timing

trying to figure out when to put out my seedlings....they are taking over my house!
our frost date is 4/15...a local weather guy gave his blessing to put tomatoes out at that time (something about in the past 30 years only having a handful of frosts after tax day) but I waited...mainly because the seedlings hadnt been hardened off (more on that later) and we were traveling and I wanted to be able to baby them just before and just after setting them out.....and then there were a few frost warnings (I dont think anything ever actually froze, but it certainly did get much cooler and I think I covered things up a few  nights, and there would be a few nice days to let them harden off....and then several days of crazy torrential, cold rains where I'm afraid to let them out....and nights that dropped below 50, and I've heard thats not good for warm weather crops either. so off and on this week I've been setting my seedlings out for one hour more per day than the previous day in partial shade, in the hopes that this weekend I'll be able to set them out for good. by some miracle (so far) neither boy has messed with them too much indoors or out. my tomatoes have gotten extremely leggy...but that doesnt concern me too much since they can be planted super deep and grow a great root system.....peppers can be planted a little deeper too...although I keep hearing different things about that...my squash/zuke/cuke seedlings have gotten really big too...I dont know if I will start them so early next year...seems like the longer they get and the more they are jostled around, the more I am losing to collateral damage...mostly their stems are getting snapped or as in the case of my straight 8 cukes, are just not as hardy to hardening off (no pun intended) . I'm not sure I have any straight 8 cukes to transplant, and I'm pretty sure I started out with at least 6. Bush cukes seem the hardiest and most compact....go figure. I guess I'll just plant some straight 8s from seed since they grow so fast. did I mention that my husband has fashioned a sort of trellis for me from some discarded deck railing? I'm interested to see how that works. vertical gardening, here I come!
my basil started from seed is progressing, but still soooooo tiny! I'm wondering if I should have started them back in january or something...and they look loads better than my oregano, stevia and mint....sooo miniscule. I may try one more time next year to start my herbs much earlier, and if that doesnt work, transplants from lowes may just be how I have to go....this is ridiculous! I semi gave up hope and purchased a few basil and oregano plants at a local market stand. sigh. so disappointing.
I am looking forward to harvesting some cabbage, bok choy, spinach and more lettuce this next week when I set out my summer plants and planning some meals around them, and the lovely radishes I harvested. I guess actually following the seed packet advice and thinning the way they recommend really DOES yield respectable results! whoda thunk!!?? I dont particularly enjoy the taste of radishes...but they really are a nice (almost) instant gratification veggie, and so pretty and it's fun to experiment with all the different kinds. right now the best ones are something called mexican white giants, and I've had some impressive champion and sparklers too. my mom and grandmother ate them right out of the garden (one spat on hers to clean it, the other peeled it with her fingernail...claimed it wasnt at hot that way....both said they were lightyears better than store bought) Jack, my 4 year old enjoyed helping me harvest them...but I accidentally gave him reason not to eat them when I told him about how I was scarred for life when I was about his age and ate a radish out of the garden, thinking it would be sweet like a tomato or cherry...and being extremely surprised and disappointed. Now he wont try them either.
I've reseeded some beans (I planted several over 2 weeks ago with almost no germination...2 plants sprouted pretty respectably...the rest didnt germinate at all or were just starting when I got out there to investigate. I reseeded and said nice, encouraging words to them...hopefully that helps! I also reseeded my carrots....not a fantastic germination rate there either...but when I was thinning those that did sprout, I accidentally pulled up a tiny baby carrot...so that gives me some hope! I also reseeded my mesclun....soooo unimpressive this year....we'll see how it goes. I know that last year when we went to FL (about 2 weeks from the date of this week...does that make sense?) I had some nice mesclun...not so much right now. 
my potatoes are extremely impressive...the vines have already grown past my trashcans and growbag, which are all 3 filled with potting soil....looking forward to reaping those rewards! maybe using all that diluted whey is working. It would have been interesting to not water 1 of them with whey and see if that is indeed making a difference...maybe next year.