The Past Week

After working my butt off last weekend to get the yard in acceptable shape and clear out as much of the veggie patch as possible, it rained. It rained all week. Kind of every day all day rain. I was extremely happy that I had taken the time to get as much accomplished as I did, including getting all the leaf bags into the garage so they wouldn't get soaked.

A week later, the grass is green and all sorts of violets and trilliums are blooming. The seeds I planted with the kids last Monday are sprouting. We've propped the dome covers off and will move them to the window when the pellets have all seeded. Now that they are sprouting the kids are way more excited about them.

Today I hired the teenager next door and his cousin to help me move a wood pile that was taking up part of the veggie patch. My hubby had stacked it there over the winter, not realizing he had put it over not only a fair portion of the border of my garden but also over day lilies. Now the wood pile is tucked away near our back shed, out of sight (hideous blue tarps to keep the rain off included).

The lettuce I planted last weekend hasn't sprouted yet. On the suggestion of my sister, I put straws into the pots to label what I had planted there. I actually put the seed packet in a snack size zip baggie and stapled it to the straw, then inserted the straw in the pot. When I went to look at them last Tuesday (hoping even though we had planted them the day before that I would see some sprouts) the straws were gone! I think some crafty birds took them for their nests, seed packet labels and all.

Today the kids have wanted to be in the front yard all day no matter what I do to try to lure them to the back. Still, I have managed to prune back a dogwood bush and an exotic something-or-other shrub that grows beside our back porch and provides us with gorgeous purple Hibiscus-looking flowers in the summer. I raked out the portion of the garden that the wood had been stacked on.

There is still so much to do to prep the garden patch but today I am going to weed and turn the soil on the 4 x 4 portion I got done last weekend and then we going to put in carrots and more lettuce.

The camera battery is charging but once it's charged, I will take and post some pictures of my accomplishments and include a shot of the amazing table my husband crafted out of old spruce boards last weekend for our deck. It's phenomenal and at 6 feet x 2.5 feet, it's going to be the perfect place to host family and friend gatherings over the summer. I just hope I will be able to have salad bowl full and greens and veggies from my garden to put on it!

Photo by Scott Robinson

Gardening with Kids is Fun . . . But Not So Easy

Last year Melinda gave us two miniature growing greenhouses with Jiffy pellets to plant seeds with the kids. We didn't get to it last summer and the sight of them at the front door for the past year finally guilted me into planting something with the kids.

Today I rounded up my two and the two little boys next door to bestow upon them the lesson of the importance of growing our own food. I had visions of them surrounding me, overcome with awe as they planted their little seeds in the peat, talking nature and the beauty of life.

Here's what happened instead.

I couldn't get their attention, no matter what tactics I used. My daughter was interested until she put her finger into the wet peat and then she didn't want to do it anymore. My son only made references to how the expanding Jiffy pellets looked like poo. The youngest of the two boys next door didn't come near us the whole time. To my surprise, the oldest, who usually can't hold his attention on anything for more than one minute, was helpful in loosening the screening and fluffing the peat. He also diligently planted the seeds, replaced the dome on the greenhouse and took it into the kitchen. He did this while my son and the other boy next door ran around shooting each other with their pretend guns. My daughter wanted a snack.

I couldn't get a word in edgewise, between the poo comments and the running around and the shooting noises. I tried to stay Zen, sip my coffee and lightly cover over the seeds with the peat. Before I could even finish the second greenhouse, they were all off, running out to the front to play hockey.

I'm pretty sure that once the seeds germinate and poke out of the peat, that their interest will improve. They are all under the age of 7, afterall, and all about the instant gratification. I had Martha Stewart visions of what a bonding and communal experience planting with them would be, but in the end, kids are kids and they bounce around from activity to activity like superballs on sugar.

Since the kids aren't interested, I will post it here that we planted Black Eyed Susan and Calendula seeds. At least someone cares!

Tomato Yoga

If you read Melinda's most recent post, I'm sure you will delight in the idea of "tomato yoga" as much as I did. The idea of a tomato plant stretching to strengthen and limber its core is beautiful and I can attest that I have in just the past 24 hours seen for myself that this is the case. Yesterday Melinda gifted me with two cherry tomato seedlings. We made a hasty transfer from her car to mine in the cold and windy parking lot of Milestones. She had the pots lovingly wrapped in wet newspaper to give them moisture, and then tin foil to keep them warm. They were nestled in amongst more newspapers in an old hiking shoe box. They are hardy and robust already, even though they are so young.

I brought them home and unwrapped them from all of their dressings. I set up a table in our family room which has a large south-facing patio door and two heat registers. It's a sunroom without the skylights. The kids and I talked about how to be careful around them, especially when opening and closing the patio door. I grimaced as I remembered that our patio door screen often falls and because of some horrible installation prior to us moving here, the screen door was installed on the inside of the door. It often falls off its track and lands on the floor. I moved the plants far enough to the side that they would still get the light, but be out of the way of the dreaded falling screen.

What does this have to do with Tomato Yoga? I'm getting there! We went on with our day. This morning we were up early and getting on with our day but it wasn't until mid-morning when I came into the family room. By then the tomato plants had about 4 hours of full sunlight shining on them. I wanted to check them to see if they needed water or if they were cold and needed to be moved. And there they were: two beauties, green, lush even in their youth, stretching themselves toward the patio door, toward the sunlight. Kind of like downward dog for tomatoes! I turned the pots so they were stretching in the opposite direction and by mid-afternoon, they had stretched back to the patio door.

The miraculousness of this achievement could keep one's mind completely occupied for days, kind of like getting anything done around the house or garden with small children can. I can't wait to see the plants tomorrow, to see them stretching out toward the sun.

It's late evening now and the sky is dark and the blind is closed. The plants are perfectly upright; I imagine it is Mountain Pose and they will hold it until the sun coaxes them into a different stretch in the morning.

Tomato Love

I have just read that it's healthy for tomato seedlings to have their leaves / stems moved gently while they are still living indoors. The book recounted how a grandchild liked to touch the tomato plants, and how those seedlings had stronger stems for it. The author recommends taking a pencil and brushing it over the plants a couple of times a day. It sounds a bit like tomato yoga - stretching resulting in a strong, limber core.

That theory might explain why my tomato plants have generally been stronger than what every other expert would suggest I have reason to expect. I am not a gentle tomato grower. I transplant some too early, I move them around so they can share the light equally (and banging the pots around in the process). I jolt them, jostle them, and often accidentally push them over with water. But they seem no worse for wear, and in past years have reached the hardening off stage with a bit of sturdiness already. Perhaps, then, my innate clumsiness has some benefits.

People used to say the same thing about roses and African violets. Treat them gently! They're fussy and fragile and moody! They're challenging! I have to disagree - I have found that as long as I water them enough, and (in the cases of roses) prune somewhat, they flower and thrive and seem to enjoy themselves.

But back to the seedlings. I wonder why the prevailing mythology is that growing from seed is difficult / time consuming / space stealing. I wonder how it is that we've become so afraid of starting our own transplants. Despite the number of "self-help" books on the subjects, the "experts" have only reinforced the mystery around seed starting. And the problem with mystifying the process of growing plants from seeds is that it only benefits the nurseries.

This year my process was as basic as could be: soilless mix in a container, seeds into mix, cover, water, wait. Water, wait. Transplant, water, wait. I didn't take a course or apprentice with a gardening master. I read some books and went for it. And despite my lack of education and my haphazard methods, I've had success each year. Tremendous success because not only did my plants start, grow, flower and fruit, but I've been able to share the seedlings with my friends and co-workers and so have spread the joy homegrown food.

I guess my mantra will be "give it a go!" Throw a seed in some dirt and add water. Put it in a sunny window and watch it grow, just like you did in grade 2. It's not a lot harder than that, and just as fun as when you grew sunflowers in styrofoam cups in Ms. Duenechs' class.

Brussel Sprouts

I don't believe I've ever had a fresh-off-the-stalk brussel sprout. I don't know that I've even had one that was grown anywhere close to my kitchen. And since I do love Brussel Sprouts I've decided to give them a try.

I'm late planting the seeds, of course. By something like 10 weeks, considering my last frost date is Apr. 29. But since they taste best after a frost, and since apparently you can keep the plant alive in the root cellar (toed into sand) for the better part of the winter, I decided that better late than never. I planted 18 cells... I really love brussel sprouts.

It seems that tomatoes seedlings are hardier than I'd given them credit for. The seedlings that had had the mold near them are developing their 2nd set of true leaves, and I found some seedlings in some spilled soil at the bottom of a container I'd abandoned. I transplanted them last night, so it will be interesting to see if they survived.

I really appreciate that tomatoes can withstand my kind of love.

Spring Planting

Mar. 21

I planted my tomato and red pepper seeds in soilless mix that I had bought in January (back to my super-keen, anxious-for-spring mindset). I used recycled juice /cream / milk containers that I had cut out into flats. I planted them a bit later this year than in previous years, because the Farmer's Almanac says this spring will be wetter and colder than average... I didn't want to have 2' plants in my living room window, waiting to be able to be put in the ground. Within 5 days the cherry tomatoes for the most part had sprouted up (except for the white varieties: the white currant and the white cherry). It was pretty exciting to see them pop up so early, by tomato standards. By day 7 most were fully sprouted. But the standards and peppers weren't showing much action...

Mar. 24

I noticed that mold had developed along the cardboard dividers I had placed in the containers to mark out the different varieties. I pricked out the plants, carefully avoiding the mold, and transplanted the seedlings (which still hadn't achieved their first true set of leaves) into bigger plastic containers (reused from last year), and used new soilless mix.

Mar. 26

Set down another batch of white cherry seeds, most of the standards again, and some different varieties of peppers. I also put down a huge batch of basil. This time By day 10 the standards and basil had started to sprout, but the peppers were still being stubborn. I also realized why I hate using starting mix with peat - the containers dry out so easily and then I find the little plants get drowned while the water pools on top, waiting to be absorbed. I was pleased to discover that the seedlings I'd transplanted prematurely to deal with the mold showed no sign of distress.

Apr. 1

Planted bunching and red onion seeds. I realized how late

Apr. 5

I gave in and bought 2 heating mats. After putting them under the flats I had sprouting peppers within 2 days. I had thought that putting them near my south facing wall would offset the cool 64 degrees we keep the house at... but clearly the mats were the trick. I bought the mats at my favourite seed / supply store (Tregunno seeds in Hamilton) and talked with John (my go-to guy for everything gardening - he lives close enough to me to be "local knowledge" and has years of experience to pass along) about the struggles with peppers. He said he had some pepper seeds that hadn't sprouted after 20 days. It was a relief to find out that they can wait it out so long in the moist soil without sprouting, and yet without dying or getting moldy.

Apr. 10

I planted out peas in one of the raised beds. I'm trying Gold and blue peas, as well as shelling peas. I am a pea lover, and can't even imagine a blue pea...

Today

Most of the flats are under lights and seem to be coming right along. The plastic plug and 2" square flat containers seem to work a lot better than the cardboard containers, and the toilet paper rolls that I had experimented with. I wouldn't try sprouting in the toilet paper rolls again - the roots of the seedlings had already gotten embedded in the rolls by the time I transplanted them and the rolls also seemed prone to the mold. I think that washing and reusing the plastic containers will be next year's choice. I am experimenting with 1 flat of basil in my south-facing, unobstructed window, to see how they fare compared to their relatives that were planted at the same time but which have lived under grow lights. The basil is also being grown as 'multi-transplant'... to date I haven't thinned them at all. I might try to leave a couple as multi's, just to see if, like onions, they will thrive in a bunch.

This week it'll be time to focus on kale, carrots, and getting the beds ready for the rest of the bunch...