Planted 85 pots of seeds

Planted eighty-five pots of seeds. I mixed just a little bit of cow manure into the seed starting soil. This may have been a mistake, I learned from a fellow gardener. The manure may burn the seeds. But hopefully, since it was such a very, very small amount (1/3 cup mixed into two large bags of seed starter soil) it won’t harm the seeds. If it does, I learned my lesson. Don't beat me up about it. :oD

I was just trying to give a little extra umph. We'll see.


Planted:

Spearmint
Oregano
Spinach (Bloomsdale)
Asparagus (Mary Washington)
Beans (Kentucky Blue)
Sweet Corn (Silver Choice)
Leeks (American flag)
Eggplant (Burpee Hybrid)
Cucumber (straight eight)
Lettuce (Vivian)
Tomatoes: Viva Italia, sweet baby girl, steak sandwich
Carrots (touchon)
Watermelon (crimson sweet)
Collards (Georgia)

This year planted in larger pots, not the peat pellets. This way they will have more room to grow before needing to be transplanted. They are under garden lights and also getting natural sunlight. I should start to see sprouts between April 8th and April 11th. Let’s hope that everything goes well with all of them.


This message was edited Apr 2, 2007 6:07 PM

Was it fresh cow manure? I've used cow manure in my hills for years(dig a shallow hole add a couple of shovelfuls of manure, tablespoon or two of fertilizer, mix up with dirt and pop in the seeds) have great seed germination. The manure usually has been sitting around for at least a couple of months though. I know this method is not in pots but I figure it must be the same for the seeds whether it be in the ground or pots!

Wow! Sounds like you're going to have a great garden. Let us know how everything does!

Sue :-)

I bought the cow manure. It was bagged. It felt and looked like dirt and had no smell to it. I guess the factory process removed all of the harmful bacteria and just left the nutrients. That's what I have read about it.

I am hoping to have a great garden, Sue!! We'll see!!

i have 6 flats of plant & flower seeds. they all sprouted. i use grow lights and heating pads underneath to aid in germination. i bought this rather expensive stuff from home depot called worm poop. its sold in a recycled 2 liter bottle. i have been mixing it in the water to water my seedlings. they re all under grow lights.. it seems to be working well. i have been considering vermicomposting, or growing worms. their poop is supposed to be ideal for starting seeds. anyone else tried this?

Sounds like a great start to your garden, noobie! Take pictures and post them! If the manure didn't smell, it was most likely composted plenty. I wouldn't worry about that. I used both peat pellets and peat pots this year, and though it's fun to watch those pellets swell, I don't think I'll be using them anymore. I've had roots get bound in them!

kathy, there are some good vermicomposting threads on the Soil and Composting forum -- check them out! This will be my second summer as a worm rancher, and I've come to love the little guys.

They're hard to brand, though...

;p

I HAVE SPROUTS! AND ONLY FOUR DAYS AFTER PLANTING!! I usually don't see anything until day 6 or 7. I have two sweet corns, a collard, a lettuce, and a spinach plant. The kids were so excited that they are right now drawing pictures for the baby plants so that they don't get lonely. I tell you, gardening is fun, but having little ones around makes it that much better!!

Your report (sprouts and kids) just put the biggest grin on my face!!

One of my young neighbors came over yesterday to ask if I had any "seed starters" but wasn't clear just what she needed... I asked what seeds she was starting, and she showed me a pack of bachelor buttons, so I sent her home with a couple of wintersowing containers of potting mix, all ready for her seeds. I'll have to have her over the next time I'm doing some transplanting... she helped water all the flats of seedlings one year when we were away, and I know she's entranced by the seed starting shelves downstairs. Maybe we'll even start some more bachelor buttons...

More of my corn sprouted!

Critter...what are bachelor buttons? I'd like to know because they have such an interesting name.....

This may help you with the batchelor button question. I've grown them and they're really nice.
http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/flowers/annuals/bachelor.asp

Gardening and kids are just meant for eachother! My 2 year old grand daughter loves to "pet" my small pot of rosemary and my tomato seedlings. She "smells" them by exhalling on them :-) So cool to be making gardening memories with the next generation. Some of my fondest memories are of my kids and I growing things.

yeah...the kids definitely make it more enjoyable. The wonder in their eyes when they see a tiny seedling peeking through the dirt. Aaron noticed another plant sprouted today...one of my leeks. He was so excited you would have thought it was Christmas!!!

Rose...thanks for the link. Very informative.

One of my steak sandwich mater plants and more corn have sprouted!!!! The other pots should really start sprouting now since this marks day seven. I am like an expectant mother awaiting the arrival of her child. Sheesh. I keep getting worried, but then each day I go back in the laundry room and another one has sprouted. Then I say to myself "they will all sprout, they will all grow, they will all be alright."

Gosh. Does anyone else do this?

Yes.

:-)

I think we all do! I think my DH thinks I pamper the seedlings more than him(well.....!)lol
Sue

LOL glad to know it's not just me. I still have a lot of pots with no signs of life yet. But I do have two more mater plants and a carrot plant that have sprouted. they are so tiny.

Don't give up on them! Sometimes I think I plant a few seeds a little deeper than the rest and it takes longer for them to sprout.

I'm keeping the faith.....

my kids, 18 & 22 ,say i love my seedings more than them and pay more attention to my seed trays & grow lights. my honey says " do you think that looking at them helps them grow". i say YES!! best of luck to all of us seedies! kathy

I have the cutest little oregano sprout. It is about the size of a pencil point. I almost missed it. It is so small you can't even see it on the camera. A couple more of my maters sprouted. Still have quite a few pots with no sprouts but I am keeping the faith. I go in there and sit and stare at the pots and talk to them, too, Kathy! So don't feel badly.

Gosh I just love Dave's Garden!!!!

How exciting!! It sounds like all your seedling babies are doing great!!

as i am writing this it is snowing like crazy! we have about 4" already. it has been snowing since 6am. we have a winter advisory till 7am tomorrow. SHEESH!!! crazy weather!. to make myself feel better i am transplanting my seedlings from their cells to larger jiffy & plastic pots. my beans(bush) are about 6" tall already. my tomatoes are still pretty small yet. they dont have their 2nd set of leaves . my peppers are about the same. they are both about1&1/2" tall. i planted purple sweet peas and they are really tall.(8") i transplanted them yesterday. i made my own trellises using wooden skewers. i sliced up a wine cork in 1/2" slices and then stuck the sharp end of the skewers in the cork pieces, making a tripod.stuck it in the dirt in the pot .... instant support. this was my honeys idea. i also used a glue gun and broke the skewers into 3rds and glued them across three skewers. my idea was a little more labor intensive than my honeys but seems to work better. stuffs lookin pretty good.. this is my second year of starting seeds indoors. i made my own growing rack by getting a plastic display rack from the local grocer for free. it has 4 shelves. each shelf is about 18" wide&24" long. they are about 20" from each shelf above. i wired 24"grow lights to each shelf. (got those on sale at menards). this gives me three shelves to put the cell packs on and i stuck a grow light in one of my antique floor lamps for the top shelf. its workin pretty good if i do say so myself! i am planning to make another one for next year. my only complaint is that when comparing my notes from last year my plants were much bigger by now. the only thing different is the weather was much nicer and i was able to use my portable green house. i am certain this difference was due to the heat and sun in the greenhouse.i think i may be obsessed.. ya think??? heh heh kathy

I like your skewer tripod idea, may try something similar for my morning glory seedlings that are starting to leap for the sky... Did you put it cork end down, like a fan trellis, or cork end up, like a teepee?

critter, cork up like a teepe. the wooden skewers are cheap and i had them from bbq-ing. careful cutting up the corks, you need a really sharp knife & a solid cutting board!the wine... we drank! whats your weather like? still have snow on the ground here! green house still empty.. do you know why my tomato plants still have only one set of leaves?. i guess at least they arent leggy.. i think i am going to transplant to jiffy pots or papercups any way. any thoughts? , how many critters do you have?. i have a puppy almost a year. he ate my green house cover about a week ago. the kids left him in the yard while i was gone and he was obviously bored.. costly mistake. thats what you get with college kids.. happy seeding
noobie.. i have found that pepper plants are the slowest to germinate. at least 4 me. kathy

two more maters and two more cukes!!! I've had quite a few plants sprout since I last posted in here. Down to about 15 pots that still have no sign of life. But that's not bad since I have 85 pots. And I still remain hopeful that they will all bloom.

Kathy...peppers are the one thing I don't have....I think I am just going to get them from the nursery this year......

I finally see my first watermelon plant sprouting!!! Also saw three more mater plants sprouting and a collard plant. They were so tiny I almost didn't see them. I missed them earlier this morning.

Maybe this year I can actually get some watermelons. Anyone have any tips on how to get my watermelons to grow? I haven't had any success with them the past two years, but I am determined to get some melons!!!

Kathy, very clever idea with the little skewer teepees... I'll be making some of those, I think!

Noobie, if it's hot peppers that you'd like, LMK... I lost some of my sweet pepper seedlings, so may not have extras, but I know I'll have some spare chili plants! I've found that bottom heat is the key to quick germination and sturdy pepper seedlings.

Sorry, I have no idea on the watermelons... I haven't even been able to get cantelopes to maturity, so haven't tried other melons.

Thanks, Critter! That's kind of you. I would like sweet peppers though. I may even look for some pepper seeds instead of buying seedlings. What do you use the hot peppers for?

Chili!

Yes, it is cold outside, but what do you use hot peppers for? ;o)

Sorry, couldn't resist....

LOL

Yes, chili... also, hot sauces and salsa! DH is worried that we could run out of hot sauce (as if!), so he asked that I grow habaneros again this year... I've got 'Red Savina', 'Francesca', 'Chocolate Hab' and 'Fatalii' started, all of which were favorites from a couple of years back when we grew way too many varieties of habs!

You're pretty close to Bhenke's, aren't you? They always had such a nice selection of sweet peppers, especially the various bell types.... You can generally find sweet pepper plants for maybe $1 each, so unless you want a lot of them it's probably easier to purchase plants than to start from seed. If you still get up to Frederick every so often, Dutch Plant Farm should also have a reasonable selection.

i grow the hot peppers for my salsa. i put up over 60 jars last year. i also put up jalepeno rings.. delicious on nachos! my sons like the salsa HOT! so i usually put 10 or more in a batch of salsa(including seeds). i have to make seperate mild batches for myself.. i dont like it so hot! my dad had the best watermelons. he planted them in hills. 5 to a hill.the key is not to disturb the blossoms once you get them. they like sand, you have to watch for cutworms & slugs in the melons and allow plenty of space. my dad always turned the melons so they didnt sit on one side for long. if i could figure how to post a picture i could show you a pic of him holding a 16# melon!. kathy

two more spinach and a collard have sprouted. I also started basil, sweet pepper and parsley seeds. Started them in those peat pots to do an experiment and see if they will germinate more quickly than the ones I started in small pots. Since I am starting mid-April, perhaps they won't get root bound by transplant time like they did last year.....

Kathy....you go to the bottom and hit the browse button and go to the place on the computer where you have your picture saved. Select the picture and hit 'OK' or 'OPEN' (whichever button is highlighted on your computer) and then hit send to post like you normally do. Let me see the pik!!!! :o)

The best luck I've had with growing watermelon and cantalope is planting in a hill of aged manure(a good 2 or 3 shovelfuls) and soil mixed together with a couple of tablespoons of 10-10-10 mixed in. If setting out plants make sure no roots are in contact with the fertilizer. And water well!!

That reminds me...4 days and it is time to plant ¾ of my melon seeds...and the rest on the 28th.

an eggplant sprouted!!!!!

*happy sprout dance*

the parsley and basil also sprouted yesterday only two days after I planted them!!!

You must have a nice warm spot for them.... I think it's just that your thumb is such a verdant green!

Well, one thing I've learned in spades is that things (at least for me) do a LOT better in the ground than they do in pots! Of course we haven't hit brutal summer yet, but things that piddled along in pots last year are catching fire now that I've put them in the garden itself.

I'm still waiting for the luffas, bushel gourds, and all but one of the spaghetti squash to come up, though. My garden is trying its best to teach me patience.

Ever noticed that when you ask for patience, you don't get patience, you get opportunities to practice patience?

I've stopped asking for patience.

Isn't that something like what you insist, persists?