Avid Seed Gardener

Square Foot Gardening - Winter Sowing - AeroGardening - And the journey continues...

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Seed Play

I brought home a few packets of seeds from Walmart (Mckana's giant mixed color columbines among them) and discovered that in my absence additional seeds had arrived by mail. I opened the envelope to my toddler nephew’s delight. He enjoyed shaking the oversized packet of Lincoln peas to hear the “soun.” Then he said, “Ope-it.” So I obliged. He fingered the peas then urged me to “ope-it” some more seeds. I shook columbine seeds into my palm which he picked up pinch by pinch, dropping them back into the envelope. Good fine motor practice. ;-) Earlier in the day (before the rain came) we had already been "OWsigh” looking into milk jug holes and taking the lids off the plastic tubs of planted cups to see and gently touch the wintersown “baby” sprouts. I also took the row covers off the hardy annuals temporarily so I could see their progress and determine whether there were any new seedlings after recent direct sowings. My nephew rushed over to pick some leaves in the absence of any flowers to pluck. Besides, he’s seen me sample lettuce leaves from my indoor plantings. He’s always up for any explorations. :) I love that little guy and I love introducing him to the facets of gardening and of life.

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Winter Sowing 69 cups & 14 milk jugs planted outdoors, 29 new plugs in the AeroGardens indoors for a total of 112 possible plants begun in the 3 weeks of 2017; also some direct sowing under the row covers outside-- off to a good start! Need to get some more potting soil for 2 additional milk jugs tomorrow. 🌸🌻🌱

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No Frost

Usually by this time of year, we would have had a frost that killed tender plants. But the Old Farmer’s Almanac is forecasting a warmer and drier winter for our area this year. Judging by the current weather, I’d guess they are correct. Anyway, I still have crops growing outdoors too. AND, we are due for more highs in the 80′s (though most of the day will be cooler and the mornings & nights could even be chilly).

Herbs: Parsley (Italian & curled), Sage, Basil (gone to flower for the bees’ pleasure but a goner as far as cooking and will be uprooted after frost kill)

Vegetables: Lettuce (among the oats cover crop); Kale; Mizuna, Perpetual Spinach, Winter Radish; Turnips - The straw bale garden is definitely doing better as three of these four pictures show.

Fruit: Raspberries (have harvested a small handful this first year); Alpine Strawberries (green one visible with a close look; still a young plant so only one ripe berry thus far); Rhubarb (getting established; not technically a fruit, but...) 

Flowers: Zinnias (Illumination & Chippendale varieties still going strong in the absence of frost.); Hollyhock (should bloom next year); Shasta Daisy

Cool “Annuals”: Bachelor Buttons (blooms coming in spring 2017), Dianthus (Ideal Violet), Rudbeckia (Goldilocks under a summer weight row cover)

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Growing Various Plants Indoors

The sweet potato plant sprouted spontaneously in the kitchen from a grocery store purchase. I decided to root the slip in water and then transplant to soil. It’s really taking off but I’ll have to keep it alive indoors until late April/early May 2017; I’m not sure that will work, but it’s interesting to find out.

The basil was started in the AeroGarden and was overgrown by the time I transplanted it to soil, so it suffered root shock but is now recovering after serious pruning. Same with the dill on the bookshelf. I’ll be cooking with a good portion of the dill today.

Lettuce starts are growing quickly in one AeroGarden. I’ll be transplanting a couple to Kratky method containers indoors under grow lights. The foil covered plugs are flowers; the purpose of the foil is to reduce light shining in the water and thus prevent some algae growth.

Another AeroGarden contains tatsoi, a bunching onion, parsley, and flowers (dianthus, monarda, stock, browallia, commelina). I’m not growing more in that spot because the tatsoi, currently harvested and thus small, forms large rosettes in the four corners which take up the space and light at those stages of growth. The greens make a great breakfast accompaniment to bacon, eggs, and taters without my needing to venture outside in my jammies for produce in the chilly fall mornings.

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Petunia! Today is cool with a predicted high of 57 degrees for a brief stretch. So, indoor growing is the theme. This is the pink hybrid petunia which I started from seed in the AeroGarden. It's thriving under grow lights and has since been transplanted to a larger container. Love the color. Current flower starts in the AeroGarden include browallia, stock, monarda, and dianthus.

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Straw Bale Garden Progress In contrast with the hardy annuals in soil, the fall veggies in the straw bale garden have not grown quickly. It’s been slightly more than a month since I first planted and I think I’ve grown more useless mushrooms than anything else. I don’t have a soaker hose in place as Joel Karsten recommends; I didn’t want water freezing inside the hose in the winter, but that may have been a mistake. Nonetheless, I am not greatly impressed with the method thus far. I’ve seen pictures of very healthy straw bale gardens, so I’m not writing the method off but I can’t give a ringing endorsement yet either. I’ll limp along with this for now and if these bales don’t break down too much over the winter, I’ll plant some spring crops in them. If need be, I’ll start some new bales from scratch to give this method a fair try.

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Hardy Annuals Comparison These are annuals that can withstand zone 6b winters with the protection of a row cover. The first picture is from 8/22/16, the second from 10/4/16-- 43 days elapsed. I transplanted three additional plants which is one change, but mostly I am pleased to see that the plants are fuller and headed into cooler weather with a decent root system as apparent by the leaves. I should have lovely early blooms in the spring.

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Soil Maintenance Oat cover crop in first two pictures (though I left room for some overwintering sweet pea flowers now sprouting from seed & a couple snapdragon transplants); Planted comfrey roots are spreading and leaves will be used as compost & mulch.

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Still Growing Strong Red cabbage, Zucchini (and weeds!), Leeks & Chives (recovering from army worm attack plus volunteer parsley sprouting by leeks)

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Swallowtail Caterpillars Photo also from a week or so ago. They are enjoying some parsnip leaves.

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A Fall Harvest From September 28th I think Peanuts (Drying), Mini Sweet Potatoes (Curing), ONE of two tomatoes over the whole summer

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Blackberry Starts Are Planted Now to protect them from wascally wabbits.

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Uprooting

I’ve uprooted most of the spent plants in most of my garden, adding them to the compost pile or trash can as appropriate. The worst of the heat wave should end by mid September at which time I’ll be able to sow oats as a cover crop with a realistic expectation of germination. I wish the oats could have had a longer growing period before winter conditions kill them, but given the hot weather and my busyness, it is what it is. I’ll also be transplanting some more flowers at that time and reseeding the straw bale garden to fill in the gaps. I’ll redistribute 16 cubic feet of soil from from a temporary bed to others to top them off and replenish their organic matter levels as well. I’ll work on paving around the blueberry bed which hasn’t yet been accomplished. I also hope to lay some landscape fabric in the aisles to get weedy paths under control. It’ll soon be time to harvest the pots of sweet potatoes and the peanut plants. Then comes raking leaves from our one tree for mulch/compost. Much yet to do to before the fall and winter lull! Frost will arrive mid to late October and the days are already shorter-- sunset at 8pm. The dogwood tree in the meadow has been showing some red in the leaves for a while, and today I noted that the burning bushes near my workplace are beginning to change color as well. Fall is coming!

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Rhubarb Settling In

Not much to look at yet, I know. The plugs weren’t impressive when I received them eight days ago either-- very small, roots not significant in size or number, some leaves yellowing too. But I got them transplanted to their new home (with a couple planted in another spot just in case) and now three of these four are sprouting new leaves which tells me they are tough babies. I’ve watered and watered to help them through the transition and am very glad they seem to be making it. Let’s hope I can harvest some in 2018!!! (Gardeners are a patient bunch even if we don’t want to be. LOL)

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Hummingbird Flower Mix I couldn’t resist buying this seed mix and plan to get a patch going in the spring. I’m not usually a seed mix kind of person, but the packet art impressed me. No customer had sent in photos of this mix growing in their garden, but I read the seed list and put together a collage of the flowers from random photos via Google searches. I’ll have to compare the real to the imagined later. I did discover some interesting plants that I knew nothing about too (standing cypress for example).

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Straw Bale Garden Planted

I took my digital meat thermometer out to the garden and tested the bale temperatures. I was able to plant on 8/27/16 since all were under 105 degrees except for one with a few hotspots; I sowed seeds there since there were no roots to burn. Most of the AeroGarden vegetable transplants have fared poorly-- it’s just been too blazing hot even with a protective summer weight row cover to shade them a bit. Even so, I think I’ll have plenty of cool weather crops planted and growing soon. I also put a trellis up which won’t be for vertical gardening but for supporting layers of polyfilm to shield the plants in winter (season extension). I still need to get some wires up for that purpose. I’ll also have to take and post some photos soon. Establishing a fall garden is no easy task in this zone since summer doesn’t let go easily. There is a touch of fall color in the meadow though-- the dogwood leaves in particular. However, the full spectacle won’t start until October.

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Great Deal on Bricks

I chanced to look through the Lowe’s sales ad today and discovered that the brick I need for surrounding the blueberry beds was on sale. I bought 72 bricks which should give me a few extra. A savings of $16.56 since I was going to buy them shortly anyway! Now to unload my “redneck truck” tomorrow before work-- that’s a lot of weight for my poor car to haul! I also bought a few other pavers to experiment with sizes for some additional areas of the garden. I can’t wait for cooler weather! Come on, September!