The earliest last frost date for Albuquerque is April 19th. Why is this important when it is only February? It means it is seed sorting time. Some seeds need to be started indoors and some get planted directly in the ground. I can start lettuce, spinach and peas directly in the ground several weeks before last frost, but more tender plants like to start out warm and stable on top of my refrigerator.
Last weekend I started all my peppers, catnip and onions in starter pots. It is important to get this phase right because if you have to start them too late they will be too small to handle the transfer outside after last frost. Also, if you start the tomatoes too early they will need more sunlight than they can get inside, but it will still be too harsh for them outside. I have made the mistake in the past of starting all my seeds indoors at once without bothering to see when they are supposed to be started.
Another thing I didn't know was that after the seeds germinate you are to remove the plastic covering. I burned many sprouts from not doing this and had to start all over again. I am still unclear about when to transplant, but I will do some research and post my findings later.
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