I started tomato, pepper, basil and other hot weather seeds yesterday afternoon.

[JDPriestly]

Here in California, we need to have plants ready for setting out pretty early in the season.

When do you start your seedlings for tomatoes, peppers, basil and other warm weather vegetables?

I plan to keep the seedlings inside for many weeks.

This afternoon, in order to deter what I think is a raccoon, I put out newspaper soaked in ammonia and cayenne pepper powder. Does anyone else know of a way to keep out raccoons?

I think the raccoons come looking for the worms in my soil. They don't seem very interested in my plants. They just like to scoop out dirt. If plants happen to be growing in the dirt, they uproot the plants and leave them lying there. I just stick those that survive back in the ground. But it is still frustrating.

Anyone have any advice about -- the time to start seeds for summer or how to keep out raccoons?

[dmosh42]

1. I would say you have a real long season in California!

I'm in NW NC(foothills), and about Mar 1, I start the cool weather plants(seeds), chard, kale, etc. , and about the third week of Mar, I start the seeds for tomatoes and peppers and whatever else can be started, but only indoors. Those peppers and tomatoes go into the ground about the second week of May, depending on the extended forecast.

[JDPriestly]

3. I think I may be able to plant the seedlings that I am starting now outside in April or

the beginning of May.

This year the weather is unpredictable. So it is hard to say.

[HopeHoops]

2. Mid March is the earliest here (s.c. PA)

[BlueToTheBone]

4. I had raccoons tearing up one of my gardens so I

put a plastic owl in the ground. THey haven't been back. I don't know if it's coincidence or that the owl on the ground level keeps them freaked out.

[JDPriestly]

5. I'll see whether I can find a plastic owl. Sounds like a good idea.

I'm having luck with cayenne pepper.