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?
Get the best from Not Quite Hippie delivered to your inbox every week. Sign up here!
read moreThe Generosity of Seeds
I found and posted this video the other day on the Not Quite Hippie Tumblr and it spread like wildfire through the blogosphere. I’m reposting it here because I think it has an extremely important message and is beautifully made.
Claire from Compeller Pictures on Vimeo.
Right now all of our seeds are germinating. Our indoor seed trays are packed with new life as hundreds of seeds soften, take root, and start producing their first leaves. It is exciting to watch. I feel thankful that these seeds are able to do so much with so little. One seed, a bit of soil and water, and in a few months I will have more food than I know what to do with. I give this seed the most basic, elemental essentials and it provides me with flavors and nutrients I’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else.
The above clip comes by way of the Untitled GMO Film Project that I have been following via Kickstarter for some time now (if the clip speaks at all to the rest of the film, then we are in for a treat). Our narrator - Claire – takes us through a garden and shows us plants in the autumn just before they produce and send off hundreds, thousands of seeds. These seeds are the very definition of generous. Before the plant dies for the season, it gives off thousands of copies of itself not only so it can live on as a species, but so we can also enjoy their fruits in future generations as well.
If only we could all be as selfless as seeds.
With the arrival of spring everyone is outside more. Many are landscaping their yards, washing their cars, planting gardens and all around enjoying the wonderful weather. In my neighborhood, we didn’t see much of the other people living here during the winter. No one was out on bicycles, but cooped up in cars instead. Windows weren’t open, we couldnt’ hear the conversations going on all around us. Plans were detered or modified based on the snow and ice and cold temperatures and, overall, we saw less of our friends. For the first time in a long time, I understood the idea of “hibernation.” A hibernation also felt by seeds after they give way in the fall.
What are you learning from the seeds? How will you spread generosity this season?
Get the best of Not Quite Hippie, and all kinds of awesome extras, to your inbox each week. Subscribe to our mailing list - get good karma.
read moreGarden 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!
Want to get the hippie in your inbox? Not Quite Hippie Weekly keeps you updated on garden happenings, sustainability news, and more. Sign up today!
read more
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?
read moreSeed Starting 2012 | Garden 2012 Update #1
I'm curious to see how these will turn out.
And we’re off! We have officially begun Garden 2012. A quiet Sunday and a sniffy nose kept us at home, indoors and finally ready to face the challenge of this year’s mini-farm. This weekend: stating seeds. Over the coming weekends: building more garden space, ammending soils, building fences, helping neighbors start their own gardens, and lots of stuff to do with dirt.
Excited? Me? Not at all.
Worms!
Jiffy Peat Pellets starting their soak
The beginning
Day 1
Varieties started
