like you are transplanting 2 times - is this correct? If so, then why do you upsize to a larger pot before putting them out in the garden? Why not just start with the larger pot so you don't have to do 2 transplants? This will be our first year of growing peppers - bell.

[@LazyDogFarm]

All the seeds won't germinate. So we put the seeds in smaller cells initially, then step up the ones that actually germinate. This saves seed starting mix. We only waste a little bit of seed starting mix on a seed that doesn't germinate as opposed to a big pot's worth.

[@matthewmcclendon5308]

Last season I transplanted pole beans and sugar snap peas and had good results. Is it better to direct seed?

[@LazyDogFarm]

It's just easier to direct seed them if you're doing a decent-sized row. But you can transplant them if you like that better.

[@SallyHudsonRealtor]

Travis, if I’m planting in large pots rather than in the ground, should I wait a little later to plant my seedlings since the pots are a little more exposed… I’m in 8a (South of Montgomery AL)

[@LazyDogFarm]

I don't think it should matter that much. Plant as soon as you can after the risk of frost is gone.

[@shirleyk623]

Will broccoli withstand a frost or freeze? I'm in central Florida and going to have freezing weather this weekend. Thanks for the advice about harvesting my sweet potatoes. I got 8.25 lbs. Pretty good for an 3x5 bed I guess.

[@donovanfontenot2553]

typically good till abot 25f or so

[@shirleyk623]

@@donovanfontenot2553 Thanks 😊

[@autohelix]

Yes the leafs will survive in the low twenties uncovered. I use a frost cover and it can survive down into the mid teens.

[@shirleyk623]

@@autohelix Thanks 😊

[@wendyc.5769]

Travis, are you willing to sell me one or more of your fig trees for my new homestead? Please and thank you 👍🎣🎣🎣

[@LazyDogFarm]

We hope to have enough to put them for sale on our website. We'll see how many of them actually root and grow, and then we'll know.

[@wendyc.5769]

@@LazyDogFarm okay 😊

[@williamjohnson2461]

Are you going to have any berry type fig trees for sell?

[@LazyDogFarm]

I have some started. We shall see if they root and grow. If they do, yes we will.

[@williamjohnson2461]

@@LazyDogFarm good deal, thanks for the reply!

[@wwsuwannee7993]

Other than tomatoes and peppers, I direct seed EVERYTHING. My reasons are twofold. First, I'm in zone 8 and have alot more flexibility when it comes to season length. Second, speaking of flexibility, I'm half decrepit with bad knees and a host of other "old man" aches and pains, and it's hard these days to get up and down over and over and I try to avoid it :) My plants are usually a little 'behind' or later than some folk's stuff, but as long as I time it right, everything 'makes' just fine. So if your season lengths allow..... all you crotchety old farts that look like Santa Claus, don't sweat the small stuff :)

[@LazyDogFarm]

Haha! Good point. Transplanting can be rough on the knees!

[@acecowboy1982]

That propane exhaust gas will kill off your plant starts and seedings.

[@LazyDogFarm]

That's what I hear, although I haven't had any issues yet. I did some testing for a few hours to see if there were any negative effects. I think we have enough air flow in there where it's not too bad.

[@rcfliertube]

Be cautious of carbon monoxide in that enclosed area when using the propane heater.

[@mutantryeff]

I'd try not to be remiss, as that seems to suggest you're trying to be a young unmarried female again.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Hahaha!

[@iwanttobelieve5970]

Caribe is pronounced Keh-rib. Not Careh-bay. It's Keh-rib.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for the clarification!