Well, its been a few days since I posted something, but you can’t expect too much when you read some poor hacks attempt at a blog about gardening. I haven’t done much by way of the garden this week, except to start seasoning the seedlings to be planted. One of the False Alarm Jalapeno seeds germinated a few days ago to my surprise. I thought they were all goners. It looks like it may rain most of the week, but I will try to get things planted when the weather allows.
Category Archives: Growing
Finally Time to Plant
I was able to plant one broccoli seedling, and pea and spinach seeds yesterday. I have been trying to get the raised beds finished up the last few days but it has been slow going. I would say two of the five are 100%. The rest still need the drip line installed and the deer netting secured, which I want to finish before I plant in those so I don’t disturb the seedlings or sprouts. It is supposed to rain the next day or so, but perhaps Sunday I can finish.
These two are ready to go.
Incremental Change
I didn’t have much time today, so I just started the leaf lettuce and romaine for this week, and played around with the irrigation system. I was trying to determine the least amount of pipe needed, the best way to secure it, and the best way to hide the supply hose. I should be able to post some more pictures tomorrow.
Almost Here
The schedule says I should be planting the broccoli, spinach, and peas this weekend. I think the weather might say something else. This week, I have been cutting, bending, and placing the conduit for holding the trellis netting and deer net. More on that tomorrow.
I have also been adjusting the plant locations under the grow light to keep each set in the optimum location. I start the seeds in the kitchen using a warming mat, and move them to the basement under a grow light once they germinate. The grow light is a basic shop light with one “warm” and one “cool” bulb. Underneath, I have a few trays sitting on various boxes and tubs, which I use to adjust the height to keep each plant within about two inches from the bulbs. I am planning on mixing the soil tomorrow so I can plant on Sunday, but we will see what happens.
The light for growing the seedlings
A Little Mixed-up
A little more than a week ago, I started leaf lettuce, romaine, and bell peppers and thought I could remember in which containers I put each one. After the shuffle to get them under the grow light, I lost track of which group is the leaf lettuce and which one is the romaine (the pepper had already been separated). One is lighter in color than the other, and if I had to guess the romaine might be the darker one, but how to tell? It really only matters because the spacing is a little different for the types I have. Rookie mistake.
Tomato and Basil
Started tomato and basil plants this evening. Still waiting for the jalapenos to sprout, but the bell peppers I started last week germinated and were actually quite tall. I need to rearrange how I have them placed under the light, perhaps tomorrow.
Another Round of Starts
I started romaine, leaf lettuce, and bell peppers today, just a few of each since I want them staggered so I don’t harvest all at once. I took this week off to get a few projects done around the house, so you should see a bunch more postings in the next few days. I will be building a compost bin and assembling the beds and pest barriers. My kind of fun!
Second Planting of 2010
Started the second round today, just three pots of False-Alarm Jalepenos. I am using the same starting mix as I did the first round that didn’t respond well, so if these end up the same way that bag of mix will be going into the lawn to fill in some low spots.
First Planting Update
Either the house was warmer or the different type of starting mix made a different but the seeds I started three days ago are going nuts! I guess I did something right this time.
Second First Planting of 2010
A week later I only have one sprout each out of two containers of my original broccoli planting of four so I dug out the starting mix of the two containers that had nothing, replaced it with a different type of mix, and replanted with more broccoli seeds. I also started two more pots of broccoli and eight with a plethera of green onion seeds. More waiting, again.