Quote of the Day: Henry David Thoreau

May 16th, 2010

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”

~Henry David Thoreau

I try to make sure I’m aware of things when I’m working out in the garden. When I am I often see some of the most beautiful things. I’m particularly fond of seeing spiderwebs around the gardens, quite beautiful and beneficial!

Are there any simple things you find beautiful?

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Update on the Garden Pond

May 15th, 2010

Last week I told you about the new pond we were adding to the garden. We’re quite excited about it and were waiting for the right time to fill it! I didn’t want to use city water and I wasn’t about to use the water from my rain barrels until I knew some rain was on it’s way. Last Friday night was the night, we were out at midnight emptying our rain barrels into the pond since a huge rain storm was coming. On Monday I went out to plant a waterlily in the pond and I spotted two toads already enjoying our new water feature! (more on planting a waterlily later).

When you live a half hour from everything, you always plan your errands on the same day to save time. Yesterday we decided to spend the day Holden Arboretum with my parents and figured we’d stop by the pet store on the way home to buy some gold fish for our little pond.

We didn’t want to invest in expensive koi, especially since these cheap feeder goldfish often do better. They will help control mosquitoes and provide some beauty in the pond. We’re hoping at least 3-5 of them survive (we bought 10), I’ll keep you updated.

We arrived home at sunset with just enough time to float them in the water for 30 minutes before setting them free. Of course it was too dark to take photos them. I can’t wait to check on them today!

Anyone else have experience with fish in a small garden pond? Anything new and exciting going on in your garden?

The Seed Starting 101 Series will resume next Monday.

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Seed Starting 101: The Needs of Seeds

May 14th, 2010

The most important thing to pay attention to when you’re starting seeds is the needs of each type of seed. Not all seeds are created equal. Some need light to germinate, others need darkness. Some seeds need warm soil, others need cool soil. Some seeds need a cold spell before being able to germinate, others need some heat. Some seeds do better if they’re scarified, which is the scratching, breaking or softening the tough seed coat. You need to research and figure out the needs of the types of seeds you’re trying to start or you will be disappointed with low or no germination.

Plants are like anything else so the #1 rule for seed starting is to: READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE PLANTING. There’s nothing more frustrating than seeding a tray of alyssum and then remembering that they need light to germinate, and of course you covered them with soil. Most plant packets contain all the information you need, with planting depths, light requirement, stratification or any other special needs. If you bought heirloom seeds, or traded seeds with someone, Google will provide you with a wealth of information about that specific type of seed. This is the best way to ensure proper germination and a happy gardener!

The second most important thing when it comes to good germination is to MAKE SURE YOUR SEEDS ARE FRESH. Since seeds are a living thing, although dormant until given the right conditions, they need to be treated with care and they have a shelf life. Different kinds of seeds have different shelf lives, some last for years and years others for only a year or less. If you save seeds past their normal shelf lives you risk low or no germination, which is frustrating! If seeds are stored properly their shelf life will be normal and if stored in the fridge or freezer you can save them 2-5. I wrote a post about the shelf life of seeds already, you can download this chart from my Flickr account if you’d like a copy.

You’ll also need to DETERMINE IF YOUR SEEDS NEED LIGHT TO GERMINATE. Some seeds need light, others need darkness, some don’t care either way. Hollyhocks need light to germinate, that’s why I floated them in water in my kitchen windowsill. It seems that the smaller seeds need light for germination, so they need to be sown on top of the soil. Tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables don’t really care, these seeds are covered with soil when planting (1-1.5 times as deep as the seed).

FIND OUT IF YOUR SEEDS NEED WARM OR COOL SOIL. Some seeds need warmth to germinate, like tomatoes and peppers. Others prefer cooler soil, like spinach and lettuce. Often the conditions the seeds prefer are just like the conditions the adult plants like, which is nice because it makes it pretty easy to know. When I’m planting cool vegetables I often sow seeds in the flats and put them on the floor of the basement, which keeps the soil about 55 degrees. This is perfect for lettuce and spinach. If I’m seeding warm soil vegetables, I put the flats on a seedling heat mat or in a warm spot, like the top of the fridge. I’ll often put these trays outside on warm sunny spring day, this warms the soil better than anything, especially when using the dark plastic trays with a clear dome. Of course they’ll need carried back indoors when the temperature drops at night. Here’s a great chart that lists different vegetables and the germination rates depending on the soil temperatures. With a little searching on-line you should be able to find specific information for each kind of vegetable. And don’t be afraid to experiment, seeds are cheap. Seed two flats and try putting one outside and one in the house, after a few years you’ll learn what methods work best for what you’re growing.

You’ll need to DETERMINE IF YOUR SEEDS NEED A COLD SPELL TO GERMINATE. If your just starting vegetable seeds you probably won’t have to worry about this. You’ll need to learn once you graduate on to other seeds, especially fruits, and wild plants, they often require a certain length of cold before they will germinate. You will need to mimic the natural conditions for these seeds. It’s not difficult, all you need to do is plant the seeds in a tray, water and put the tray outside in January or February (if you live in a cold climate) and they’ll germinate when the weather is right in the spring. You can also put the in the fridge, but I never have room and the porch is much easier! It’s easiest to germinate these types seeds in their final planting place, especially plants like joe-pye weed and milkweed. Simply gather wild seeds and sprinkle them in your garden in the fall where you’d like them to grow. I’d recommend lightly covering with soil and marking them so you know where you planted them. It would tragic to pull all the seedlings in spring when weeding, then realize they were the seedlings you planted 5 months ago!

SOME SEEDS DO BETTER IF THEY’RE SCARIFIED, which helps the seed break through it’s hard outer coat. Some common vegetables like squashes germinate better if their seeds are scratched or nicked before planting. Others prefer to be soaked for a few hours to soften the hard seed coating, like nasturtium and peas. Some seeds also prefer to travel through the digestive system of a bird or animal before germination, like strawberries, blackberries and other fruits. I don’t always scarify seeds, but I like to ensure the best possible germination so I usually try to remember. With squash seeds I usually rub them on an emery board lightly on the flat side and the edges, and I soak peas, beets, and nasturtiums for a few hours before planting. Scarification isn’t always necessary as a cold spell is for some plants, but you’ll have better germination if you do it.

Lucky for us edible gardeners, most vegetable seeds are ready to germinate. All they need is water and warmth and they’ll spring forth with their tiny green shoots ready to propagate their kind. Once you have great germination rates with vegetables, try moving on do seeds that need stratification and try your hand at those. I enjoy starting vegetables that are easy, but I also enjoy the challenge of starting other more difficult things from seed, like ladies mantle, joe pye weed and soapwort.

Any great tips on the needs of seeds? Have you ever had to stratify, scarify or do anything special for seeds?

The rest of the Seed Starting 101 Series
Why Start from Seed
Getting Started
Containers
Soil Mix
The Needs of Seeds
My Workflow
Diseases and Problems
Hardening Off
Transplanting
Learn More Each Season

Visit my Amazon store to see what seed starting supplies I like.

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Seed Starting 101: Soil Mix

May 13th, 2010

After choosing your containers, you’ll have to decide what kind of soil mix you want to use for you seed starting efforts. There are all kinds of options: store bought soil less mix, home mixed medium, soil blocker mix, coconut coir, and peat pellets. There are all kinds of ideas floating around about what you should use for starting seeds. Some people say you shouldn’t use compost in your seed starting mix, others say you should because it’s good for the plants. Some people are against peat for environmental reasons and claim coconut coir is the way to go. Some people prefer the convenience of peat pellets or store bought soil less seed starting mix, some people mix up their own.

Here at Chiot’s Run I like to mix my own and I have since the beginning. With the amount of seedlings I start I’d spend a fortune on starting medium if I bought it. After trying all kinds of recipes I settled on one that consists of 40% peat moss and 40% medium vermiculite and 20% worm castins (I’ve tried using coconut coir and haven’t been as happy with the results as I am with peat moss). I like to add some Dr. Earth Organic Starter Fertilizer as well (I use the directions on the package and mix it in at half strength). Seedlings don’t really need fertilizer until they get their first or second set of true leaves, and you can’t fertilize with full-strength fertilizer because you run the risk of burning the seedlings. Always use half strength when adding fertilizer to seed starting mix or when watering with fish emulsion.

I’ve also experimented with watering my seedlings with weak a fish emulsion every week or two instead of using Dr Earth Starter fertilizer. I prefer adding the starter fertilizer directly to my seed starting mix, it seems to give me better results and it saves me from remembering to add fish emulsion. Some people use this mix and add 30% peat, 30% vermiculite and 30% compost instead of a fertilizer (you can us perlite instead of vermiculite if you’d like, I don’t like perlite so I always use vermiculite). I don’t have a ton of compost so I save it and add it to the holes at planting time, I also use it in my homemade potting soil mix. Some people recommend only using sterilized compost or peat to start seeds, personally I would never sterilize my compost, pear or anything I’m using to grow plants, part of the value of is the microbes. But I also drink raw milk, so I’m a big believer in the beneficial microbe world.

The main reason I mix my own seed starting mix is to save money. I buy the peat moss and vermiculite at my local farm supply store (the drive-thru feed type store). It costs me about $25 for 8 cubic feet of final seed starting mix. I like to mix it up in small batches in plastic storage containers. I make sure to mix up a batch in the fall and store it in the basement for late winter seed starting mix.

Whether you mix your own, buy it in a bag, or use peat pellets, your seed starting medium will need to be wet before you can plant your seeds. It’s often difficult to get peat to absorb moisture if it’s really dry. The vermiculite or perlite helps it absorb moisture and using hot water is also very beneficial. I warm water in my small teakettle and pour it on the dry mix. I keep adding water till the tray feels heavy and the soil is nicely moistened. If I add too much water and there is some collecting in the bottom tray I usually wait an hour then pour out any excess water. I also like to wait a day before adding the seeds to allow some of the moisture to evaporate, too much moisture is the most common seed starting problem and it can lead to disease problems. Then I plant the seeds according to their needs.

What’s your favorite seed starting medium? Do you have better luck with one kind of soil? Do you mix your own?

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Seed Starting 101: Containers

May 12th, 2010

Containers are a very important part of the seed starting system. There are all different kinds of containers, you can use specially made pots or recycled items from around the house. You can use anything from: plastic, terracotta, pressed peat, newspaper pots, toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, egg shells, and so much more. I’ve used just about every single option in my seed starting career, and continue to try new methods each year.

A long long time ago when I first decided to start some seeds I attempted to make newspaper pots and used some toilet paper tubes as well. They are cheap, but with the amount of seeds I start I just don’t have time to make the hundreds of pots I need. There are many people that use them for everything and love them, but they’re not for me. The next year I bought one of those Jiffy Mini Greenhouse that came with those little Jiffy Peat Pellets. I do like the little peat pellets, they’re very nice, quick and easy, but they can be pricey! Especially if you’re starting 500 seeds or more each spring.

photo courtesy of Joey’s Planting from Flickr
After that I used some flats with small cells that my mom gave me and I bought a few more at the local greenhouse. They cost between .99-$1.50 for each piece and can be used for several years. This is the method I still use and love. I like that you have the option of different cell sizes. I prefer to the smallest ones because they maximize the space under my grow lights, which is limited during the seed starting season.

This past year I bought some Peat Pot Strips from Johnny’s. I have to admit, I am not very fond of them. I find they dry out much quicker when my seedlings are outside and I often have to water several times a day. I also don’t think that my seedlings do as well in them as they do in plastic pots. I’ll save my remaining peat pots for things like beans and peas that don’t like to have their roots disturbed, but I’ll be back to using plastic pots after this.

There are a lot of gardeners that love to use soil blocks for seed starting. You can buy different sizes, the smallest fitting into the next larger one, and on up (here’s the soil blocker page at Johnny’s that shows all the sizes & extras). I have a medium soil block maker, but I have yet to master the soil mix for them. I also need to invest in some strong trays, soil blocks are heavier than plastic pots so the black plastic trays aren’t really strong enough to support the weight (at least with the soil mix I’ve used).

I really love using terracotta, since it’s reusable and my plants seem to thrive in it. But they’re expensive to get enough, especially for the amount of plants I have. I do use them for some of my seed starting, especially for things that I want to keep in pots or grow inside as a houseplant.

Of course you can also direct seed in the garden, then you don’t even have to worry about containers. I try to do this as much as possible since plants, like gardeners, prefer to be in real soil and under the sun, instead of indoors in a plastic pot under lights.

However, if you’re a northern gardener you’ll have to start things indoors if you want to eat a ripe tomato before the first frost. Also, some seeds are just easier to start indoors (like onions and seeds that take a long time to germinate). I like to start heat loving plants, like tomatoes, peppers and squash family plants indoors. Lettuce, spinach, carrots, peas and other cool season crops do much better when started directly in the the garden.

I’ll continue to try new container options just because I like to try new things and it gives me some great fodder for my blog. For the majority of my seed starting I’ll continue using regular plastic trays because I have a bunch of them, they’re inexpensive, they can be used for a few years, and they’re convenient. I’ll keep posting here about anything new and fantastic I find.

What’s your preferred container for seed starting?