Garden Update – March 26, 2012
Is this early, extremely warm Spring the country is experiencing a blessing or a curse? This time last year we were all still comfortably in hoodies, embracing the midday sunshine, and closing up the house at night against the early spring chill.
As of this posting, I am nursing my first sunburn of the year. This weekend – full of hiking and biking and time in the garden – was as fabulous as it was exhausting.
It was also the weekend of the transplanting. For the first time this year I had the thought: we might have started too many seeds.
The long process, about 200 seedlings in all
Everything that had been living in the inch-wide Jiffy pellets for the past few weeks got an upgrade yesterday into an either 2 or 4 inch pot. Each pot required soil, labeling, watering and real estate. What conveniently fit into four small trays now has to jockey for space among 9 enormous trays that are continually circulated around the house and outside for sunlight.
Currently our home smells like earth. The winds have kept the plants indoors today and me trading out the pallets every few hours. If it weren’t for the unpredictable nighttime chills the plants would have gone straight into the ground.
Keeping things labeled
When transplanting:
Use a good garden soil. Pack the soil around the plant firmly, but not tightly. Gotta give those roots some room to spreadout.
Tomatoes have likely developed a long stem. When transplanting tomatoes, do your best to cover as much of the stem with soil. The plant will create new roots from the stem, allowing the plant to grow taller and stronger.
A buried stem in a 4 inch pot
Immediately after transplanting your seedling may look a little weak (dare I say, pitiful?) .Fret not, this is just a symptom of transplant shock. Water, warmth, and light will allow your plant to continue growing strong.
Keep everything watered, but not necessarily saturated. This is prime time for rotting roots and fungus attacks. Allow the soil to dry out from time to time.
And, of course, make sure your plants get plenty of time outside to harden off and acclimate to their eventual home!
Eyes bigger than stomach
We have a few seed-trading events coming up. Hopefully we’ll be able to share this wealth among those we know!
How is your garden progressing? What are some challenges you are dealing with?
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read moreRotten Revolutionaries – Joining up with Compost Revolution.
Vivia!
I like to think of sustainability as the balance behind things building up or breaking down. In the grand scheme of things, building up and breaking down is the cycle that everything takes. Whether or not something is sustainable is how easily something can go through those phases and the energy it takes to get through them. If the balance isn’t there, the system isn’t sustainable.
I suppose this is why I don’t think one cannot garden without composting. Plants rise up from seed and then break back down into something useable in the compost pile.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have enough room to work with a compost pile full of various yard waste and kitchen scraps, breaking down into the black gold that is compost. In our previous residence, one that had yard space that we were renting, the landlord was reluctant to let us have a compost bin anywhere in the yard. His reasons were justified. He was worried about the smell (unobtrusive, if maintained properly), other residents misusing the bin, or problems with pests.
We eventually started with a vermicompost bin (composting with earthworms) that we kept inside of our kitchen. It worked very well for several months before our absence pretty much killed the worms. Composting doesn’t require a lot of attention, but it does require some attention.
Still, though, it seems composting has this mythical, scientific quality to it that keeps many people from doing it. It is, after all, a pile of rot. If not managed properly it can be rather odorous and inneffective. And then there’s the bugs.
Compost Revolution is looking to change a lot of that. Their recent release of the Guide to Urban Composting aims to demystify the practice of composting indoors. This simple, 8 page document breaks down how the process behind starting a successful indoor worm composting bin. Currently, the PDF version of the book is going for a buck over on the Etsy store, print versions are available for a few bucks more, and everything is geared to work along with the information provided on the Compost Revolution website.
Compost Revolution has also been known to give away copies of the book to those who like their Facebook page.
Any successes or horror stories you’ve had with composting?
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Garden Update | March 10, 2012
Nothing terribly interesting to report. Lots of new seedlings taking root, second leaves showing up on several of the tomatoes. Lesson learned: start peppers about a week or two before starting anything else. Tomatoes come up fast, everything else doesn’t.
Today we’re gearing up for the dreaded shed-moving party this afternoon. When we moved in last year, we had to construct the shed rather quickly before the spring rainy season soaked all of our tools and bikes. As a result, the shed hasn’t been sitting on much of a foundation over the past year, and the melting snow and lingering mud have caused it to slowly start to sink.
This'll be great, I'll get you tickets.
The aim today is to get the entire shed up onto a few pallets I acquired. Really, I just want to be able to open the shed doors when there’s snow on the ground and not have to deal with a constant puddle of water on the floor.
Otherwise, here’s what’s happening on the grow table right now:
Tomato
Peppers (a few of the dozen or so varieties planted.
Tomato seedling with second leaves
Everything!
How are your garden plans coming along? I know if you’re in Denver, you’ve got a beautiful weekend to work with. Keep me posted!
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Mold in the seed trays
Peppers finally starting to sprout
Had a slight bit of a problem this last week with mold in a few of the seed trays. If you’ve started seeds, you might have encountered it as well – instead of bright green seedlings the only growth your seed starting setup is harboring is that of a very fine, cotton-like mold.
You’ll have to forgive my lack of photo. For the life of me, I couldn’t get a clear shot of the mold. When it comes to the mold, you’ll know it when you see it.
It’s no surprise that this happens. In order for a seed to germinate they need warm, wet conditions – the same conditions mold loves. The spores can come from just about anywhere and can usually be prevented by sterilizing your seed trays before using them.
Thankfully, this is a very easy fix for this common problem. H2O2 – Hydrogen Peroxide. The stuff you buy at the grocery store for a buck. Put some in a spray bottle and treat the problem areas with it.
Why does this work? Is this dangerous for the seedlings?
Rainstorms clean the outdoors, in more ways than the obvious. Ever notice the ozone smell after a spring storm? That’s no accident. Commonly, the rain picks up excess oxygen from the ozone layer before it falls to earth (H2O + O = H2O2). In nature, the slight hydrogen peroxide compounds found in rain water clean and re-oxygenate the soil. It’s nature’s fungicide and keeps systems in balance.
Doesn’t hurt the seedlings, but hydrogen peroxide shouldn’t be used as a substitute for good ol’ water.
In the meantime, here’s some pictures of our current seedlings.
Thyme
Cauliflower and Thyme
Eggplant Sprouts
Basil
A micro-forest of seedling tomatoes
I update my Flickr photostream pretty regularly with photos from my garden. Follow me there!
Learned tricks when starting seeds
One day, a tomato
When we started seeds last year for our first garden, it was a labor of love. We had seeds we picked up form a local vendor, more or less a variety pack. We tried using the Jiffy Peat pellets and a seed-starting mix. Seeds went in the soil and we didn’t exactly take a lot of care in remembering what seeds went where.
In the mornings I moved the trays to the east window of the apartment, and then made sure I was home at around 2 so I could move them to the west window.
Looking back, it was a pain in the ass.
Fortunately, I was able to keep this in mind as we were starting the seeds for this year’s garden.
- Label. Clearly. Ideally with something that is mostly waterproof. Also keep in mind there is a chance that the seedlings will get moved around or will be transplanted to something bigger. Make sure there is a way to consistently keep track of which seedling is what. Each variety of plant demands different quality of soil, growing conditions, etc. Like children, at their young age all plants pretty much look the same.
- Keep a calendar. Not only on what you’re growing, but when it was started. You’d be surprised how quickly weekends past. Remembering key dates will help you plan ahead – not only for this garden season, but for the next as well.
Basil
- Surface sow? Contrary to popular belief, burying seeds is bad practice. Surface sow means planting on top of the dirt, maybe covering with a very light layer of soil. The key is to give your seed plenty of room to expand.
- Light and Heat – in order to germinate properly, seeds will need a warm, wet environment. Then they will need light. Don’t skimp on either. If you don’t have good window space, invest in a decent UV lamp. If you’re in Denver, check Craigslist for lamps from a dispensary/nursery that might be going out of business. LOTS of indoor hydroponics happens here.
- Keep a spray bottle around. Every seed needs moisture to get the process going. Mist daily.
Tomato
- Create a greenhouse effect. For at least the first few days of germination, covering your seedlings with a plastic hood can help the soil retain heat and moisture. Once first leaves start to establish on the seedlings, they will require more fresh air.
- Keep the trays and plastic hoods for next year. No sense in letting anything go to waste.
- Take pictures. After all, why wouldn’t you show this off?
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