My Outdoor growing operation (Please Help if u can)

Alright here is my situation. I am growing in NY, easter long island to be specific. I bought 10 Dutch Dope marijuana seeds from amsterdammarijuanaseeds.com. I have set up a few gardens to grow in my backyard which is many, many acres. Being detected is not as issue for me becuase we own so much land. One question I have is when should I plant? I have heard different things, some people say 1-2 weeks after the last frost, I have also heard people say plant in the Summer. When is the best time? Also the soil mix im using is half natural dirt, with half organic potting soil, I also added in a little horse manure compost. Does this sound right? Another question I have is this, I was told to germinate using the paper towel method and then plant the sprouts in a little cup with holes poked it and to start the growing indoors till the plants are a few inches tall. Is this accurate? Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

If you have a safe and secure indoor arrangement, some where to bring in plants if a cold snap 30f or below, comes one night.

If you start your plants in 1 gallon or larger pots, they will grow faster then in the soil. The pots warm up faster then the spring soil. They might dry out faster, in pots so be careful. If you start now you could transplant into the soil before the 1st of May. The ground temps will be better then they are now. Dig a 2 x 2 hole for each plant space a minimum of 4 x 4 apart for maximum growth potential.

As you stated fill the holes with 50% original soil and 50% Mix (coir, peat, composted manure, worm castings, verimiculite, perlite, ...). You can dig and fill your holes while your plants are growing in the pots. Its important to allow the microbial activity to build up before you transplant. Let the soil settle and begin to breakdown.

If you access to a airstone and air pump (for fish bowl), you can soak the seeds for 24 hours with the airstone bubbling. The seeds usually break from their shell and I notice a little white point on the end of the seed. Germination is easy this way I get 90%+ every time. Make sure the water is chlorine free, bubble it for a few hours before putting in the seeds.

Letting the seedlings grow inside until a few inches tall would not hurt, again it will have superior growth to ones placed directly outside. You might want to put them in the 1 gallon pots right away, instead of a cup, less transplanting.

Alright thanks for ur help. Now when i start them indoors could i use regular 100 watt flourescent lights? or do i have to go by growlights like metal halide or high pressure sodium lights?

You can, but the bulb produces less light then compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), this site has alot of information on cfl's. You can get these very close, even touching the plant leave will not burn it. You get more lumens per watt, compared to a standard light bulb. For just vegetation two 28-38 watt cfl will produce enough lumens for a standard 10 x 20 planting flat. One of these bulbs are good per square foot of growing space.

I looked those up and it looks like a regular screw in bulb. do they have like special ballasts for those?

naw no ballast needed with CFLs. good luck. i'm running 6 on Y splitters inside with the seedlings and clones. gonna move them outside in a few weeks.