Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Gardening Fail

I mentioned in my last post that I started without knowing much about cool weather vs warm weather crops, or about planting times. Here's an example of a gardening FAIL.

Those beans that are stupid tall started flowering indoors today. I guess my best course of action is to pinch off the flowers since they will put all their energies into flowers that can't be pollinated. So very sad to pinch off such a pretty little thing.

These bean plants are now four weeks old. They should probably be going into the ground at three weeks, but with all the snow and rain and cold, being a warm weather crop they wouldn't survive a minute out there. They need 60/70 degree weather and Minnesota just won't get there. Next year I will start the seeds the last week of April, three weeks should fall right after the last frost then. Or at least closer than I am this year!

That is my note for next year.


Meanwhile, I am trying to indoor weather my plants a little and am putting a low fan on them from time to time. I read it somewhere but don't really know if it's a GOOD idea. The logic seems appropriate. I figure it's a beating before the beating I will ease them into outside. It doesn't seem to hurt them at least. 


Friday, April 25, 2014

#gardenchronicles

Any good gardener will tell you the most important thing about gardening is taking good notes. I am not a good gardener. But I am a good writer.



#gardenchronicles started showing up last year in my instagram feed when I planted my first small container vegetable garden. I had successes and failures. After last year, I said BIGGER. True to my word, this year I went really big but started really small... with the smallest of small... seed.

It seems the more I am confused, the more I seem to learn. I'm reading and re-reading and failing and winning all along the way. The good gardeners of the world say to take notes for a better next year.

Here are my notes as I am 26 days in:

I have learned so much about the importance of paying attention to germination days and grouping plants according to that timeline. Mostly because I sure didn't do that. I know more, now, about cold weather and warm weather vegetables and, man, did I do that wrong! It would have been useful to know which plants are slow growing vs fast growing, something I am sure one only learns from the experience I am lacking. I currently have 1/2 inch plants next to 30 inch plants - a height difference that makes you wonder...where do I put the light? And lastly, perhaps most importantly, I have learned that when you put a seed in dirt, it really DOES grow and I surely don't need this many next year.

Now onto the specifics:


Zucchini (summer squash)

- fast and tall grower
- warm weather crop
- start seed indoors the last week of April
- this giant seed preferred growing in loose dirt in eggshells (vs tightly packed pellets), they easily pushed through the soil








Bush Beans

- fast and tall grower
- warm weather crop
- start seed indoors the last week of April
- this giant seed preferred growing in loose dirt in eggshells (vs tightly packed pellets)
- this particular plant (out of 3) is stupid tall, I can't slow it down! I put the light right on it so it didn't have to waste energy reaching for it and it grew right past. It's leggy and huge and it makes me nervous. I actually checked my seed packet to make sure I didn't buy climbing beans!
- books tell me beans are independent growers and are not companion to anyone.


Tomato (black krim variety)

- slower growing and hardy
- start indoors the second week of April
- I have had pretty good luck thinning these by pricking out rather than pinching off seedlings. Hold tiny seedlings by leaves rather than stems.
- they all popped up in mass, I have given away 7 or so and still have 3 at home








Marigold

- slower growing
- start indoors the second week of April
- every single seed I planted grew
- start indoors the second week of April
- I have learned they are the prettiest
- Apparently, Marigold like bad soil - this is not something I have learned from experience yet, but have read about. Likewise, books tell me they are a good pest deterrent, so I'm planning to surround my veggies with them




Sage

- the slowest to germinate, full 10 days
- start indoors the second week of April
- after I already bought the seeds, I read everywhere that they are a pain to start from seed and you should just buy starts. I got a few buds initially then killed them all with a light that was too close. This is my second attempt at Sage seedlings (seeds, use em if ya got em) and it's looking promising.
- I am bad at photographing sage





Kale

- quick to germinate (popped up in a single day)
- slow to grow
- cold weather crop, I am currently starting to ease them into the outdoors with plastic bottles as greenhouse covers. Apparently, kale is sweeter when kissed by frost (but a french kiss will kill them)









Basil

- slow grower
- I'm surprised that only two of my four attempts have survived so far. I tend to think of basil as hardy and the seedlings are not so
- they are cute when they grow though









We will also be sowing some mint and radishes directly outside soon too.

The verdict is in:


I will NEVER use pellets again. They are packed too firm that it made pushing through difficult for big seeds. They stay hard little clumps forever. I like the eggs. When I transferred into paper pots, the eggs kept the water close to the plant and maintain the moisture better. Also, my biggest kale and tomato plants were started in eggshells. The eggs win.










Day 29:























And I'm not kidding, that bean plant is really 30" tall


















One more thing: I learned a lot about growing lights. Most bulbs that call themselves 'grow lights' are not any good at it. They veer to one side of the color spectrum, offering green foliage but lacking blossoms for example. It's important to buy full spectrum light bulbs. I bought some CFL's in the 5000 Kelvin range, they are usually labeled things like "natural daylight" in 100 Watt (comparable). My plants seems to love it. My plants did NOT love the 'grow light' I bought when I didn't know any better.