Seedling Questions

about a week ago i planted zinnias, sweet peas,Shasta and African daisies,Forget me nots, bachelor buttons, snapdragons, asters, a flower garden mixture all from seed. they have already grown to about 3 or 4 inches high and I was wondering when I needed to transplant them. i live in climate zone 33 and hardiness zone 7b. any info any one can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry I did not read your question earlier. I know I am too late for this season but perhaps my comments will help you with your next seedlings. Although over time you will find that each different plant will respond a little differently there are some general rules of thumb. Many years ago, I worked in a bedding plant greenhouse and we germinated thousands and thousands of seeds in flats of garden soil. Now days, there are seed machines that plug the seed directly into the pot soil in the nursery. In my day, we would transplant by hand. The best time to transplant is as soon as the seedling is large enough to hold onto. The first two "leaves" that come out look like oblong wings and they show up before any true leaves. They are usually somewhat tougher than the true leaves. We would take hold of these first leaves, and with a pencil or chop stick begin to tease the root away from the rest of the seedlings. From there it is best to transplant into a small pot and let the plant establish good roots before planting into the garden.

You can plant seeds early, transplant into pots and when they are well established and the temperature outdoors is right, plant them out in the garden.