SEED STARTING CHEAT SHEET - PT 2 (transplanting)

Yesterday I tried my first transplanting. 3 of my first batch of peppers (so started almost 4 weeks ago) had developed a 2nd set of leaves (or what the books call the 'true' set of leaves) and I noticed that some roots were beginning to poke out of the netting around the Jiffy pellet. I filled a 6" pot 1/2 full with some POTTING SOIL (as opposed to the soilless seed starter) and moistened it a bit. I also watered the Jiffy pellet itself so that the roots would hopefully not go into shock. Then I filled up the container with more potting soil and watered a bit more (but not so much as to drench them.

These 3 transplants now get a place of honour under the lamp - but they do take up a lot of room. I don't know where I will put all the little plants once they start living in pots. I've been thinking of putting the onions and leeks into flower pots and moving them to the living room window, so they can be moved outside any time.

PLANTING SCHEDULE

In order to put your tomatoes out in early June, you will want to start your seeds about now. They take about 1 week to germinate (quicker in my case, and I think it was because of how warm the soil was from the heating pad) and then you want them to grow for another 5 to 7 weeks. If your frost date is the end of May, though (hi, Barrie folks!) you will want to plant early to mid-June ("once all danger of frost is past") so you could start between now and the middle of April.

If you're growing peppers from seeds, definitely start now - they need more time than tomatoes.

Basil can be started now, too.

Remember that if you are growing peas you can be direct sowing them into your containers up to 5 weeks before the last frost date.

Finally, if you are planting beans, you will be direct sowing them AFTER the danger of frost has passed.

Just a final note, if you are inclined to want to read about gardening (especially for the beginners amongst us), the books listed to the right are ones that I've found helpful over the winter months. "From Seed to Table" is a particularly great one - the writer is based in Ontario so all her information is relevant to our climate, and she includes some interesting facts and discussions on a wide range of topics about food. This month Mother Earth News has put out is "Guide to Growing Your Own Food" issue - it has some great articles about gardening and food preservation (plus advice on raising chickens and guinea fowl). In general, I've always found Mother Earth News interesting and informative, and you don't have to subscribe to their on-line edition in order to access articles (http://www.motherearthnews.com/ )

Starting Tomatoes

On Tuesday night (after having had a few drinks), my friend Sara and I planted tomato seeds. My rather ambitious plan called for 60 seeds to start, and of course not 60 of the same variety. Labelling the seeds was my biggest hurdle - those handy Jiffy pellets don't allow for any easy marking of what exactly you are growing. So, you will notice my crazy method - pieces of colourful straw, marked with a number which corresponds to My Master List. I will admit that we had quite the giggle while we planted and then stuck the straws into the netting.

As I've mentioned, I had to resort to buying a heating mat for my seedlings as our house is too cold for the seeds, and I couldn't find anywhere reliably warm enough to ensure that the heat loving peppers and tomatoes would germinate. It has been the best $35 I've spent - the soil stays warm and moist and I've been really lucky with germination. This picture is how the seeds looked Tuesday night. I've been checking them twice a day since then, and on Friday morning saw no evidence of sprouting. But when I got home last night and checked them again, I had about 8 that had sprouted. This morning there were another 4.

Firstly, I still find it incredible how fast they sprout and then grow. But secondly, it is amazing that when they poke through the top of the soil they are pale (almost white) from being deprived of light, but after a few hours being under the lights (or in the sun) they green up so well.

The straw labels are working so far - the sprouted seeds weren't always from the same variety, so my layout in the original tray has of course shifted. I'm not sure if I will have to change the system - the earlier planted seeds (peppers and onions) have started to root through the netting of the Jiffy pellets and I wonder if the straws will impede the roots of the tomato plants. But for now it keeps my slightly organized.

I have noticed that some seedlings emerge with the seed still attached, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to gently pull it off or leave it.... I guess I'll wait a few days to see if it falls off naturally.

I've been collecting toilet paper rolls because a lot of the reading material says that cutworms are a problem once you transplant into the garden - they apparently shear through the stem of the young plant. I've read that cardboard tubes around the stems can protect the plants from the cutworm. But container planters rejoice - apparently it is far less common in containers.

Later today I'm going to transplant the 1st batch of peppers - they have grown their second set of leaves and I can see their roots starting to poke through the jiffy pellet. It's going to be a fun way to spend a Saturday night!.

Mel's Thesis Part 2

Grandma is 96. She still lives in the house that she raised her 4 children in, along with numerous fosterlings along the way. She still gardens, and still produces enough to put away for the winter. When I went up to visit her in February, she was still eating her own carrots, potatoes and beans.
I asked her what her last frost date was, given that her house is north and east of Ottawa ( I was imagining a short growing season). The conversation went like this:
"Grandma, when is your last frost date?"
"I don't know"
"When do you plant your garden, then?"
"When the ground is ready to be worked" (a look at me here, suggesting I was a bit dense for asking)
"How do you know when it's ready?" (here I was hoping for some practical advice for my own efforts)
"I just know" (again, the look that I was asking very stupid questions)

She just knows. After a lifetime of growing her own food (a necessity, not a hobby or a fad or an experiment) she just knows. She composts as a common-sense understanding of what her garden needs, as well as a habit of necessity - once they took their garbage to the dump and were charged based on weight. Her garden is rototilled in the spring (now that my grandfather is gone, my cousin does it faithfully for her) so that the ends of last years crops get tilled under. She doesn't exactly rotate her crops, but nothing is really set in stone, so nothing necessarily gets planted in the same place as last year. She doesn't use chemicals - they are an unnecessary expense so why would she? She thinks her garden might be a bit tired these days, so she gets my cousin to add some manure from a local farmer each spring now.
She grows what she eats because that is what she has always done (as did her parents before her) and because why should she not? Why would she buy tomatoes from somewhere else when she could grow her own and then can them?
Granted, at 96 she is slowing down and so I've noticed that she is buying more of her food lately. There was a time when she would not buy things out of season, based on cost alone. But she also doesn't understand why on earth we would bring in vegetables and fruits from 'far-off countries', why we should expect to eat strawberries in December. It makes no sense to her at all. And while she was brought up on a farm, she has lived in town now for 80 years, so I am talking about a woman who has gardened in her back yard and whose beliefs have been formed by real life (and real economics) as well as practical experience.
But of course my (our) generation has been raised on strawberries in December and whole tomatoes in February and asparagus in November. Meat eaters eat fresh beef in spring and fresh poultry in winter, no matter when Nature intended for them to be fattened up. And regardless of how far we live from the sea, fish eaters want to be able to enjoy lobster and shrimp year round. My (our) generation associates food with stores - clean, displayed, packaged, predictable, year-round.
I am not advocating that you give up lobster or that you can only eat your steak during the late fall. I am not suggesting that maritime processing plants should close down during the off-seasons, that farmers should only earn income for half the year, or that hot house / greenhouse gardening is 'unnatural'. I definitely am not saying that you should feel guilty about enjoying what you eat.
I just think that we should think about it a bit.
We import a great deal of food from countries which have lax environmental laws (and so do you really know what is being sprayed on your conventionally grown food?), and as consumers we don't really know what happens to that produce between field and table. Even organically grown food has a cost - it must be transported, it must be harvested (usually by large tractors using oil in some state), it must be tended to by workers (often migrant workers with few benefits or rights), it must somehow make it to the store (organic gases to preserve it, perhaps?).
For most of us, there is little option but to buy our produce from Loblaws or Metro or Sobeys during the winter months. A one-bedroom apartment in the city is unlikely to provide enough space for a significant amount of food preservation or storage - even the freezers in apartment fridges are small. Those farmers markets that are open year-round don't often provide a lot in the way of fresh veggies. City dwellers that don't own cars also don't have the luxury to travel out into the country to buy seasonal products from farmers. We have evolved into a culture that depends on the fresh-produce section of our local 'supercentres'.
But I really believe that the produce that we get there isn't what we would ideally be eating or feeding our children. I also don't think that I am alone in feeling that most of what you buy at the store tastes terrible to boot. I also believe that, during the summer at least, we have a choice.
It takes little space and time to grow a seed into a tomato plant on a balcony. It may take a bit of reading and attention to grow a tomato, but one tomato often leads to many tomatoes and so suddenly you have fresh, delicious tomatoes for a few months. You may have enough to give your friends a bunch, and if you are lucky to have the inclination /time/ space, you can can/freeze / dry your tomatoes and enjoy them in January. It is not a big stretch for us to grow a bit of food. You will also likely enjoy your time with your plants - you might enjoy watching your tomatoes grow (cocktail or a coffee in hand), you will likely enjoy showing off your plants to your friends, your family will be impressed. Perhaps you will want to learn how to do some preserving. Perhaps you'll try out some new recipes.
Most importantly, you/we will be rediscovering a fundamental skill - how to feed ourselves. We will learn how to tell when the ground is ready, what bugs are good bugs (and which should be drowned in beer), what 'last frost date' really means. We will reconnect with our food and where it really comes from.
Imagine that in a few months from now, you will go to your balcony/deck / backyard and pick a tomato any time you want.

My First Post

Hello fellow growers....thanks for the invite into this little collective. I am very excited to be able to celebrate my triumphs and bitch about my failures with other like minded urban 'farmers'.

I just wanted to mention this weeks issue of NOW which is only going to be on stands for 2 more days. It is all about urban farming and how to make the most out of your smalls plots of land.

There were 2 really great websites mentioned in the article. The first website mentioned was all about rooftop and patio gardens and how to create the perfect soil blend to keep your small veggie gardens moist. The second website mentioned was all about SPIN farming S-mall P-lot IN-tensive Farming, not necessarily applicable to what we are doing but interesting none-the -less.

My first batch of seedlings were doing great last week but when I transplanted them to bigger pots this past weekend they seemed to go into shock. So much for $200 worth of gardening supplies. I am going to keep my fingers crossed that my first batch of seedlings spring back to life in the next few days but if not I guess I will be starting all over again this weekend.

SEED STARTING CHEAT SHEET PT 1

Here's a little information to help you get started growing your seeds - information which I've culled from books and magazines and have only just started trying myself (so I am clearly no expert and if you have your own tried-and-true method, feel free to jump in and offer sound advice!)

JIFFY PELLETS
I gave most of you jiffy pellets along with your seeds. You will need to 'grow' these to their full height in order to create your magical self-contained pot. Put a pellet in a container (a yogurt container without holes will do) and add about 1/4 cup of WARM water. The warm water not only starts the pellet a bit quicker, it also prevents your seeds from nestling into cold wet soil.
Once the pellet has expanded (it takes a while, but is pretty fun to watch), open up the netting across the top (you will know the top of the pellet because the netting will be pulling back, revealing soil). Take a toothpick or something and gently 'fluff' the top of the soil.
Drain out any remainding water from your container.
At this point, you can keep the pellet in the container, or you can take it out. I've been finding that the containers have been pretty handy because you can water from the bottom. This, of course, means that you are placing the pellet into a container with NO HOLES (not the containers I gave you, which is for 2nd transplant). Either way, put the container w/ pellets, or the pellets alone, onto some type of tray - it makes it a lot easier and less messy. I bought some plastic trays at a gardening place for maybe $2 each, plus clear lids for about $1.50 each. Let the pellet drain a bit, so that it is not totally water-logged. I've also taken to putting the pellets over something warm (a vent or on top of the fridge) to let the wet pellets warm up a bit (usually over night).
Plant one seed per pellet. For the tomato plants, you want to only push the seed about 1/4" into the soil, and gently cover with soil. If the top of the soil is thoroughly dry, you will want to give it a light misting.
The germination rates for the seeds I handed out range from 85-97% (supposedly). So, it's up to you if you want to grow a few extra seeds to allow for any that didn't germinate. I found that my peppers only germinated in the 50% range (due to my technique, no doubt, not the seeds themselves) so I'm glad that I planted extra.
Once the pellets have seeds in them (and lable them some how - I've been trying a toothpick with a piece of masking tape on it as a lable, in the pellet itself) put the pellets and/or containers onto the tray. At this point you want to create a nice greenhouse effect to conserve moisture and heat. If you've bought one of those clear lids, you can put it on. Or, you can stretch plastic wrap or any clear plastic over the whole thing. If you've elected not to use a tray, just put plastic over each container. Put the tray with your seeds somewhere warm - on the fridge, over a vent, etc. The seeds at this point don't need light, so it doesn't have to be a window (especially since they can be drafty).
You will need to check them every day ( I do it morning and night). You will want to watch for drying out (water from the bottom, which is why the yogurt containers are so handy) and only mist on top (from a clean spray bottle). I would also use room-temperature water. Replace the plastic each time.
You will also want to watch out for sprouting. As soon as you see a sprout, you will be taking the plastic off the top and moving the seedling to a sunny position. This can either be a sunny south-facing window, or on a table with a flourescent light. I elected to go with the flourescent light arrangement because a) our south-facing window is drafty and tomatoes like warmth it seems and b) I could give them 12- 16 hours of light, which most of the articles suggest.
My own growing setup is in an unused area of a room - I just put an Ikea shelf in there and tied a flourescent light fixture to the bottom of one shelf so it hung over another. It's not the warmest room ever, but the seedlings so far seem to be doing OK.
If you go with the flourescent light arrangement, you want to hang the lights so they are 2"-4" only above the seedlings - this encourages them to grow compactly and not 'stretch' to the light. The stretching is the only real down-side of growing the seedlings in a south facing window. The "Square Foot Gardening" guru Mel Bartholemew says you can avoid this somewhat by regularly rotating the container so the seedling stays pretty upright. You also might be able to supplement the south-facing window arrangement with a small light. I think, however, that people have been growing from seed since humans started growing their own food, so I'm sure that flourescent lights aren't the only way to do it.
The next installment will be the '2nd Transplant' phase.
In closing, I'd say check on your seedlings often (especially if you have kids) as you can almost literally watch them grow - it's amazing how quick they sprout up!

Mel's Seedlings Week 2

Week 2 for the first batch of seedlings (onions, leeks and red peppers) and Week 1 for the jalapenos, lettuce, oregano and some more onions.
Here is how they are starting to look - you can see the red peppers in the second row and the crazy, reaching lettuce in front - that is what I get for leaving the second batch with inadequate light for a couple of days while I was working and not paying attention.

For the second batch, I tried to use the Jiffy pots (bought at Home Depot) and some yogurt and rice pudding containers I'd been saving - filled with soilless seed planting medium. The second batch spent the week all warm on the heating pad while the first batch got upgraded to a tray under some old flourescent lights we had lying around. The first seedling I planted with my nephew Hayden eventually joined its cousins under the lights (I had been keeping that guy in the south-facing living room window as a test to see how it compared) because a) while I was working Max forgot to water it and b) I worried that it might get lonely (I know that sounds crazy, but African Violets do a lot better when they are sitting near to each other, as if they like the company).
Today I 'grew' some more Jiffy pellets and I'm going to plant the tomato seeds - our last frost date is about 6 weeks from now.
I'm not sure what to do about those lettuce seedlings... but the others seem to be getting close to '2nd transplant' size.
The great thing about the Jiffy pots and the yogurt containers is that you can write on them exactly what is inside them. The pellets, while terrific for watering from the bottom, are more challenging to lable. I've held off planting the tomatoes until I figure out a way to identify the seedlings, since I'm going to plant a whole variety of types of tomatoes. I have been finding that the Jiffy pots dry out quicker, though - too much peat, maybe?
I'm so excited that the other members of this little experiment are starting to post here - I think seeing how everyone fairs should make for some great reading.
And it seems that everywhere I look there are articles in magazines and books about backyard (specifically urban) gardening - I don't know if I just never noticed the buzz before, or if we're just part of a resurgence in home food production. I feel very excited about our little community of friendly food growers, and of what might emerge from our project.

Preparation

Getting ready to start planting to begin the process of initializing a garden . . . well, it's a bit tricky with the two small people in my life who require a lot of attention. My four year old son, Hayden, is really excited about the idea of a garden but when I suggested to him that he move a toy depot from in front of the sliding doors (where we will station our seedlings in hopes that they like the southwestern exposure and the two heating vents nearby) somewhere else so we could have space to put up the shelves, he balked.

He seems to really like his toys in front of the doors.

Thus began a series of negotiations that would make CIA hostage negotiators proud. Over the weekend, the toys got moved, the starter box provided by Melinda was brought out, and we laid everything out to look at it and figure out what Step One will be. Well, I figured it out while Hayden played garbage truck and Adeleine (15 months) rooted through my wallet.

Tonight we are doing the Jiffy pellets and starting some planting. We also have some egg shells and yogurt containers to plant in. I hope to take a picture to post because I think along with the excitement and anticipation of what we are creating, we will probably have some pretty hilarious moments, too. My kids may have dirt under their fingernails for the next six months, but I can't wait and I don't care. The thought of them digging and planting (and weeding . . . ) and seeing the results of the work and love that will go into the growing thrills me. I am so excited about this journey.

First Attempt

Hello Fabulous fellow bloggers

I just officially planted my first batch o' Tomatoes... The package said early.. so I went with it.. I must say I was a lil' disappointed with the jiffy packs only because I had hoped it would expand like one of those sponges in a capsule but instead took its time.. but well worth it.. For now I have only planted the Brookpact.. Fingers crossed I can make more than just one salad...

Stay tuned for more funness

Loving getting my hands dirty!

Cheers

T

First Batch

Last Sunday I planted the first batch of seedlings - 12 red peppers, 12 leeks, 12 onions. Sifting through techniques described in one book or another magazine ( I am a beginner, remember), I decided on Jiffy Pellets.

I am, if nothing else, diligent. I was prepared with my tray, my greenhouse lid, my pellets. I soaked the pellets (enthralled at how they just grow before your eyes as they soak up water!), I planted my seeds to the correct depth (hopefully), put the lid on. I decided on our unused pink bathtub as their home, with the exception of the 1 pellet I planted with my nephew, Hayden, the day before. That little guy (hopefully soon a healthy onion) got a place of honour in our sunny southern-facing window, covered in saran wrap.

1 week later, about 1/3 have sprouted. The 'test' plant that Hayden and I did sprouted right away, but the others lagged - soggy and dark. After a day or two it occurred to me that our house was too cold (we keep the temperature at 63F), so I went out and bought a seedling heating mat. That seemed to make a huge difference, the onions responded right away. As each pellet offered up a bland sprout, I moved it to a tray under a short flourescent light. So, one week later I have 3 leeks, 6 onions and 6 peppers sprouted, huddled under the light.

I've been giving them 16 hours of 'sunlight' per day, and like any unsure parent, check on them almost hourly. I am not exaggerating when I say that you can almost see them grow.

I've moved the 'unproductive' (ie the still-damp, folorn) pellets into the south-facing window - I'm pretty sure that nothing will happen in them, but don't want to condemn them to the compost heap yet. The unsprouted pellets never seemed to dry out, so I wonder if the seeds perhaps drowned.

Interestingly, the pellet containing the 'Hayden & his Aunt' test seeds has been holding its own quite nicely. At night it sits on the furnace register for warmth, and then in the morning when I open the curtains I move it up into the light. It is slightly shorter than its cohorts, but equally as green and thirsty for water. We also planted a few seeds in that pellet ( I tried hard to limit my other pellets to one seed per), and there are a few shoots emerging. I'm curious to see if the bright southern sunshine will nurture it almost as well as the low-hanging flourescent light.

This photo is pretty blown out, but the pellet is encased in a single-serving rice pudding tube, which not only holds the water, but seems to insulate the pellet.

So, one week in and now I've just planted batch #2 - hot peppers, more sweet peppers (to compensate for my rather sad germination rate), oregano, lettuce and red broom (which is not edible but the birds will like it). For this batch, I decided to try a more traditional route - yogurt containers (with holes drilled in the bottom) filled with seeding soilless mix for one half, and jiffy pots with the same mix for the other half. All the containers are in a tray, covered with a clear plastic lid and resting comfortably on the heating mat (in the pink bathtub, of course).

There is so much information available that is supposed to be geared to the 'inexperienced gardener', but I find little of it helpful because I find little of it specific. I suppose at the end of the summer I will have far more knowledge (born of my experience) and so won't sound so inept. I hope, however, that I'll be eating tomatoes and beets while I reflect on it.

The Thesis (part 1)

I decided to plant a garden.

My reasons leaned towards the political - I wanted to grow my own food, to know that it was nutritious and tasty and personal. I had read books that had supported my dream of growing lush plants, an abundance of produce. And so I ordered seeds - heirloom, rare, interesting, ones I had never heard of.

I ordered too many. FAR too many. So I decided that some of my friends might be interested in growing some rare heirloom tomatoes or peppers or beans. I explained my reasoning for growing food, why it seemed to me an important statement - to reclaim our food, to guarantee ourselves a nourishing supply of veggies, to be an Extreme Locavore, to know the satisfaction of shopping in our own back yard. I signed them up.

So this is "The Reclaiming Dinner Project".

Each of the participants have agreed to try and grow some heirloom seeds, to nuture them into producing what is bound to be some yummy produce. They come from a wide range of lifestyles and abilities... from the experienced gardeners with a backyard plot, to the completely inexperienced growing tomatoes in Home Depot 5-gallon buckets. Their enthusiam ranges as well - some are pretty excited about the possibilities that might emerge as a result of their efforts and some, I think, are doing this just to humour me.

I've packaged up seeds for them, based on their interests, committment and needs. I've asked them to blog about their experiences, to record their successes, failures, gourmet results, taste sensations. I am hoping that whatever we post here might encourage other 'urban gardeners' to try their hand at growing their own dinner. I am hoping that we all fall in love with our plants and the food that we grow. I have great expectations.

As I said, I've never started a garden from scratch, and so I count myself in the 'inexperienced' crowd - infinite hopes offset by a complete lack of knowledge. I'm pretty sure that I am not alone in this. I think that my generation is one of the first to rely almost soley on the 'supermarket', to lose the knowledge of growing our own food. For myself, I'd like to reverse those unlessons, to become more self-reliant and more empowered. I'd also like to see if I can do it - to know that I can feed myself to some degree.

And so it begins, my experiment in reclaiming dinner.