Well, I had started some seeds in a plastic doughnut dozen container, in the flat part which is about an inch tall.
Lots of the seeds came up, but the leaves were very slow growing, and few on each seedling, so I decided to transplant each into deeper containers to see if that would help. Almost all the action had gone into roots--long, wide root masses with many branching off smaller roots, especially on the rhubarb and asparagus seeds. (Haven't dug up the tomato/pepper/cabbage seedlings yet to transplant to larger deeper container.) Wonder if this year's doughnut container seedlings will need less garden water when transplanted there than last year's did? Surely all those extra roots should be good for something?
It's hot here this week for early May (up in 80's), and the stuff (spinach, Swiss chard,beet, radish, pea, onion) directly seeded earlier into straw/dirt in yard with straw covering on top is doing much better than the stuff with bare dirt on top.
Yesterday around 3PM I stuck my finger into the bare dirt top, and it was hot soil over a finger joint deep.
Today I wound up putting 8 oz. yoghurt cups with the bottom cut out, inverted, over the spinach/celery/beet seedlings transplanted by the rosebush on the N side of trailer, shadiest spot in whole property and they were still frying from the afternoon sun, as they've done all week.
Doesn't seem to be bothering the feed store green peas, though. I've got them scattered all over the place,near other stuff that gets watered; they were planted at different times the past month, and while slow to come up,once popped up they really are leafing out. That presoaking for 1-3 days and deep planting really worked better (or the feedstore had better bulk dried whole green garden peas that I used for seed) than last year's following directions on garden catalog seed packet. This year the chukars are ignoring them, and going after other (unidentified) stuff. Nitrogen for my sandy soil! (And maybe green peas for my table, if we don't have three days of snow again in June this year.
roots in plastic doughnut dozen container
Wow, You must live in the Desert. It is such a task , compared to the conventional gardening. We too could still get snow! Isnt it weird? You are definitely prepared to do what it takes to keep your plants going. May I make a suggestion? So you dont have to work so hard. You need micro-climates. And Filtered shade.
Palo Verde, and Mesquite are excellent trees for the Shade.Ill have some fresh seed later in the season.Keep your eyes posted for Trading forum. These trees are super fast growers. up to 4 feet in the first season. And a row of trees(Eucalyptus is excellent) and shrubs to the North-west as a wind-break. The sooner you get your micro-climate going the better. Good Luck! All those veggies sound like great eatin!