If you’ve seen my mini window greenhouse, then you know that I don’t have much sunny space for raising seedlings indoors. My plants were growing leggy and it seemed like my options were to either invest in grow lights, or in a greenhouse. I don’t really want more (of that) stuff, so I decided I’d just take my seedlings out into a sunny patch when the weather is nice.

I’ve been giving them a little tour of the property, front yard in the morning, back yard in the afternoon, and I had had perfect success getting my plants indoors before nightfall…until.

Oops. I woke up this morning to find I had left my seedlings out overnight. They actually look fine, and they’re tipping me off to the idea that maybe starting seeds indoors isn’t strictly necessary here in Livermore. All of the garden books that I’ve read that say you have to start seeds indoors and then gently harden them off, or buy them as seedlings (a totally acceptable option!). But these booka are written by people who have actual winters. We don’t get much more than a frost here in Livermore, and that’s igniting my imagination for some future tests with plant starts that I think I’ll run in the fall or winter of next year… without investing in grow lights or a greenhouse.

Like, maybe I’ll sink my seed trays into a shallow tray with the edges mulched to keep the potting mix warm and leave the whole thing in a sunny spot in the garden. I have the perfect thing for that.

I understand, without having experienced it, that an unexpected frost could kill my seedlings by leaving them out overnight, but since they seem to be fine where they are and are definitely getting more sunlight, ima risk it.