This week 3/15 & how I start the seeds

This week the weather has gotten warm and the snow is slowly melting away.  I'm sure many of you are just itching to go outside and maybe start gardens of your own.  So, in case you're considering starting some plants, I thought I'd go into different ways to do that and how I started mine as well.

Most commercial growers start their seeds in a flat filled with loose soil and then move them up to the plastic cell packs you'll see in most nurseries if you buy your transplants, but there are some downsides to those, so I've never really used them.  First, they're made of plastic that doesn't really last for many years and they aren't too good for the transplants root systems, as they'll just keep growing around and around once their roots reach the edge rather than stopping. That can cause problems for the adult plants.

Another option that I've used before are those peat pots you can fill with soil and then put straight in the ground where they'll decompose.  In some cases, I really like these and they tend to stop the root binding issue as, when they touch air (as opposed to plastic), the roots stop growing and wait for you to move them into something bigger.  Still, there are problems with these, as they take up a fair amount of room, peat tends not to be sustainable harvested, I've had some serious problems with them getting moldy, and I tend to knock them over more as they get top heavy easily.

So, this year, I'm trying something new: soil blocks.  To make a soil block, you have to use a soil blocker and "charge" it by plunging it into moist soil until all the spaces are filled up. Then you squeeze the handle to push them out on to something, usually a plastic mesh flat, but I'm considering making ones out of wire mess instead.   The blockers come in a variety of sizes, from under 1 inch up to 4, and each makes a different number of blocks with the smallest making 20 or so and the biggest just one.   The middle sizes also have different attachments, depending on the seeds you're planting or if you're potting up one of the smaller squares.  I love how easy it it to move them up to larger sizes. It saves a lot of space if I don't have to start everything in 2 inch pots right away and it saves seeds as I don't have to put more then one seed in each tiny block.  Also, since the soil is denser, more nutrients should be available to the plants than in a loosely packed pot - but, at the same time, there might be less air, which can be a problem. So far, I haven't noticed much of a difference yet.  Other problems with soil blocks, though, are that they can be pricey to start with, but they do last years. They take practice to use, and supposedly only certain potting mixes can be used as well. So far, the kind I buy from Johnny's works great and I even like it better than the actual soil block mix that came with the blockers. Still, it's something to keep in mind.  I've also had some problems with the middle sized blocks falling apart. It's possible I didn't charge that compartment enough or just handled it badly. Also, I'd prefer if the hole made for "potting up" the seedlings was a bit deeper as, right now, the old block sticks up. There are some plants where I'd like to be able to bury the stem deeper.  I still need to experiment a bit more, but so far I've liked them.



So what did I actually do this week?  Aside from starting tons of seeds (including various tomatoes, amaranth, large asters, holy basil, chamomile, and more yarrow), I've also been slowly moving up the seedlings into larger blocks, testing out using my car as a temporary greenhouse, and finalizing the sketch for the May Day artwork.  Oh, and I just put up a FAQ page and have been waiting (not so) patiently for the snow to melt so I can get to work preparing the soil.  I just can't wait to go outside even more.  I hope you had a great week as well!

Enjoy,
Amber

Last week &This week 2/28/14

Happy CSA signup day!! If you haven't signed-up yet, what are you waiting for?  If you wait to long, you might miss out!

Anyway, last weekend I was at Vassar college participating in NScon and selling my wares (and then spending that money on bubble tea!) so I didn't get a chance to write a blog post. I did get a lot of reading done, though, and I've really been enjoying Gaia's Garden by Toby Hemenway.  It's all about permaculture and ecological landscape design and super interesting. I can't wait to start implementing some of the things I'm learning.  

Earlier in the week, I was able to start about two flats of seeds, some with very interesting shapes like the question marks of calendulas and the tiny brushes of bachelor button seeds. The calendulas sprouted with a vengeance while I was at the convention.  I was also able to start white sage, asters, gomphrena, snapdragons, lemon balm, and a few others including one that's a surprise from a flower that popped up in my garden last year. Maybe I'll find out what it is this time.

This week, I only started two kinds of tomatoes and rue - I actually have about 6 different tomato varieties to start this year from cherry to sauce types but the rest will have to wait until next week.  I've also been busy potting up the seedlings to give them more room. Some have even started to grow their second sets of true leaves. They grow up so fast!  Some of these tiny seedlings will grow to several feet tall in just a few months, I wonder if any will get taller than me.

Hope you're having a great week!
Amber

This Week 2/14 & Where I got the seeds

those blue envelopes in the background are full of seeds for future weeks

Happy Valentines day!!!  This week, instead of boring you with my regular seed starting update (though I'm sure I'll include that as well), I thought I'd tell you a bit about my experiences in seed starting.  First off, you might be wondering where I even get my seeds!  Originally, I ordered all my seeds from Johnny Seeds based on the recommendation of a friend. This year, I decided to try out some new seed companies, as they simply don't carry everything I want and they do tend on the pricey side.  I was most excited when I found the Hudson Valley Seed Library who not only are committed to organic, sustainable, and local practices but to our artists, too!  They have beautiful "Art Packs" that they commission artists to make. I hope to be on one someday.  Seeds Now also caught my interests with their entirely open-pollinated offerings and the draw of their $1 seed packets, which are kept in tiny zip-lock bags that I can't quite decide how I feel about (they're plastic and not the easiest to get seeds out of, but my goodness do I love being able to see the seeds in their clear homes!).  Finally, there were still a couple herbs I was having difficulty tracking down and a little etsy shop called All Good Things Organic Seeds came to my rescue - plus had a few fun things I wanted. If you're looking for interesting seeds, I'd certainly check them out. They even have 4 different varieties of mullein and a white dandelion!  The rest of my seed collection came from a mishmash of my own seed-saving experiments, an acquaintance giving me a handful of fava beans, someone on HVecycle getting rid of a collection of seed packets, and a few packets that caught my eye in local stores.


 I may have more seeds than I'll use all of in the near future, but I just love the potential sitting in each seed - with just a little water, sun, soil, and care, they'll grow to thousands of times their size, create food for me, and then create seeds of their own. If that's not magic, I'm not sure what is!

So what seeds did I start this week, you ask? I did snapdragons and bell peppers from HV seed library; thyme and violas from Johnny's; kale, rosemary and yarrow from Seeds Now; mullein and vervain from All Good Things; and pak choi, lemon mint, and cabbage from an Ecycler.  I feel like I'm starting more and more seeds each week. Soon, my little apartment will be full up!

This Week 2/8

This Week:

     More seeds started and a sketch for the May Day pickup!  Seeds include Kale (all of which which sprouted merely days after planting), Kohlrabi, Goldstick flowers, Lavender, Cayenne  peppers, Yarrow, Pansy, Collards, and more onions.

     Don't forget to sign-up to become a CSA member to get the products of these wonderful plants once they've grown up, and to support their development up until then!

     Have a great week.

This week

     I made my first use of our soil blocks this week to start Rosemary, Asparagus, Leeks, Onions, and Corn salad.  It is great seeing how light and airy the corn salad seeds are compared to the dark, hard seeds of the onion and leek.
    Why start so early, you ask?  Well, some seeds need extra time to germinate and get settled before going out, but 12 weeks before the last frost is the earliest I've seen.  Most I have seem to fall at 8 weeks before, but the most tender plants like squashes and melons have to wait until 2 weeks before to start.
    Many plants can be direct seeded as well, but I prefer transplants when possible, I may even experiment with transplanting carrots this year!