Now Blooming

First, let me say, I took some pictures about a few days ago and never posted, so I thought I would now. I have been working on a re-design in my garden; getting things at different heights and of course integrating more texture. Here's a view from my window one rainy day (forgive splashes of water on my window- the pictures are a bit grainy because of it):



Moving on to "Now Blooming": My little seedlings have been sprouting in their homemade germination tray (see post below) and flowers and fruit are all over the place outside. Here's what we have:

Egg-tray seedlings (cosmos, lemon-lime basil and oregano):




Outdoors I found:

"Save Some Green" Seed Starters

You guys like all those S's?

Want to get a jump on the season- even while the snow is flying outside (as it is currently)? Seed- aka "germination"- trays are the way to go. You may have seen them- they are plastic containers that you drop magically expanding pellets in. These pellets are the kind that you add water to so that they pop up like those dino-shaped sponges we had as kids. Once that wonderful change occurs, you add seeds to the nicely filled out soil pods. The containers and pellets serve as happy little micro-environments for your sprouting seeds. They just love it. I purchased some last year and can vouch for the results.


Being on a more strict gardening budget this year, I decided not to buy the pellets to reuse in the containers I saved from last season. Instead, I've been saving egg cartons. With these I've fashioned my own seed starting trays. These little home-made trays are great because they don't cost anything extra, they give new life to a product that would otherwise be thrown away and when the seedlings are ready to go out in the garden, you just cut the individual "cups" (where each egg previously sat) and plop them into the soil. Since I use paper egg cartons, the paper breaks down, leaving the seedlings' roots relatively undisturbed. You also don't have to worry about drainage, like you would in styrofoam egg cartons. Great, huh?

Materials needed:
Pressed paper (cardboard type- not styrofoam) egg carton
Plastic wrap
Scissors
Toothpicks
Pen
Water
Seed Starting Soil
Spoon or small trowel
Small watering can

Grab your egg carton and lay it open. Mine has a tab on the side, so I'm going to cut that off...




Next cut off the lid...



Place the lid of the carton so it can act like a bowl. Layer a sheet of plastic wrap over this; it will function as the base of our tray. The plastic wrap keeps water from soaking into the base and provides a source of water for the seedlings...




My egg carton has dips on the sides that I will use to water my seedlings. If yours doesn't, cut some in- but not too deep or else water won't stay in the tray...



Stick the egg holder section of the carton on top of the plastic-lined base so they stack together. The egg holder section will contain the soil and seeds...



Fill cups with seed-starting soil. This kind of soil is specially formulated to be easy for seedlings to take root. It's not absolutely necessary, but can help get them off to a good start...





Plant seeds according to instructions on packet...



Label which seeds are where with leftover pieces of carton or paper (I used the tab I cut off in the first step) and a toothpick. Do this as you go so you don't accidentally mislabel a cup or forget where things are...




Place seed tray in a stable area (where you plan to leave it) and fill base with water using your small watering can and the dip in the side of the carton...



Cover with another layer of plastic wrap to create a "greenhouse". This will help retain moisture and some warmth. You can use Ziploc bags for extra thermal retention, but I just stuck with a layer of Saran...



When your seedlings have a couple of leaves (or their first set of "true" leaves), vent the plastic wrap covering to allow air to circulate. Thin to the strongest in each cup if there are spacing restrictions for your plants (usually are) once your seedlings have three sets of leaves (2 sets of true leaves). Harden off before placing them permanently in their outdoor home (very important!). Just cut the cup out and stick your little seedling, paper and all, into its new home. Keep soil at the same level- do not cover higher up the stem. If you need more help when you get to this step, let me know.

That's it! You'll have cute, happy little seedlings in no time. Or in whatever amount of time it takes for them to germinate. Here are some seedlings that I germinated in the same manner last year:




I would love to see pictures if any of you try this!

It's Patriotic and The Promised Post

Gosh, I love those vintage posters from the 1940's. Here's one to go along with our theme here:



I know I haven't posted in a while; I have thought about it, wanted to, and even taken pictures to post up here, but please forgive me... it's nearing the end of the semester and I must keep focused (except for those times when I can't take any more history!).

I promised a while ago that the next post would be about "drainage in containers- and what you thought you knew might be wrong!" Well, that was three posts ago (see how well I stay focused?) and now I believe I must fulfill that promise.

Container gardeners, this one's for you:

When selecting your container, make sure you get a container with good drainage at the bottom or drill some in (preferably more than one drainage hole). If you select a non-plastic pot, like terra cotta, don't try to go crazy with the drill right off. First drill some pilot holes first, and then use the regular bit to finish them off. I caution you with this because otherwise you may end up with a bunch of great terra cotta fragments but no containers.

Get soil that also drains well. When I first started, I thought getting the best value consisted of the biggest bag for the lowest price (coincidentally, it could only be found at a big box store). Alas, I ended up with many things that had to be re-planted (see my strawberry disaster), so I ended up spending more to save my little garden friends. Next time around I checked out the offerings at the local nursery and it was there that I discovered my "swear-by" soil- Gardener's Gold. If you can't find that, get something with a good amount of natural compost, worm castings or cured manure. Another mistake I'd like to educate you about is "Organic" MiracleGro- no, no, no. I've had NOTHING but trouble with it and am swearing it off for the rest of my gardening days. Someone at the nursery can help you find a soil that drains well, or help you add amendments to your soil, such as sand (my favorite amendment). You can add some rocks to your soil mix to also help it drain.

Now is the moment you have all been waiting for- what you thought you knew might be wrong! Exciting and captivating- I know there will be disbelievers in the crowd, but I've got lovely, hearty citrus trees to prove it's true! Ready?

You do not need to put rocks in the bottom of your container to make sure the water drains!

Gasp.

I know. That is what I thought when I first was given this advice by a fellow gardener named "Al" who gives the loveliest and most patient advice. He knows ALL. So I took his advice and it works. There is a catch and I'm going to share it with you: you need a wick.

A wick will draw excess water out long after your pot would drain normally. I was shocked the first time I tried it- I used a screwdriver to stick a wick into a drainage hole (retroactively- the pot had already been in use for a few months), making sure the wick was about 3 inches into the pot so that it got past my rock layer. Like I said- this was when I first learned about it; I had already potted the plant with the rocky bottom for drainage. I watered my plant as usual and the water came out the drainage holes like usual. I thought nothing of it until I came back an hour later to find that (like usual) all the normal drainage holes had stopped draining, but the wick was still dripping like mad! I was absolutely sold.

So here's the deal with the wick- it should be something absorbent- I use a bit of my mop's tassels but you could use a natural cotton yarn piece or a strip of old cotton shirt or something like that. Put the wick strip in one of drainage holes and hold on to it while you fill the bottom portion of the container to make sure it stands up to it's full height. You don't need it to be far into the container, but it does need to be in the soil a couple of inches so it can grab the water and pull it away. Oh, and, you can still use rocks on the bottom to ensure that your soil doesn't runout the drainage holes, but no need to make it a thick layer.

After that, prop your container up so the wick can hang freely a couple of inches from the bottom of the container. If you obstruct it, its purpose is defeated, so no plopping it on the ground! A ghetto solution is the trusty cinder block which can be made prettier with paint or a grass skirt. ;) Wow. That is a ghetto solution x 2.

Ready for an amazing illustration to top off these amazing suggestions?


So, in summation, here is my personal plan of attack: 1. Mix soil with amendments such as a few palm size river rocks, some gravel, sand, etc., to get the proper type of soil for your plant. If your plant likes a little more water retention, focus on peat from a sustainable source, such as sphagnum peat. (And now for a word from our environmental sponsor- me) "Mountain peat is mined from high-altitude wetlands that will take hundreds of years to rejuvenate, if ever. This mining is extremely disruptive to hydrologic cycles and mountain ecosystems. Sphagnum peat is harvested from bogs in Canada and the northern United States. The bogs can be revegetated after harvest and grow back relatively quickly in this moist environment" U of CO. Moving on to step 2. Fill the bottom inch of the container with largish rocks or gravel if necessary to prevent soil run-out (keep holding on to that wick!). Pour in the soil (let go of wick once it is stable and standing straight) to within an inch of the top of your container. Set it up on the cinder block (or fancier structure) in a way that the wick hangs freely from the bottom of the container. Remember, it will only drain if it is not obstructed. Don't worry if some of the rest of the drainage holes are obstructed; the wick is the most important. Water the soil lightly to settle it and plant, plant away. Enjoy happy plants!