I have sprouts. I have some pictured here. I noticed while looking at my babies that my pumpkin seeds are making their way to the light as well! No mater sprouts yet...darnit.
These are my cukes and collards
This message was edited Mar 29, 2006 10:59 AM
another pik...that in the corner is one of my bean sprouts
This message was edited Mar 29, 2006 10:58 AM
another pik...my corn poking through
This message was edited Mar 29, 2006 10:59 AM
A bit curious as to why you're starting all those plants indoors ahead of time. We have a pretty long growing season in Maryland. I will have beans by July 4th just direct sowing them in late April/early Mary.
I wanted to get them started to see if I could do it. I was told this was a good time to start the seeds by various people, as well as the seed packets saying the same.
You'll probably be dissapointed in corn...they set 1 to 2 ears per stalk and need at *least* 50 plants to pollinate properly. It's not very happy about being transplanted either. Pumpkins don't like their roots to be disturbed and should be started inside within 2 weeks of planting out..(if at all)
I noticed that you're using peat pots. Be sure to tear the bottom out and split the side when planting them out...contrary to advertisment...they do *not* decompose and your plants might be root bound in them...be sure to plant all the way passed the rim...or tear it off. It will wick water out of the soil and away from roots if left exposed.
That said, your plants look very nice...just be careful about the water.
Well, as far as the corn, I learned a trick from a master gardener to get a good crop from a small amount. I don't mean to be mean, but you guys are really bursting my bubble with all the negative talk.
Melody, have you tried the peat packs? I got peat six and eight packs this year that are really decomposing fast (in the flats). they are falling apart at the edges and i have gobs of roots coming through the bottom. I will still tear the rims off when i plant to avoid wicking, but i am not worried about the bottom or sides. These are more like spit balls packed together, they are very flimsy. I am much happier with them than i was with the peat pots where they didn't come apart well. It seems to me the peat technology is improving, or perhaps it is a brand thing.
Noobie, your peat pots look burly, like what i have used in the past, and i agree with Melody, unless you have roots coming out the bottom, tear it off the bottom and slit the sides. Tearing off the rim is especially important. I notice a huge difference in the amount i have to water my starts in peat compared to the ones in plastic cells. The peat really wicks the water. Good luck with your garden this year! Looks like your well on your way to becoming as obsessed as some of us :)
Melissa
noobie - it's like everything else in life - you get 10 people, you have 10 opinions!
I have had bad luck with peat pots myself, but that's just because I'm a space cadet and never seem to get the watering down right. I drown them - or I fry them! BAD JANICE! Don't do well with Jiffy Starter either. Sheesh - Give me Miracle Grow or give me...???
Your babies look great and I'm sure you'll do fine.
BTW, I'd love to hear your corn secret. I don't have much space, but I'd love to try it. And quite frankly, I'd be thrilled with 2 ears per! Each success is measured in baby steps - 2 ears this year...and next year, there will be no stopping me!!!
Gardening, like life, needs to be tackled in bite sized peices!
Noobie, we crossed posts. I hope you don't feel anyone is being mean on purpose. Sometimes it is hard to read advice. :) You lose all the voice intonation and it can seem very blunt, especially if someone is trying to send a quick note. Most people here are really quite nice and helpful!
Take the advice you like from people and forget the rest! Nobody knows it all and we can all learn something from one another. I recently read a thread on how to start tomatoes and OMG! you wouldn't believe the detailed steps of planting, transplanting what not to do, what really not to do and what you must never EVER do! I have done most of the don'ts for many years and get great plants. Some people just take things very seriously. I am sure that the poster has higher germination rates than me (mine are pretty good though) but i am a backyard family gardener, and therefore it isn't as crucial. If i recall she sells starts and has way more invested. I did learn A TON from her post and i'll definitely take some of the advice for next season, but it would have been awful easy for me to feel like a complete idiot who did everything wrong after reading the post if i didn't remember, there are lots of ways that work, not just one. And every one has a learning curve. Enjoy the ride!
Noobie,
Sequee and i crossed posts too, but... What she said! "Bite sized pieces."
Just don't go trading with her for double orange cosmos... You'll never know what hit you!
:)
Hush girl - or I'll hitcha with another baggie of seeds.
Oh, yeah, noobie, in case you are wondering what tombaak means it's OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER, with an enabler for a husband. (Ask her exactly WHAT she ordered this season...cracking up over here. You, my dear, have come to the right place. But, um, we won't hurt you little girlie - want some candy???)
Candy? I want some candy!
I believe i coined (and we embodied) the term O Seed D for obsessive seed disorder. And my seed order would have been under 140, if Sequee wouldn't have mentioned needing tomatoes!... Then there was the Harvest Moon order... Oh yes, and Sequee, i DID order the Clarimore zucchini from Johny's. I managed to keep it down to four additional seed packets, and one of them was a gift for someone!
Noobie, need any squash seeds? Seriously, Sequee has a bit of a problem in the squash O Seed D area and i have quite a few varieties. Just let me know.
:)
OMG - you...ordered...without...me... Laws, I've got the vapos...!
noobie - all I want from you is your corn secret...and have I got a deal for you! LOL! (down tombaak!)
Hey noobie, I'm interested in your corn technique. I've always wanted to grow corn, and am looking for any unique and unusual ways to try it.
Where'd you go ? You still there ? Noobie ? hello ?
The corn secret is to plant them in a spiral, so that way no matter how much you have or don't have, they all pollinate each other no matter which way they blow. The person that told me about this has had successful corn crops.
I'm willing to give it a try. I didn't realize how much my grandparents rubbed off on me when I would spend hours with them in the garden. This is my second year gardening, and I have learned a lot, and I expect to learn more every year. Thanks for the kind words guys.
Tombaak, thanks for the squash offer, but I'm not a squash eater and I can't get hubby or kids to eat it either. I will take some pepper seeds if anyone has them....I forgot to get those.
The spiral is an old Indian trick and it works...but you still have to have quite a few plants. Don't disturb the roots when you transplant.
I just don't like peat...it's hard to properly keep hydrated and I've tilled my garden in the fall and turned over nearly intact pots. You can recycle plastic (and keep it free of mold) and peat is a non renewable item.
What kind of peppers would you like? Mine are on the lethal scale of the spectrum for the most part...but have a couple of milder ones. No bells though. What uses are you planning for them and I may have a few I can send you.
Do you mean that they are planted in a growing circle type spiral rather than in rows ? Makes a lot of sense. Our winds are mostly from the south here during summer, and I always wonder how the ones on the south side manage to get any pollen.
It is amazing how many memories are made in the garden with our loved ones. Your grandparents gave you more than just garden knowledge.
My son says his favorite memory (from gardening) is the year we had such a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes that we had a tomatoe fight right there in the garden. That was a fun memory, but the part he likes to tell everyone about is how Mom laughed so hard during the tomatoe fight, she had to go in and change her drawers. Hmph. Well, so much for dignity. But if that memory makes him smile when I'm gone, I guess it was all worth it. Everytime I grow cherry tomatoes, I just have to smile and think about those good times. He's all grown up and moved away now.
Noobie, enjoy all those memories, and make a few more as you learn about your garden. I learned not to plant 35 CHERRY tomatoe plants !
Melody, I grew bell peppers last year. I like to cut up peppers for salads, and for my homemade lasagna and when I make Italian sausage.
My grandmother (who just passed last February) was Italian (from Napoli), and she would make the MOST delicious lasagna, and would use all kinds of veggies...right from Grandpa's garden...and all different kinds of meat. I make my lasagna in honor of her every time I make it. She also LOVED peppers, which is why I promised myself that I would always grow some kind of pepper.
So that advice you gave about tearing the bottom out, you mean when I go to transplant, right? How do you do that without disturbing the roots?
Sory, no bells...I usually just buy the 'transplant du jour' for them at the big box stores. I do have a few extra seeds of the Chervena Chushka Pepper. It's a Bulgarian heirloom with no heat. Ripens from green to brown to red. Fruits are 2"x6". Used fresh, for cooking, and drying to sweet Paprika. Germination was great on the ones I already have planted. You'll need to get them started right away if you want some though. Let me know if they intrest you. They are very sweet.
Yes, tear the peat pot when you transplant outside....you'll may risk the roots a bit, but if you're careful they'll be fine. Stuff like Tomatoes and peppers actually need a bit of root shock...stimulates growth. The other stuff is pretty picky, so be careful...but it really needs to be done. I'd wet the pot really good before I did it. That may help.
Yes, corn planted in a spiral row, coiling around on itself. It does help when you're not planting a field full.
I certainly didn't mean to be negative, but, seriously, I think you'll find with experience that direct sowing will give you less trouble and better results in the end for many of these crops. If we were in Maine with a much shorter growing season, might be a different story, but, we're not. I've already direct sowed peas, lettuce, arugula, beets, onions, radishes, etc. -- basically all the cool season crops. I'm a bit south of you, and in a warm microclimate near the Bay, but I did this sowing back in late February or maybe it was the first week of March. In any event, most of the seeds are now up and growing IN THE GARDEN. The only things I start ahead indoors are tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Everything else I direct sow.
Planting corn in blocks or spirals or whatever you want to call it is the only way to hope for decent pollination in relative small plantings. You may also find that you need to help pollination along even then. I don't usually bother growing sweet corn (just too much of it readily available from nearby farmers), but I have grown pop corn in my small garden. I planted in a block and then used a clean paint brush to transfer pollen from the tassels to the silks. Wasn't hard and didn't take long, although the neighbors thought I was nuts.
Mary is right that so many of these crops don't actually need to be started indoors...actually, in temperate zones like ya'll are in , they'll do much better if direct sown...there's no chance of transplant shock.
All I start indoors are tomatoes, peppers and eggplants ...everything else is direct seeded. I have over 200 frost free days...and ya'll should be close to that, if not more. Direct seeded plants will usually catch up and pass the transplants.
Take heart though, your little seedlings look healthy and happy, and given a bit of TLC, they should be successful producers in your garden.
Aurdra,
Take Melody's and Mary's advice next year and keep it simple. I'm much cooler than you and I have so much better luck with direct sowing of beans and vining crops. It's so much easier to stick a bean in the ground than to plant and transplant. My DH is a corn breeder and he grows sweet corn around his nursery to keep the raccoons from eating trials and there's always some left for us humans so I've never grown corn. I do start my tomatoes, peppers and eggplants and we start our own onions and leeks although it's a lot of work for DH to plant and buying onion plants would probably be easier. But DH is so proud of his onions and leeks and if he's willing to sit out on some very cold ground to plant 'em I figure it's his butt who's freezing, not mine.
If you're interested in Italian veggies try Harvest Moon Farms and Seeds http://www.felcopruners.net/. They have some great Italian seeds and although it may be a little late for this year you might be interested next year. If you're interested in plain old bell peppers I buy the California Wonders at Walmart for 10 cents a pack and have great luck with them.
Just have fun with the garden, that's what it's all about.
Nancy
I tried sowing directly into the ground last year, and ended up buying plants. That's why I wanted to try seeds. But thanks for all the advice it is really helpful! And Melody I think I would like to try those peppers.
This message was edited Mar 30, 2006 10:10 AM
D-mail me your snail mail addy and I'll get you some right out.
I'll be on line for the next few minutes...but am headed out shortly.
Oh, man! Harvest Moon Farms and Seeds are great toorder from! They have some great varieties! Come on Spring!!!
Noobie I was the same way with direct sowing then I read the Square food Gardening book and he made the best suggestion buy agrcultural grade vermiculite poke your seed hole 2x the regular depth add vermiculite to the seed planting depth add the seed and cover with vermiculite (I premoisten the vermiculite) this will keep the seed wet enough to germinate with out daily watering. You buy the vermiculity at a garden store do not buy anywhere else it will not be the right kind and be TOO expensive. If you have not read his book I really recommend that and Lasagna gardening
I've heard of both of those books. My night stand is getting more full every day with gardening books. I will have to purchase those at some point.
Oh, good, I'm not the only one with the nightstand wobbling under the pile of gardening books.
I had great luck with transplanting the curcubits: melons, cukes, zukes and watermelon. 2 or 3 varieties of each. And I didn't use peat pots. I knew I wasn't supposed to transplant, but thought I'd give it a go. And I'm also trying the spiral for sweet corn! I have an old variety called Luther Hill.
Curcubits can be transplanted...it's just difficult to do it at the exact right time. They get rootbound and stressed very quickly...then your plants don't produce very well.
Best time is when you have one true leaf about the size of your thumbnail. The 2 cotyledons appear and then the true leaf will pop out beetween them. This is the absolute best time...you can transplant later with success...but your window of opportunity is closing quickly after the true leaves appear.
What is root bound? My pumpkins have sent roots through the sides and bottoms of the peat pots....and the two cotyledons haven't even fully popped out of the seed shell!! I don't know how I am going to get them ouf of those pots!
Don't try in this case. That's the thing with curcubits...big root systems. At this point you'll probably do more harm than good in trying to tear off the peat pot.
Maybe poke it with a knife in a couple of places before planting out. Just be sure to tear off the rim of the pot though...they need to be planted at the same depth as they are growing and the peat does not need to be above the soil line..
Noobie, when you plant them out, plant a seed or two as well to be on the safe side. It's a great way to also see how quickly a seed can catch up w/ a t.p. I don't plant out the curcubits until 2 or 3 weeks AFTER last frost (tomatoes go in at last frost) and I cover their beds with newspaper or black plastic first to warm them up. But that's not necessary. And you're a zone up from me.
Hey, that's an excellent idea to plant a seed or two alongside of the plant.
Leave it to Zeppy to have a back-up plan. lol
I have an unlimited amount of self-doubt, PeggieK, and I put it to good use. :)
Yep, I can grow that real well.......snicker.
Hey, Noobie, I planted my tomato starts WAAAY too early, because I also needed to see that exciting "Boing" when they sprout and jump up... and they'll be fine.
all of my plants are doing very well. Except my cukes...they are a little leggy. I've gotta get these things in the ground, but I may have to put them in bigger pots because it's not warm enough for them to go out yet and they are getting HUGE.
I know what you mean. My cuke seedlings are doing great, but it's not near warm enough to plant them out.
Hi all,
This is an interesting thread. I know I'm from so.cal., so probably really NEVER need to start my seedlings indoors (we're so spoiled here in this climate) but I start them from seed indoors because I love to "grow them from scratch", but I make my own transplantable pots from old rolled & tucked newspapers. Usually by the time they're ready to plant outdoors the newspaper has just about had it and it totally falling apart so there in no need to cut the bottom out and are much less expensive than those peat moss thingys :>)
