Seedling progress

Seedling are coming along quickly. All of the earliest cool weather starts have been up-potted and, after a week under lights, are now out in the cold frame hardening off. They need a week or two to acclimate to outdoor temperatures.

Brassicas, lettuce, and some seed dahlias in the coldframe.


These peas have been in these small pots for too long - they will be transplanted as soon as the soil is ready.

Up-potting

Up-potting is moving seedlings from a communal, crowded pot to their own private cell, where they get a little more foot room to grow on without competition for light, water, or nutrients.

Start with a pot of seedlings with at least 2 true leaves. Red russian kale in this case.

Roots have made it throughout the entire pot. The soil should be slightly moist and hold together when the pot is slipped off.


Starting at the bottom of the soil cube and working around the perimeter, gently break apart the root ball. Try to break as few roots as possible, you want to make this process as stress-free as possible for the seedlings.


You can see the potential root growth for one little plant after about a month.


Each separated seedling gets potted into its' own cell.

I up-potted all the brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, and kale). One or two weeks under the lights will help them to recovers and begin growing quickly again, then it's out to the cold-frame to harden off for a week before being transplanted outside.

The New Garden

It's a little scary looking at this weedy, barren patch. Not because it can't be turned into a productive vegetable garden (it can, and will), but because it's going to be a hell of a lot of work! As far as I can tell there was a garden in this spot a few years ago, so I attempted to begin weeding and turning over some of the grass that's moved in, but it's just too wet and compact right now. In about a week I'll rent a heavy-duty rototiller and get to work on it. The planned garden will measure about 25' by 60', and consist of slightly mounded, 30" wide beds with narrow walkways between them and two wider wheelbarrow paths bisecting the garden from either side. There are lots of creatures out here, so a 6' deer fence must go up, which will keep out rabbits as well. And that all has to happen before I can transplant or sow anything...

The fruit trees are heavily budded, swelling up and just about ready to begin flowering.

Gala apple.

According to my tree map, this is a Bartlett pear.

On a few of these trees, especially the "plum" trees behind the house, it really doesn't seem like the map is correct. It will be interesting to see these trees set fruit this summer and try to nail down what they actually are...

Found a big rhubarb plant out back by the garden starting to wake up - will make great pie with strawberries!

Seedlings are growing....

...as they are wont to do. I'm behind on them. The earliest cool weather crops (sown 3/17) are at 2 true leaves and ready to be broken up, pricked out, and each given their own little cell. That will happen this week.

Tomatoes (sown 3/21) are growing quickly. In 2 weeks, they'll be up-potted to quart or maybe 6" pots to grow on until it's warm enough to transplant them out.

3 week old tomatoes.

The peppers sown a week after the tomatoes took about 2 weeks to come up - I was about to buy some new seed until I read the seed packet (duh) and saw that they take between 8-25 days to germinate, twice as long as most seed. I should have sown twice as many pots as I did, as last year I didn't get near as many as I could have used. I will try to start more this week.

Eggplant and pepper seedlings.

Kale sown the same time as the peppers has true leaves emerging. I love their prickly little leaves, but I'm not a huge fan of them as a vegetable! For me, kale is really more useful due to its' cold tolerance. I'll be sowing a second round of this hardy veggie in mid to late summer that will hopefully mature by and hold through winter.

More seeds started

Started some more cool and hot weather vegetables today. I'm trying to grow a wider range of crops this year, so I'll be trying things I've not grown before. I'm trying to work in collards, kale, beans, melons, squash, zucchini, and maybe potatoes. A lot of these can be grown like their cousins (collards like broccoli/cabbage, melons/squash like other tropical hot weather veggies) and do just fine, but I've still got some studying up to do to make sure I get the best shot at success for some of these.

Cool:
- one 4" pot Red Russian Kale
- one 4" pot Summertime Crisphead head lettuce

Hot: (all in 2" pots)
- Orange Fogo Thai chile
- Red Demon Thai chile
- Golden Star Hybrid yellow sweet pepper
- California Wonder 300 sweet pepper
- Miniature Chocolate Bell sweet pepper
- Hansel hybrid eggplant
- Fairy Tale hybrid eggplant