Earthly Garden

We’ve been covering seed starting this week. Today, let’s talk about the final step-getting your babies into the garden! The first thing you’ll need to do is get them acclimated to the outdoors. This is called “hardening off”. If you simply take your plants from the windowsill to the garden, they’ll almost certainly fail. They need time to get used to the sun and wind or they’ll scorch and die. To do this, at least two weeks before your planned planting date, start by taking them outside and putting them in a shady spot, then gradually move them to a sunnier location. Do this slowly-allow a few days between location changes. If the temps in your area stay above 50 at night they can be left out, otherwise bring them in when the sun goes down. Once you’ve got them used to the direct sun and wind, you’re ready to plant.

When planting, make sure to leave plenty of room between each plant. Water before removing them from their pots and let drain throughly. Add a bit of fertilizer to each planting hole(read the directions on the box or bottle) and water throughly when done. It’s crucial to be sure the last frost date in your area has passed as the young plants won’t survive a frost. For tomatoes, you may want to put a collar made out of cardboard around the base of each seedling to discourage slugs and cutworms.

Speaking of tomatoes, tomorrow’s post will provide growing tips and tricks for a bountiful harvest!

gardens, gardening, seed starting, seedlings, garden planning, transplanting seedlings

Welcome to Part 3 of our series on seed starting! When your seeds sprout, they’ll have one set of leaves. These leaves won’t look anything like the leaves on a full grown plant. They are there to provide nourishment to the new seedling, much like the yolk of an egg provides nourishment to the embryo it holds. Once the seedling begins developing mature leaves, these “baby” leaves will shrivel away. When your seedlings have at least one set of mature leaves, it’s time to transplant. You can buy small pots for this, or use paper or plastic drinking cups. I like to use styrofoam coffee cups. They are lightweight, provide plenty of space for the seeding’s root system to grow, and fit nicely on windowsills and ledges. Use a good quality potting soil and don’t forget to poke a few holes into the bottom for drainage. A pencil does this nicely. Give your transplants lots of light and air circulation and make sure they don’t dry out. Once they’ve got their second set of leaves, it’s time for the final stage of seed starting-hardening off and planting outdoors! We’ll cover that tomorrow and then start a series on specific vegetables and their needs.

gardens, gardening, seed starting, seedlings, transplanting seedlings

Yesterday we talked about getting seeds started. Today let’s talk about what to do once your seeds have germinated!

As soon as you see they’ve sprouted, remove any cover. Air circulation is critical for young seedlings. Without it they are very vulnerable to
a disease called “damping off”. It’s a fungal issue that causes the base of the seedling to rot, causing it to fall over. This can be prevented by good air circulation and careful watering. One of the biggest causes of seedling failure is overwatering!

You’ll also want to move your seedlings to a sunny window. Seedings need lots of light or they will get leggy. The term refers to the appearance of light starved seedlings-their stems grow much too long in an attempt to reach more light. With some plants, such as tomatoes, you can simply plant them horizontally when it’s time to transplant them outside-roots will form along the stem. But for most plants, leggy seedings won’t thrive.

Another thing seedlings need is strength. To promote strong, sturdy stems (crucial for any plant destined to be laden with fruits, like vegetable plants)
set a fan on low and allow it to blow across the seedlings. Be sure to do this in a warm place and only on low. You’re looking for a gentle breeze, not a stiff wind.

Once your seedlings have at least one set of adult leaves, it’s time to transplant to individual pots. More on that tomorrow!

gardening, gardens, seed starting, gardening planning, seedlings, transplanting seedings

Hi everyone-
Yesterday we talked about garden planning a bit, and today we’ll get a bit more into detail, starting with seed starting. Depending on the time of last frost in your area, you’ll want to start seeds between the beginning of February to the end of April. To be successful, you’ll have to have plenty of space and light. You can purchase seed trays and cups at most garden centers and box stores. Avoid the ones made from peat moss, as they dry out quickly and can be very hard to remoisten once they do. Make sure to use a soil mix specially formulated for seed starting, and moisten it before your fill your trays.

Read the information on the seed packets carefully. Some seeds need to be buried in the soil while others just need to be pressed lightly into the top.
Some seeds need to be soaked or lightly scored before planting. Once you’ve got your seeds planted. make sure to cover with the plastic dome that came with the tray. (If you notice too much condensation forming you can prop one corner open slightly). If you don’t have a cover you can use a sheet of plastic wrap or a clear plastic bag. Place in a warm spot and be sure to keep the soil moist.

Once the shoots emerge the real fun begins! More on that tomorrow.

gardening, gardens, seed starting, seedlings, garden planning

Yesterday, Stephanie asked me if I had any suggestions for growing veggies in pots. As a matter of fact, I just got a new packet of lettuce seeds that are great for growing in pots and small containers. Specifically, the seeds are for Garden Babies Butterhead Container Lettuce, and are available from Renee’s Garden seeds. The Baby Butterhead lettuces are a new variety, originally developed for the Japanese luxury salad market, where flavor and quality are very important.
Here’s a specific link to more info. about the lettuce.

I potted up some seed into small peat pots, and they sprouted within a week. Once they get larger, I’ll put them outside in a semi-shady spot in a small pot. They don’t get huge, and supposedly are bolt resistant, which means they can take a little heat, unlike a lot of other lettuces.

Other than these specific lettuces, there are lots of veggies you can grow in containers. Cherry tomatoes, bush beans, bush cucumbers, miniature eggplants, etc. Most large seed catalogs have a section specifically for the smaller plants. Just remember, if they’re in pots, they’ll dry out faster. You might want to put one pot inside another, that will help with the watering because the inner pot won’t get so hot. Water them daily, keep an eye on them for insects, feed them with a good organic fertilizer such as liquid seaweed (my fav) or fish emulsion, and harvest when the veggies are young and small.

Enjoy, and dig it!

bobbi c.
All text and images here (other than photos provided by others) is Copyright ©2005-2007 by Bobbi A. Chukran. All rights reserved.

growing vegetables in pots, cherry tomatoes, Renee’s Garden, vegetable and flower seeds, liquid seaweed organic fertilizer, fish emulsion

Mornin’ gardeners!

Our spring garden here is coming along….at a crawl! The seedlings inside are not growing very fast; I think the light from my new growing stand is too weak for them. We’ve also had two unusual freezes during the last week. I usually have a few tomato plants out by now, although covered at night. No brag, just fact! LOL

I realize that a lot of my readers live in places where you can’t garden for a while. I feel for ya’, so dug up this link to a lot of great info. you can be reading in the meantime. On the great *You Grow Girl* website, a complete Beginner’s Guide to Starting Vegetables from Seed chart, more info. than you can shake a stick at, etc. etc. The site is maintained by Gayla Trail, author of the You Grow Girl book (also recommended!).

In the meanwhile, have happy dreams of spring!

dig it!

bobbi c.

All material here is copyright ©2005-2007 by Bobbi A. Chukran

seed starting, You Grow Girl, Gayla Trail, garden books, spring gardening

Hi all,

Since several of you are clamoring to see my seed starting set-up, I thought I’d take a quick photo this morning. It’s not a great photo, but you get the idea. It’s sitting on top of a custom cabinet my husband built for me in my office/studio. It’s great because it has a lot of drawer space underneath, and a little bar sink at the right end, so I have storage and access to water. The wall is painted a deep adobe behind it, so that’s why it’s so colorful!

I ordered my light stand from the National Gardening Association, but they were originally made by Hydrofarm.

As you can see, I used a hodge-podge of containers, but will replace them with uniform sizes…it makes it easier that way when the seedlings get taller.

I saw a little grape hyacinth blooming in the garden this morning….spring can’t be far away, now, can it???)

dig it!

bobbi c.

National Gardening Association, Hydrofarm, grape hyacinth, seedstarting, starting seeds inside, grow lights, plant light stand, growing seedlings inside, seed-starting

Hi all….the winter weather continues here. It was 17-degrees when I woke up, NOT something that this thin-blooded Texan wants to even think about. I comforted myself by rushing into my office and looking at the wee little basil seedlings struggling along here. They are coming up, slowly, mostly because this room gets chilly at night. I’m thinking of adding a warming mat to my stash of seed-starting tools!

Here’s a great website I just discovered….it covers info. on organic gardening, farming, sustainable agriculture, heritage (heirloom, or antique) vegetables, organic food on a budget, etc.

Even though the site is maintained in the UK, the information applies to anyone, anywhere. Enjoy!

Dig it!

bobbi c.
All text and photos Copyright©2005-2007 by Bobbi A. Chukran

organic gardening, organic farming, sustainable ag, sustainable agriculture, heritage vegetables, heirloom seeds, antique vegetables, organic food on a budget

Mornin’ all! First of all, I have a big announcement…my basil seeds I planted ten days ago are up! Such little things bring me joy. LOL. I can’t help but “wax poetic” about the several pounds of basil and all the wonderful pestos, etc. that will come from each of those teeny little plants (assuming I don’t kill them first.) A seed really is a tiny miracle, come to think of it.

And, for those of you who are just itchin’ to get your hands in the soil, I ran across this great article on the Better Homes and Gardens site about starting seedlings. Lots of good info. from a reputable source.

Happy gardening, and don’t hesitate to ask questions if you have any. I may not know the answer, but will try to find it for you!

Dig it!

bobbi c.
Copyright ©2005-2007 Bobbi A. Chukran. All rights reserved.

starting seeds indoors, basil, seedstarting, Better Homes and Gardens magazine