N & C Midwest: March 2016

rain, sweet rain...rushed home over lunch to top off boxes with new Mels Mix...planted sweet peas...beat the rain by 5 minutes.

Sweet! Nice timing! Was warm here today...I didn't get one from work in time to take advantage of it,other than to just say..yayayayay Spring!

I am planting this weekend out too, Landarch. Looks really mild forecast wise!

My seedlings (spinach) are gonna go out, and I am going to start whatever else Skippy's app says is good.

Kale and a couple of the peppers and cabbage have germinated. They will go out the next weekend...


finally get to use this! Been a year coming!

We got rain today, too.  Just got my rain barrels set up this morning, so I've already got some rainwater collected.  Some of my lettuce seedlings are finally starting to emerge from the growing mix, and a couple of red cabbages.  Now I'm beginning to have some faith in this organic mix I'm trying, but it does seem to be taking longer than it did when I used the "regular" stuff (with artificial fertilizer and who knows what else).  Still no sign of any peppers... sheesh.  

I just checked the kale seeds I put in water yesterday, and they all sprouted already.  Wow, that was fast!  They went straight into the growing mix.  I was only shooting for a couple of plants, but it looks like I'll have extra.   (Maybe I should put an ad on craigslist.)

I finally got some eggplant to sprout...then lost half to a mouse in the basement.  Spinach is finally coming up in soil blocks, however some are already going down with dampening off.  I need to learn about the water/ hydrogen peroxide spray very soon.

There is something to be said for seed starting in a sterile mix.

Kate, my kale sprouted fast too.  What kind of peppers are you starting?

Landarch, bummer about the stupid mouse!  My seeds are in my basement too...I think CC said it was 1:4 hydrogen peroxide:water.

landarch wrote:I finally got some eggplant to sprout...then lost half to a mouse in the basement.  Spinach is finally coming up in soil blocks, however some are already going down with dampening off.  I need to learn about the water/ hydrogen peroxide spray very soon.

There is something to be said for seed starting in a sterile mix.

Oh no...  I've tried the sterile seed starting mixes and never been able to get anything to sprout/grow in them.  I'm obviously missing something crucial because some gardeners swear by them.  H2O2 seems like a good idea.  I've used it while pre-soaking my seeds, and have had fewer problems with fungi on them.

Scorpio Rising wrote:Kate, my kale sprouted fast too.  What kind of peppers are you starting?

Early jalapenos and keystone giant bell peppers.  I think maybe now, they're just not warm enough.  I put them on a heat pad while I was sprouting them, but then just under lights once I put them in the mix.  Under the lights, the temperature of the mix was around 75 deg. F.  I thought that would be warm enough to keep them coming (since they had already sprouted roots for sure), but I ran out and got another heat pad to set them on.

Didn't have to do this last year, I don't know what the deal is.  

Kate, I would keep pepper seedlings on heat until the seedlings really need the light.  I tend move to the light when early seedlings just about hit the top of the clear tray cover.

I had 70 of 72 seeds germinate around the same time with no pre-soaking...makes it easier to manage light height when they are consistent.

It's been over 2 weeks for my Rosa Bianca eggplants (on a heat mat), and only 1 of 18 germinated as of this morning.  The mice got half my Black Beauties.

I need to post some more pics this evening.

I was able to work in the SFG for an hour or so after work this evening...seeded and planted carrots, and got some onion sets in the ground.  I work a little hardwood ash into squares of carrots and beets.

Here are some pics of the first garden activity and some seed starting.

Carrots in small soil blocks transplanted into the SFG.


Garlic in a cattle mineral tub...planted late October.


Onion sets.


over-wintered spinach.


Sugar Ann peas started indoors - enjoying some sunshine.

WOW! You have a great start on the season, Landarch! Did you over winter the spinach outside in a cold frame? Looks pretty!

And honestly, one of my surprises about gardening, and especially SFGing, is the difference that a home grown carrot tastes like..vs. store bought. No comparison. Honestly,it is close to the tomato factor.

Kate, I am unfortunately not your resource on the pepper thing..have never started them indoors, and certainly do not have any expectations...sorry! The only ones that have emerged in my starter pack are the sweet banana variety.

Did set my spinach seedlings out if the starter cover tonight! Thanks, Kate! 18/21 seeds germinated so have 2 squares.

Kale up, marigolds up, mesclun and cabbage also awake.

I did nothing but plant spinach seeds last October and let fall leaves kinda cover the beds...raked the leaves off last week and with a little water/ rain, the plants are perking up...very little winter/wind burn.  I understand that they would be a bit more ahead if I would have covered with frost fabric on the coldest nights...we've had one of the most mild winters on record.

True that...we had only a few weeks of actual winter here also...oh, maybe that is why we are a region..??!!!

Still, that is great, Landarch you are ahead of us all!

That is the essence of "Four Season Harvest" by Eliot Coleman..

landarch wrote:Kate, I would keep pepper seedlings on heat until the seedlings really need the light.  I tend move to the light when early seedlings just about hit the top of the clear tray cover.

I had 70 of 72 seeds germinate around the same time with no pre-soaking...makes it easier to manage light height when they are consistent.

Mine usually come up in the same amount of time, too.  Once I put them in the mix, they're usually all up very quickly, no heating pads or anything special.  This is the first time I've had them just stop growing once I put them in the mix - other than the times I've tried using the "seed starting" mixes.  I just dug up a few more seeds in my latest batch, and they haven't budged in 6 days. I just chucked 'em, and I'll be starting over again in the morning.

My best guess now is that they don't like the new mix I'm using, so I guess I'll go back to my old mix...

Scorpio Rising wrote:WOW!  You have a great start on the season, Landarch!  Did you over winter the spinach outside in a  cold frame?  Looks pretty!

I enjoyed those photos, too.

Scorpio Rising wrote:
Did set my spinach seedlings out if the starter cover tonight!  Thanks, Kate!  18/21 seeds germinated so have 2 squares.  

Kale up, marigolds up, mesclun and cabbage also awake.  

Excellent!

Even though we've had a mild winter I have cabin fever...the weather in March and April can still jump up and slap me and the SFG in the face.  We've had snow in early May in recent years if I remember correctly. 

My plan this week is to plant my SFG beds at my community garden plot...broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, spinach, carrots, beets, etc.  I picked up some Agribon fabric for season extension...mid-weight for frost, then some light-weight to keep the cabbage loopers off the cole crops.  I have pvc hoops, conduit hoops, as well as wire hoop loops ordered from Johnny's. 

I also am getting my second round of cool season seeds germinated (green cabbage, Chinese cabbage, Italian kale, and Romanesco broccoli...Chinese cabbages rock as they germinate in about 3 days...they also produce quickly in the garden once set out.  I use in stir-fry, miso soup, etc.

I'll have to post some pics from the community garden as well...people are starting to catch on to SFG and raised beds, seed starting, etc.  My neighbor was building some boxes this morning (after seeing all the produce I pick and give away from my front yard SFG).

I've thought about getting a community garden plot, too, once I get my backyard beds reliably producing up to capacity.

Meanwhile, is it too early to put out the onion sets and taters? Still waiting on lettuce and red cabbage, but it's coming along...

According to Skippy's, peas, kale, radish, turnip, spinach and onions can go out this weekend.  Potatoes are always Good Friday!  So a couple weeks there, for me here.

I was just looking at landarch's photos again, and noticed that his onion sets are already out and coming up. So the answer to my question would be a "yes". I should be able to get mine out tomorrow, once I get the grid for the box they're going in put together.

Here, we say potatoes go in by St. Patty's Day. We already had our "fake" St. Patty's Day, in which all the little darlins (college students) mob into Aggieville and spend the entire day drinking themselves daffy, then... never mind. Anyway, I decided to wait for real St. Patty's Day, or somewhere thereabouts, which is coming up soon.

The kale... wow. This is my first year to try it, and I can't believe how fast it gets going! And now the carrots I put in some mix on Wednesday are showing up. Instead of going back to my old mix for starting seeds, I found an organic version of Pro Mix that I decided to try instead. I'm trying to find something organic that will work. Too early to know the results of that yet, I have 2 test pepper seeds I put into it yesterday, and two more today.

Spinach... going great, growing fast. May have the start of an insect problem, however... it's always something, isn't it?

I agree Kate, onions are a go! And I too am impressed by the 2 kale I had room for. They came up fast and are very vigorous. I had to snip 2 of them for thinning, they definitely have a cabbage like thing going on taste-wise. Not sure if I could do that every day, but I can start with my 2 and see, however in the dead of winter, if they are hardy, I could see loving the green taste, ya know?

Kate, Spray with milk?

SR, Lightly saute with salt and pepper. Even add a little dash of wine vinegar.

sanderson wrote:Kate,  Spray with milk?

Thanks, I'll give it a try as soon as the rain stops.

sanderson wrote:SR,  Lightly saute with salt and pepper.  Even add a little dash of wine vinegar.

I tried this, too. Delicious!

sanderson wrote:Kate,  Spray with milk?

SR,  Lightly saute with salt and pepper.  Even add a little dash of wine vinegar.

I will try that, thanks! I have 2 babies going out tomorrow.

Weeded all the stupid grass out of my beds....coming from the lawn, it, too, loves some good MM! Lots of inhabitants in there, Arthropoda, worms, spiders, millipedes, other, things....

Will soak my peas tonight and plant outside tomorrow, along with spinach seedlings, 2 kales, and radish seeds. Think I will wait a week for turnip seeds, and for my onions to come up better, as well as lettuces.

Nice day here. Still really wet in my yard, soggy around my raised beds. Still debating on location of actual 4x4 due to lay of land. Also need to consider conservation of energy regarding watering during summer....balancing....

SR, is the grass coming up thru the MM into your beds?  What kind of weed barrier did you use, if any?

How do you water your boxes now?  Also, let us know what changes you come up with. I'm always on the look out for...something in that area...not sure what.


CC

Yes,the stupid grass is coming up through the chinks in the holes in the bottoms of these ole window boxes, there are whole slats missing from the bottoms. Grass infiltrating. Plan is to put cardboard down under the edges and in the hole in the middle of this "box" made from 4 boxes, which left a walk in. Unfortunately, the walk in area is a tree hole left by a root ball of a dead apple tree.

And I am sick to death of dragging the heavy stupid hose around, I water with a water wand attachment....big yard. I am gonna try the "as seen on TV" hose that squiggles up...supposed to be super light...I am game.....

Kate, I've consumed a brew or two in Aggieville.

I've had great luck with seed starting mixes at Menards...I often stock up when they slash prices at some point in the season.  

Just found we have a deer in the community garden...making a salad bar out of my spinach beds...ugh.  Planted some cabbage and cauliflower in the drizzle today, hopefully they don't get eaten before I can cover tomorrow.