N&C Midwest: February 2017

CitizenKate wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:
My basil and peppers left HUGE root balls. I couldn't afford to lose that much dirt, so I pulled them up and left them on top for all this wonderful rain to wash them off back into the bed. Now I can throw their carcasses on the burn pile without any qualms. 

Great idea - I'll try that.  Hope the peppers and tomatoes aren't the same... probably get out today and check on that.

So I went to pull out the roots in last year's tomato/pepper bed, and there was hardly anything to pull out! The roots had almost completely decomposed into the mix.

Then I decided to finish cutting up some tree branches that had been sitting in a pile on top of two of the beds since around October, then finish putting down landscaping fabric over the entire gardening area, then adding some compost to the beds... things are shaping up pretty nice out there! I'll have to shoot some photos as soon as we get the garden mulched.

At the moment, I can't move. Got a little bit carried away, today.

I'm still working on my seed station.  I've got my broccoli up already, starting my pepper seeds tonight.  I got my new lights, but my husband forgot to grab some S hooks. Will post a pic when I get it finished. 

Also have fertile chickie eggs coming this week to throw in the incubator.  

R&R 1011 wrote:I'm still working on my seed station.  I've got my broccoli up already, starting my pepper seeds tonight.  I got my new lights, but my husband forgot to grab some S hooks. Will post a pic when I get it finished. 

Also have fertile chickie eggs coming this week to throw in the incubator.  

My seed station stayed set up in the kitchen over the winter this year. I thought I would take it down and put it away "somewhere", but never really found a place for it. (Would have gone to the garden shed, but that project never happened.) Anyway, I'm kinda glad now, because now I don't have to think about getting it set back up.

So wish we had space to raise chickens... do you just raise hens for eggs, or also for meat?

CitizenKate wrote:

R&R 1011 wrote:I'm still working on my seed station.  I've got my broccoli up already, starting my pepper seeds tonight.  I got my new lights, but my husband forgot to grab some S hooks. Will post a pic when I get it finished. 

Also have fertile chickie eggs coming this week to throw in the incubator.  

My seed station stayed set up in the kitchen over the winter this year.  I thought I would take it down and put it away "somewhere", but never really found a place for it.  (Would have gone to the garden shed, but that project never happened.)  Anyway, I'm kinda glad now, because now I don't have to think about getting it set back up.  

So wish we had space to raise chickens... do you just raise hens for eggs, or also for meat?

Just eggs.  My husband is a vegetarian, and I couldn't bring myself to killing them myself for meat. 

My seed station is in the dining room for now which is unfinished & a room we don't use yet. Someday I hope to store it in our sunroom (once it's heated).

R&R 1011 wrote:
Just eggs.  My husband is a vegetarian, and I couldn't bring myself to killing them myself for meat. 

I love eating chicken, but not sure I could handle having to slaughter them myself. Wasn't really raised for that. But I could totally see myself keeping hens to lay eggs.

Me too.  Not a farmer thinker.  I can eat meat, but not if I look it in the eye, and for sure not if I named it!  

Umm, I am not ready to start things yet, I am going by Skippy's app.  It was right on last year.  I got too much too early last year!  I did get some starter mix.  And a fresh cell set for seeds.

Went to the annual seed exchange on Saturday and picked up some seeds that I didn't even know that I needed. We have a great exchange. I always look forward to it. My onions are coming up. The walla walla and Spanish are about an inch tall and the Lisbon bunching are just breaking ground. I have a ginger root that has an eye beginning to swell. There is lettuce and kale in the garden that I planted on Thanksgiving that is almost ready to pick. I am hoping to spend my days of this week working on improving my seed starting station, planting more seeds and building more planters in the garden. I have 8 artichoke seedlings that don't realize that they are in Kansas. They are my experiment for this year. They have just developed their first true leaves so I think they will be ready to vernalize soon.

ronbart wrote:Went to the annual seed exchange on Saturday and picked up some seeds that I didn't even know that I needed. We have a great exchange. I always look forward to it. My onions are coming up. The walla walla and Spanish are about an inch tall and the Lisbon bunching are just breaking ground. I have a ginger root that has an eye beginning to swell. There is lettuce and kale in the garden that I planted on Thanksgiving that is almost ready to pick. I am hoping to spend my days of this week working on improving my seed starting station, planting more seeds and building more planters in the garden. I have 8 artichoke seedlings that don't realize that they are in Kansas. They are my experiment for this year. They have just developed their first true leaves so I think they will be ready to vernalize soon.

Wow!  How lucky you are to have an annual seed exchange!  Who organizes that?  I love that idea!  Ron, did you use starts for the Walla and Spanish onions?  I had terrible germination with the green bunching seeds last year...really bad.

Artichokes?  Fill us in...how long do they take to make , um,  an artichoke?  Love it!

It is called the Kaw Valley seed exchange in Lawrence Kansas. This was my third year but it has been going on for eight. You can look it on face book I think. It is totally free. People bring in their extra seeds or seeds they save from their gardens and they are put out on tables sorted by type. If you don't have seeds you can bring envelopes. Everyone is welcome even if you don't have any thing to contribute. All that is asked is that you not be greedy and take whole packages. I think the Douglas county master gardeners help set it up. There are vendors and demonstrations too. This year I got some horseradish root, previous years I came home with sun chokes and potato onion sets in addition to assorted seeds.  My onions are in seed flats in the house. When they get to an appropriate size I will transplant them to the garden. The artichokes are a first time experiment. They need to be started in January then when they develop their second leaves, I will put them in the covered garden bed that I am growing the kale and lettuce. This vernalizes them. Tricks them into thinking they are going through their first winter. Hopefully by fall I will have some chokes. They get very big so I will plant one in the ground and put another in a planter that can be brought in for the winter. The remaining seedlings I will give to friends.

ronbart wrote:It is called the Kaw Valley seed exchange in Lawrence Kansas. This was my third year but it has been going on for eight. You can look it on face book I think. It is totally free. People bring in their extra seeds or seeds they save from their gardens and they are put out on tables sorted by type. If you don't have seeds you can bring envelopes. Everyone is welcome even if you don't have any thing to contribute. All that is asked is that you not be greedy and take whole packages. I think the Douglas county master gardeners help set it up. There are vendors and demonstrations too. This year I got some horseradish root, previous years I came home with sun chokes and potato onion sets in addition to assorted seeds.  My onions are in seed flats in the house. When they get to an appropriate size I will transplant them to the garden. The artichokes are a first time experiment. They need to be started in January then when they develop their second leaves, I will put them in the covered garden bed that I am growing the kale and lettuce. This vernalizes them. Tricks them into thinking they are going through their first winter. Hopefully by fall I will have some chokes. They get very big so I will plant one in the ground and put another in a planter that can be brought in for the winter. The remaining seedlings I will give to friends.

Yeah, boy!  You got the garden thing goin on!  Can't wait to see some pics!

ronbart wrote:It is called the Kaw Valley seed exchange in Lawrence Kansas. This was my third year but it has been going on for eight. You can look it on face book I think. It is totally free. People bring in their extra seeds or seeds they save from their gardens and they are put out on tables sorted by type.

That sounds like a fun event. I wonder if there's anything similar going on in the Manhattan area... if not, I just might have to make the drive to Lawrence and check it out.

ronbart wrote:My onions are in seed flats in the house. When they get to an appropriate size I will transplant them to the garden.

When do you start your onions from seed? I tried that, one year, and never could seem to get them to grow much.

I had 3/16 seed onions make it.  Gonna do sets.

Yep - been doing sets. Fast, easy results.

CitizenKate wrote:Yep - been doing sets.  Fast, easy results.

What spacing do you go with?  9?

9, planted very shallow, for larger onions. The large onions are left to go all season, until the stalks turn brown and kinda die off.

For green onions, I plant 16 to a square, planted more deeply (around 2 inches). They get harvested starting about 6 weeks after planting, once the stalks are tall and still green and luscious.

CitizenKate wrote:9, planted very shallow, for larger onions.  The large onions are left to go all season, until the stalks turn brown and kinda die off.

For green onions, I plant 16 to a square, planted more deeply (around 2 inches).  They get harvested starting about 6 weeks after planting, once the stalks are tall and still green and luscious.

I tried for green bunching onions last year.  Had crappy germination.  Can you get green onion starts?

I love onions.  Might have a couple blanks in the garlic squares.....squirrels?  Might do bulb onions.  To fill.

I started the onions about the middle of January. The bunching onions had very poor germination. but that was probably my fault. I used cheap seed and onion seed is notorious for not storing well. My walla walla are doing well. The Spanish flat had some damping off. I put cinnamon on it but didn't catch it before I lost 3/4 of the flat. Next time I will try using the cinnamon as a preventative. I agree with using sets. I usually plant a pound of sets every year. I just started the seed for more variety and because I needed to play in some dirt. I have a chart from K State with sowing and transplant dates that I put up at work. If you want, I will try to post it here.

Spinach seedlings out of the fridge....(Kate method).  

ronbart wrote:I started the onions about the middle of January. The bunching onions had very poor germination. but that was probably my fault. I used cheap seed and onion seed is notorious for not storing well. My walla walla are doing well. The Spanish flat had some damping off. I put cinnamon on it but didn't catch it before I lost 3/4 of the flat. Next time I will try using the cinnamon as a preventative. I agree with using sets. I usually plant a pound of sets every year. I just started the seed for more variety and because I needed to play in some dirt. I have a chart from K State with sowing and transplant dates that I put up at work. If you want, I will try to post it here.

That would be great, ronbart!

landarch wrote:Spinach seedlings out of the fridge....(Kate method).  

I am starting mine to plant this weekend!  They look great, landarch!

Good to see you landarch! Spinach sprouts looking good. Looking forward to more photos from your gardening efforts.

Hi all...Hi Kate...here are a few shots of seedlings efforts so far this year...I was lazy and clipped only a small portion of the seeds but had great germination.  

napa cabbage, baby napa cabbage, romanesco broccoli, green cabbage...need to pot up soon.

going a bit crazy with lettuce this year (Matilda, Rhapsody, Garden Babies, Jade Gem, Queen of Crunch, Kagraner Sommer, Sweet Greens and Reds, Merveille de Quatre Saisons, Patty's Choice, Tom Thumb, Igloo, and Big Boston...found many packets of Renee's Garden seeds on sale at the end of last season.

Here some of the same spinach seedlings after just a day in out in real sunshine and warm weather...I did Correnta spinach... a baby-leaf hybrid.

Nice, Landarch!  Lots going on!  I too am planting way more lettuces, just love it.  Is Romanesco cauli or broc?  I am trying it this year for the first time!

Wow, and I thought I had the season off to a good start by getting some kale, cabbage, lettuce, and broccoli into seed trays before the end of February!

Your spinach and cabbage looks fantastic.

Checked the long-term weather forecast from the Old Farmer's Almanac.  Despite the mild winter we had this year, they're predicting a cooler (but dryer) than average summer here this year.  Since I've been following them, they've been pretty close.  We'll see what happens, yeah?

dry will be tough because we pump from a well at the community garden.  cooler would be nice.

lettuce germinated last night.

I seeded Romanesco broccoli...don't know why I'm even trying because every year I get large beautiful plants with no heads...and they take up a lot of space...some say too much nitrogen, plants too crowded, etc...not sure what I'll try...much better luck with my cabbages and Asian greens.