As long as the pad is somewhere that protects them from drafts, I think people have used them down into the 20s. But I would check on them regularly at first to make sure there's no sign of distress.
My set up's too expensive lol (much of it came as gifts). I have a 2 tier grow light stand from Gardener's Supply Co, a heating mat, and for the pots I used to use the fancy little pod starter sets but they're a waste of money IMO. Nowadays I save plastic pots from nursery plants and fill them...
Yeah I just got my catalog too - gotta get a list together of what I need for next year, because they get sold out/backed up on orders pretty fast once the weather starts improving.
This was posted in the WA state thread, I feel it's accurate to how we see our lawn this "summer" (the local papers have dubbed it June-uary due to how cool and rainy it is).
Freya's voice is a soft, gentle squawking compared to my Dandelion, who has even jumped up on a roost to make sure she's as close as possible to my eardrums before shrieking at the top of her lungs. 🤪
Your seedlings look great! Many of mine are struggling (well, the ones outdoors) since the temperature's been up and down and precipitation has been unpredictable.
Zone 7ish here. I start seeds in January (very tail end of Jan for tomatoes, as they grow faster). Tomato starts and basil I plant on the first day of May. The peppers and eggplants will probably need to get transplanted again and won't go out until late May most likely.
So jealous you can direct seed peppers. :)
My started peppers and eggplant (indoors): nadapeno on the left, blot in square pots in middle, shishito on right.
Yeah I really struggle with eggplant, our growing season just isn't long enough for it. I got like 1 fruit last year from 2 plants. :( I went ahead and put my last eggplant seeds under the grow light, and hope to keep them inside and transplant as I go to get them as big as possible, but this...
It's great! I love seeing empty garden beds primed and ready to go. :drool
Nice choices! I've got my sugar snaps in the ground too, but the rest will have to wait for things to warm up. My 2nd attempt at blot peppers too, only got a few fruit last year so hoping a seed warming pad will get...
It's ok, I grew up in southern CA so I'm still not great dealing with snow. No snow tires either, any snow greater than about 1/2" and my car isn't going anywhere. We have 1 snow shovel, which we bought years ago when we had really heavy snow and faking it with a regular garden spade wasn't...
4-5 is a good number to add in with 5 current chickens. Any combo of the above should work out fine for your flock (tho not familiar with a Green Queen but I assume it's a sexlink or production hybrid?)
I have black Barnevelder on my want list for next time, I love the brown arrow patterning on...
Could be a mild form of wry tail - don't think there's anything you need to do about it but it's recommended not to breed birds with it as it can get passed down. https://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-help/What-is-wry-tail-H305.aspx
I don't free range, though I let my chickens out for a little bit of supervised outside time each afternoon, weather permitting. With chicks, I let them decide if they want to come along or not - usually takes mine several weeks before they'll accompany the adults. In the interim period...
By 8 weeks or so, I stop offering chick grit. The flock's grit cup has a mix of pullet/grower and adult grit. There should be enough variety of sizes in there for everyone to be able to pick out a few pieces in a size suitable for them.