Garden Status 12/13/12

Two quick pictures of the lettuce still growing in the garden. The lettuce is covered by 4 mil plastic at all times. The black plastic cover helps store heat in the soil.  We don't get a lot of sun this time of year so the lettuce grows noticeably slower.

Seed Starting Buttercrunch Lettuce

I grow and eat vegetables from the garden year round so I constantly have to start new lettuce to replenish my supply.

Here is how I start my Bibb Buttercrunch lettuce.

I use peat pots to start my seedlings. I get good germination rates (>90%) and the peat pots are easy to plant.

First soak the peat pots to full size:

Fill a container with water. I usually use a bucket because I use a lot of peat pots.

Add the peat pots to the water.

Put another bucket on top with a weight to make sure all the peat pots are pushed into the water. 

It takes a few hours for the peat pots to soak in the water and grow to full size. Put the full size peat pots in a tray and let them set there for about 15 minutes. Excess water in the peat pots can drain out into the tray.

Take the seeds and slightly push them into the wet peat pot. Don't worry if you put more than 1 seed into each pot. You can thin them out later.  It takes a little practice o get the technique down.

Take fine, moist soil and sprinkle it on the top of each peat pot. Put just enough to cover the seed. The seeds are in the peat pots, covered, and ready to start.

Always label your seeds with the name and start date.

Cover the tray with a clear plastic cover and keep it indoors under grow lights.

Keep the peat pot moist. Leave the lights on about 12 hours a day. They germinate within a few days. The picture below shows seedlings about 2 weeks old.

Keep them covered until they outgrow the clear plastic cover. Continue to keep them uncovered under the lights. If roots start to stick out just sprinkle some soil to keep them moist and covered. Wait until the first true leaves are present before transplanting to their final location.

The lettuce will be full grown within 45-60 days. Just cut the head off or pluck the leaves and leave the roots.The lettuce will grow back.  Buttercrunch lettuce is easy to grow. It is an excellent foundation for any salad. The taste of freshly grown, organic lettuce, picked minutes before eating cannot be beat !

Keeping The Ground In The Garden Weed Free

They say weeds are plants with a bad reputation. I have battled weeds for years. I will tell you what works for me!

Why am I writing this post now?  Last week it was unusually warm. It should be about 10F, ground frozen, and snow should be on the ground.  It was in the 40F's so I decided to attack the weed problem to get ahead for next year.

Here are my constraints for weeding:
1. I cannot stand being in the hot sun in the summer for more than a half hour at a time. Usually I spend a half hour in the sun (full hat, long sleeve shirt) then need about a half hour out of the sun to rest.  I am a cold weather person.  I regularly wear shorts in 30F weather without a problem.
2. I have limited time for weeding on a daily basis.
3. Can't put the weeds into the compost bins so i have to bag them and take them to the dump.
4. Can't let the weeds grow and send seeds all over the garden. this will just make it worse next year.

Weed Control Possibilities:
1.  Spray weed killer - Won't use them. I try to grow natural, organic, and authentic in my garden.
2.  Flame weed killer - Never tried it.
3. Mow the weeds - My garden space is too crammed with plants and grow beds. I tried this and it took up too much time every day.
4. Wood mulch - The weeds just grew through the chips.
5. Rubber mulch - Never tried it.
6. Plastic weed blocker and wood mulch - This worked great and looked even better. But after a year the wood mulch decomposed and the weeds just grew in the mulch and I was back to square 1.
7. Plastic weed blocker, no mulch -

I reclaimed about 600 square feet of the garden by pulling weeds, clipping sticks, and trampling down grass. I laid the black weed blocker down. Most of the area will be filled with pots. I just laid the weed blocker down and overlapped sections by a foot. I used old pots to hold down the corners and edges. I'll figure out how to fasten it down in the spring. I like this kind of surface. You can keep it clean, still lets the water drain through, and with the pots filling the area looks good.

I was very lucky to have the time to take advantage of the warm weather. The other advantage is that anytime now the ground will be frozen and covered with snow. I have to make sure I have clear paths in the garden or I could trip over a hidden object and hurt myself.

It's nice to spend the time to get ahead and prevent a problem! I will have a future post on how I minimize weeds in the grow beds.

Seed Saving And Starting Zinnias

I love Zinnias. They have big flowers that take a hard rain. They have stems that can take a strong wind. The flowers also can handle a frost or two before getting damaged. They are a strong plant perfect for the extreme that  happen where I live.

I used to buy zinnia seed packets every year. It worked great but I remember looking at one particular zinnia plant and said to myself, "I want that type next year". Instead of trying to remember where I bought the seeds, I decided to learn to seed save. Now I seed save practically everything. 

The steps are easy to follow. 

Wait until a zinnia flower is wilted and dried out and remove it from the plant. (Write down the color of the flowers in the plant. I also suggest you take a picture). Gently pluck the flower off the plant. 

Gently pull the seed head apart by holding the seed head between your index finger and thumb and gently rolling your fingers.

In the pile you will find the seeds. See below:

Select solid, fully formed seeds. Put them in a ventilated container (unsealed envelope, small plastic container (vented)) and put them in a refrigerator or cool place out of sunlight until you use them. 

I plant my zinnias in the following way:

Take peat pots, soak them in water, until they are full size.

Take a zinnia seed and place it on top of the peat pot. 

Push the seed slightly, but not completely, into the moist peat pot:

Sprinkle some fine soil on top until it just covers the seed: 

I use dry soil. It will absorb any extra water in the peat pot around the seed. I spray the top of the peat pot the next day to moisten if necessary.  In general, I tend to over water things. 

Label your new potential seedling. 

Place your new work in a covered seed tray under a shop light with grow bulbs.

Close up of a tray filled with different peat pots with seeds.

I separate different plants by putting the label between the rows. I may seem tedious for a few plants but  when 2,000 seedlings are going all at once, you may forget who everybody is and where they are located. 

I wait until the seedling has its first true leaves or the root sticks out of the peat pot until I transplant them into their first pot. 

Here are some freshly potted zinnias and some marigolds :

I will talk about marigolds in a future post. I also will post updates of these zinnias as they grow!

 Enjoy!

New Geranium Plants From Cuttings

Do you ever get sticker shock going to your garden center in the Spring to buy your garden flowers?
I do. One of my favorite flowers is geraniums. I bought them for my hanging baskets during my first year of gardening. After paying full retail prices, I decided to find a less expensive, but same quality, option.

I taught myself how to use geranium cuttings from existing plants to grow new plants. I am now on my fifth generation of plants.

Here's how to do it !

Here is a dug up and repotted, 1 full season old, geranium brought indoors for the winter. I haven't trimmed off the dead leaves yet. My priority was to get it indoors before the first hard frost. I have about 20, full-sized plants spending the winter near upstairs windows.

Take the plant, rotate it around, and look or a good "branch" or stem. I look for the one's that are sticking out to the side. I get to make a new plant and shape the larger plant at the same time.

Cut the stem right above the "v". Try to make a sharp,  even, cut.

The cut is made! You want to plant the cutting soon after so have your pot with soil ready.

Now get yourself a small green pot and fill it with garden soil. I use green pots that other people throw out in the trash. The garden soil should be moist but have no water freely dripping from it.

Stick your finger in the soil and make a hole about 2" deep.

Place the cutting in the hole. Make sure you keep small leaves exposed if the are sticking out of the stem.

Tamp the soil around the stem so the cutting is firmly placed in the soil.

And here it is ! Don't worry about making it perfectly upright. Nature will take care of itself.

Here are some previous transplanted cuttings. See how their new, rich, green leaves are growing in nicely?

These are about 2 months old. I have about 2 dozen cuttings growing,

This one is ready to be re-potted. The roots are showing. It must be happy.

Follow this method and you can save a lot of money making your own geraniums from cuttings!

From Garden to Pressure Canned Pickled Carrots 2

The final tally is in for pressure canned pickled carrots. the balance of the carrots will be frozen.


The pressure canner in action. It's making my last batch:

The total batch for the year. Ill try to control myself and start eating them on the first day of 2013.

I have some leftover carrots. I'll cut them up, put them in salads, or freeze them. Next year, I'll plant more carrots!

Flowers From The 2012 Garden 4 And Picture Of A Frequent Special Guest To The Garden

Some pictures from the past years:

Here is a picture of a frequent guest to the garden for the past couple of years. I first saw her as a little Bambi with her spots. Now she is all grown up and has a couple fawns of her own.  She always gives me the same look.

Lettuce and Bulls Blood:

Somewhere under the snow is a garden and a hoophouse:

Coleus:

Zinnias with raspberries in the background:

Buttercrunch lettuce:

Iris:

Mesclun mix: