I officially have all my seed orders in hand with the exception of the items that get shipped later (after the ground is no longer covered with two feet of snow.
Rather than re-write the whole process, I will just share my link to the prior post on seed starting.
Gardeners have hope. We look at tiny seeds the size of a period and see new life. It is amazing to know that in that capsule that looks like a comma, there are tomatoes that will grace our table at the end of summer.
I have a word of caution to those starting seeds indoors by themselves. Please remember the essentials for success:
- Sanitation-Make sure everything you have is sterile (pots, soil, table...) and use only new soil starter. It does not pay to cheap out and deal with consequences of insects and disease problems.
- Warmth-seeds need warmth to start in 99% of our garden crops unless it is something you are direct seeding later, even then it needs some warmth. Germination percentages will be greatly affected if you choose to compromise on their needs here. It also can affect the success of seedlings. Damping off can take everything if you don't keep the seedlings warm as well. Germination mats and domed covers will help you control the temperatures in ways that costs so little for your gain.
- Water-Moisture is essential in the correct amounts. Too little, and your germination suffers. Too much, and your germination suffers. You should find the happy medium where you are not blowing dust off the top of your trays and you can hardly lift your trays because of the water content. It is best if you check them at least once a day. Domed lids will help you regulate this as far as water loss is concerned.
- Light-Plants can't live without it. Even seeds that germinate best with dark conditions need light once they break that seed coat. Keeping seedlings within 6" of their light source is best. A sunny south window is still not enough light in the northern climates at this time of year. Always use some sort of supplemental light, even a florescent shop light will do.
Look at your seed packets and try to time out your crops to their optimal starting time. I error on the side of caution and time them for the shorter time (later rather than sooner) so I am not dealing with larger plants indoors because it is too cold to move them out. Plan your seeding ahead of time and then you will be able to move through the season with less worries about forgetting something or not timing your crops as needed.
Happy Spring...I know it's coming!
I got the onions and violas into a flat of starter mix last weekend. This weekend they are pretty, green, little shoots. I also did two pots of micro greens and those are up as well. They need another set of leaves before I can use them, but they are growing quickly.
The basement has been staying on the cool side, less than 60 degrees on some checks. I have closed off my propagation room to try and retain some of the furnace heat. I also have the seed heating mat under the onions and domed lids over all the germination pots to keep them warm and moist. So far, so good. I talked to my husband about putting a folding door on this room so I can do the best job possible for keeping the room warm enough. It is definitely colder this winter than it was last year.
The next seed order is ready to go. I have to wait for pay day to send this one out. Seeds always are signs of spring to me.
I have my first order in the envelope and ready to be sent. I concentrated my early efforts on ordering vegetables and berry plants. This year I am branching out into fruiting bushes (again). I had successful raspberry bushes on the south side of the garage. I also had successful picking by my young daughter and the neighbor boys. I did not see too many of the raspberries myself once they were aware of the treat.
The patch was lost to moving of fenced areas for the dog and reallocation of the space to park our trailer. The plants were diminishing with the increase of shade in this area, so I didn't bother saving any of the stock. I also had no place to relocate them as the pool was still a large part of our backyard.
Our nest is empty and my desire to grow more edibles is strong. I plan on putting in a male and female hardy kiwi as well as a male and female honey berry. I would also like to reestablish an asparagus patch and possibly get a dwarf fruit tree or two. I will take it one plant at a time, though. The literature is promising for the honey berries for our soil pH and heavy clay texture. They even like a bit of light shade if the summers are hot. I have all these things going for me.
The kiwis will replace the spireas that now run on the west side of our fire pit area. I plan on using the post I am digging out of the old deck area to create a sturdy trellis to grow them on. My husband will be thrilled to hear I want to dig more post holes. There is still plenty of deck wood to create cross pieces on the horizontal. I think I will use some strong wire to fill in the center. More research is needed.
I have the onion seeds on the order and will be trying an Italian onion called Red Marble (which is a red storing onion) as well as Copra for a yellow storing onion. I really liked the filet type beans last year. Jung's has a pole filet bean which I am going to try instead of my usual purple trifiano. I am also getting some pepper seeds to start this year as last year's seeds seemed to be a mixed bag. The anchos didn't set as well as they did in 2011, so I have a variety which promises better set.
I still have to sit down with my daughter and pick out flowers suitable for a fall wedding.
