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Radish Seedlings May 14

The onions have shot up.

Egyptian Onions May 14

I’ve planted some beans (I ordered heirloom beans, for eating of course, from Rancho Gordo.  However I heard the founder on the radio explaining that you could even plant the beans because they are heirloom and grow true!).   I saved some of little E’s yo-baby pots, used my leftover seed-starting mix (this time rather than following the instructions to mist after planting, which didn’t seem to work for the second round of tomatoes, I mixed the water into the dirt and then filled the pots with the moistened mix) and then planted 1″ deep–or what I think 1″ is, anyway.  We’ll see–it would be pretty cool if it worked out, though who knows how well pole beans grow in pots?

Bean pots: vaquero, cranberry cargamento, and yellow eye.

Finally, all the tomatoes and squash have been transplanted!  They are in the process of hardening off, so when they are not outside, here is where they live.  As you can imagine, I am eager to get them out on their own, and I’m sure they are eager to get better light than this provides as well!

There were a few kinks which hopefully have sorted themselves out.  Anticipating transplanting the squash, and knowing that you need to water well post-transplant, I had held off on watering so long as the soil appeared to be OK.  Wednesday morning I touched the soil and it seemed a bit dry so I watered the squash just a little.  Well, not enough, as when I came home they had wilted quite a bit.  There were three in each cell and I need to get it down to one anyway, but this wasn’t how I intended to do it.  In each cell, there was one seedling that was only wilted at the leaves and not the stem.  I transplanted anyway and watered well and they have all bounced back.  I’m going to press on, though I’m a bit worried that this early stress is something they won’t recover from, but I’m hopeful that since the seedling I plan to keep never wilted on the stem or on the true leaf (or at least, only a touch) that it was relatively unharmed.  I need to be brutal sooner rather than later–but I’m finding it hard to snip off the weaklings!

I’m a bit unsure about my Early Girl tomato.  It appears to be a “potato leaf” tomato, for the reason that its leaves look like potato leaves, (obviously!).  Some of them appear to be curling under a bit but I don’t know if this is just how those leaves are, or if there’s something the matter.  I thought perhaps it was drying out (although none of my other tomatoes are drying out) but stuck my finger in the soil and it felt damp enough.  It got a little water when it started to rain and doesn’t look any worse today, so maybe that’s just how the leaves are meant to look.  I’ll post a few closeups though just to show what I mean.

Early Girl May 14

Early Girl May 14 Closeup

First, on mothers day, armed with my gardening class knowledge, we went to Mahoney’s and purchased 4 tomato tranplants (I bought bigger ones only so I could have many varieties–the 6 packs were only one type of tomato).  I picked Mr. Stripey for the uniqueness, Celebrity since that was what I had been trying before as seeds and supposedly it’s very easy (despite what I did to it!), Viva Italia (for a “paste” tomato for sauces) and Early Girl (since it’s “early” maturing!).  We also got a butternut squash six-pack.  My guide from Botanical Interests suggests a 5-gallon container for each of these.  I have seen bigger containers suggested, but at my class Robin said she grows her heirlooms in 5 gallon containers so I figure I can try that.  As for the squash, it does seem perhaps a little small, but I can always replant them if I have any success!  They are already big:  I just realized what I though was a mature transplant actually only has seed leaves and a few true leaves.  Those seed leaves are huge!  It does make sense as butternuts are pretty large themselves, but I am a bit afraid to think of how big this plant must be!  We love butternut so we went for that over eggplant (which I love but my husband not so much.  Next year, perhaps…)

Early Girl May 11

Mr. Stripey May 11

Butternut Squash Transplants

The majority of the cash was spent on containers.  I know it’s cheaper to use garbage buckets, but it just was more convenient to buy it all at one place.  I got a big bag of dirt (which is already running out) and some cages for the tomatoes.  I also got some cheap measuring cups and spoons and a utility bucket at the grocery store for measuring out fertilizer and bleach (to disinfect all those pots where things died!)

On Sunday afternoon I transplanted the Early Girl Tomato and the Mr. Stripey.  I wasn’t sure I had enough dirt for another tomato so I held off on the Celebrity and the Viva Italia, as well as the squash.  I’ll have to hit the store again this week for more dirt.  In the meantime, I’ve been hardening off the tomatoes and squash, watching carefully as we still get below 50F at night.  I learned at my gardening class that sun is really bad for unacclimated seedlings so I’ve been putting them in the shade as well.  I need to read up on exactly how much to increase and when they can go in the sun–I’ve just sort of been sticking them out when I get home from work until I remember to bring them back in (when it starts to get dark). 

I also fertilized everyone (including the transplants, though maybe I shouldn’t have?)  I definitely was not using enough fertilizer before, as this time when I measured it out, I saw that the water has a brownish tinge.  It’s fish and seaweed, and it really smells the part.  I don’t think not using enough fertilizer was the problem with my other plants, though–they only need fertilizer after the grow true leaves and that didn’t really happen–one of the problems, in fact, was that it never happened!

I am also braving the world of seed starting again:

Last night I planted the radishes and chard seeds I bought earlier on in some 2 gallon boxes.  Hopefully I will have more luck this time, these are both supposed to be extremely easy.  I used the potting mix (not the seed starting mix) as these are not meant to be transplanted. 

Rhubarb Chard and Radish May 11

I also started my “experimental” peat pot mini-garden.  Andrea has had a lot of success with these and suggested them.  I planted two peat pots of thyme, one each of mint and parsley (my mint has not died but has not grown–apparently it should be “mature” by now!).  Also, I figured “what the heck” and tried my marglobe and celebrity bush seeds again.   I’m also going to leave them in the windowsill (covered until they sprout) rather than the sunroom to see if that helps.   My grandmother had massive tomato starts from the purple russians I sent her, and it was all done in the window.  Of course, noone is surprised that her tomatoes took off!  My tomatoes, if they survive this time, may not be mature enough to bear much fruit before the growing season dies down, but at least I’ll know I got it to work.  And what am I going to do with those seeds anyway?  With my luck, I’m not going to try old seeds next year.

Peat Pots May 11

Here’s my latest thoughts on the seed-starting problems I’ve had:

–Overwatering. 

–Not removing the seeds from the heat pad after germination.  I read in Burpee’s Complete Vegetable and Herb Gardener you should remove them once they sprout.  High heat can contribute to damping off and spindly growth.  (Note this does not explain the full problem as many of my failed seedlings were not on a heat mat, but it’s a good thing to know).

–Light in the sunroom.  My herb transplants seem very happy there, but nothing I started from seed.  This does not make sense to me, except that perhaps seedlings need a broader spectrum of light than mature-er plants–hence the UV treatment bothers the seedlings but not the mature plants?  Besides damping off, my problem was total lack of growth after great germination.  I can only imagine this is light related because it’s only once the new leaves appear that you start fertilizing.  I never really had the new leaves appear so I don’t think it was attributable to lack of “food” in the soil.  Is this right?

–Direct sun for seedlings, before adequate hardening off, is a killer.  Yeah, I know that too now from experience!

First, all the herb transplants are doing well.  The basil in particular is taking off!  I see it was a mistake to go off and pot two together.  I think I’m going to split them up now, hopefully they will be OK–have not seen basil listed as a plant that hates “root disturbance”.  I just can’t figure it out–I thought it was the light in the sunroom, but the transplants are doing fine…unless seedlings need a broader spectrum of light than mature-er plants?

Basil May 9

My onions seem to be growing somewhat slowly, but perhaps I’m paranoid given prior seedling experience!  They live outside with the chives, which have also gotten some new leaves.  Actually the onion that “looks” best to me is the only surviving onion from my “experiment” of just sticking some bulblets down in the foundation bed.  It looks best as the leaves are getting long enough to spread, while my potted onions are not. 

Egyptian Onions May 9 in pot

Chives May 9

Yesterday, fresh off the plane, I went to a course sponsored by Drumlin Farm/Mass Audubon–”small scale agriculture”–it was great.  Our instructor, Robin Wilkerson, a master gardener, gave the class out in her place (a several acre former dairy farm), and we got to see her system of vegetable planting, her fruit trees and plants, herb garden and wildflower garden, and her flock of 12 chickens!  She gave lots of helpful ideas for planning a garden–for example, plant late season crops like pumpkins that take up a lot of space when maturing next to plots that will have died down by that point, such as strawberries.  

Another point that was made was getting soil tested–the state extension will test your soil and let you know what you need to do to amend it.  Lead is a concern in this region of the country given the old houses so we are definitely getting that done.  As I’m sticking to containers this year, no rush but will be good for planning for next year.  (Sadly, it can’t be amended–but you can container garden most things so it’s not the end of the world!)  Still, I wonder why this area is so much worse given that lead wasn’t banned in paint until the 1970s, and then I wonder about all those gardeners in Europe.  Regardless, I’m testing and will follow the recommendations, and meanwhile cross my fingers.  I can always grow inedibles in the ground, after all.  (I’m not so excited about that as I guess it’s not “utilitarian” enough for me, but I’m sure I can get into it!)

We also discussed the wonders of compost (FYI even organic bananas should not go in compost piles as they are sprayed to prevent the entry of tropical insects into the country), blueberries (which thrive in the naturally acidic New England soil) and just enjoyed being in a beautiful, diverse garden.  I’m going to sign up for her second class later this summer.  And we learned to identify the insidious garlic mustard.  And no sooner had I gotten home but I noticed it was all over our patio, along with cat’s ear and several unidentified weeds.  At least the garlic mustard is easy to pull.  Theoretically you can eat it, but I’m not going to bother with that just yet.

Evil Garlic Mustard

What is it?

We got a “take home gift”, some of Robin’s chives.  (We were given these to demonstrate just how hardy plants can be–ripped them apart at the roots after digging them up and then taking them home).

Finally, Robin’s most important “words of wisdom” were that failures build character (how New England a statement is that?) and are your tuition in learning to garden.  She still has failures after 20 years so none of us should get too discouraged!  Something I am repeating to myself here. 

For Mother’s Day we are going to the garden store to pick up some transplants, tomatoes and what else?  Hopefully the veggie transplants will do as well as the herbs!

Also, I think the egyptian onions are already adapting well to their new home.  They had already sprouted when I planted them, but they do look a little bigger to me–in particular I see a second shoot poking out from at least one onion bulb–it’s flush with the intial shoot but it’s definitely distinct–is that what a true leaf would look like? The onions are a little hard to see in the photo in general as I am not adept enough with the camera to get the shoots to stand out against the brown dirt.  I still see a few of those that I planted in the foundation bed–not sure if they’ll make it ultimately, but so far they are still there.  (In particular, I’m not sure there is enough sun for them, but we’ll see–am still figuring out the sun patterns in the backyard anyway).

I hope they will fare well during our week away.  Of course my husband is at home to take care of them, but I still worry about my “little babies” being away…not that I’ve been particularly good to many of my plants, and perhaps a little time away from me will do them good!

Chives April 28

I’ve put the mint pot and the thyme pot out as well.  I’m hoping they aren’t too stunted from their time indoors to take off now.  I’m not so worried about the mint–if it’s so invasive, I figure it will manage to overcome a bad beginning if conditions are right.  The thyme doesn’t look great, but it’s not leggy nor is dead.  (Both in fact are so short–I wonder if that means something bad too?).  The microgreens are leggy, I’m pretty sure, but the color is great and some are starting to develop buds of true leaves.  Hopefully the sun will do the trick for these guys too.

Microgreens April 28

Yesterday I also received my Egyptian Onions from Om via a swap on folia.  I planted them in a large plastic pot, just under the soil and 2 inches apart.  I didn’t get in quite as many as I’d hoped, and had a lot leftover.  I pushed some in to the mulched foundation bed around the house to see what happens–not sure if it’s sunny enough there (I’m still observing sun patterns in the backyard), or even if the soil is right, but why not experiment a little.  I had plenty extra so I gave these to a co-worker who is a gardening expert–I didn’t even have to explain to her what Egyptian onions were (they are a bit unique, see here and here).  I told her she’ll have to give me a few to taste if I kill all mine.  

So that’s two members of the onion family so far–and I’m certainly planning on trying some garlic in the fall.

Egyptian onions just sown

This morning they already looked like they had even grown a little compared to the picture below.  I worried I had handled the stalks a little too much while planting but they seem OK.  They also seem to have survived the trip up from Kansas quite well, so now I guess it’s just up to me!

Egyptian onions closeup

Yesterday it was in the 80s.  I thought, wouldn’t it be nice for all the plants to have a nice little outing on the back porch.  Perhaps it would be the cure for what was ailing them!  I know that you are supposed to harden plants off so I thought I shouldn’t leave them out too long.  However, the herb seedlings were barely outside for half an hour when they all wilted over and, as far as I can tell, have died.  I don’t understand why this happened.  Even the sage that was growing so well.  It was only in the 80s and I’m sure the sunroom has gotten that warm–this was just better sunlight!  I don’t understand what happened–how did I go wrong with this?  My only theory is that they were so leggy that even though the sun was good for them, it was too strong for fragile stems.  Kind of like too little too late, but in this case, perhaps too much too late.  The thyme (those that survived, anyway)  and the mint, for example, seem a little happier.  Neither of these were ever very tall.  The microgreens did OK outside–they look quite healthy to me, other than being to tall.  But the seed leaves are large and to me look quite lush.  I suppose I could have planted more thickly though.

Microgreens April 25

My herb transplants were happy enough (including the new additions that I potted up yesterday:  Purple Sage, Golden Lemon Thyme (so pretty!) Tuscan Blue Rosemary, and French Tarragon).  I put the Sage in a self-watering pot, we’ll see how that goes.  The oregano and basils are looking fine as well.  So they seem to be OK indoors (which would seem to say they are getting sufficient light) while the seedlings were not.   How does that make sense?  Have they “stabilized” such that the not so great indoor light will be sufficient for them (i.e. they will grow slowly but since they are strong enough they can tolerate it?)

Purple Sage April 25

Tuscan Blue Rosemary April 25

French Tarragon April 25

Golden Lemon Thyme, April 25

Finally, to add injury to insult, I also accidentally dumped out all the chive seedlings–luckily outside, but still.  I almost just threw my hands up and walked away–after all they were all of a day old.  But I figured, let’s just try to put them back in the pot and see what will happen.  Today they actually look like they have rearranged themselves so that they are growing up out of the soil (I tried to do that of course when putting humpty dumpty back together again, but I don’t think I did that good a job).  Will be interesting to see what happens, if they really have righted themselves in spite of me.  Though with my track record with seedlings, I suppose I can’t expect much.  

Chives, immediately post spill

Chives one day later

I’ve left the last tomato outside–so much for “hardening off”–this needs perhaps all the sun it can get.  We’ll see what happens.  So far he is happy.

Still trying to figure out what to conclude about the sunroom.  Still no new tomato seedlings.  Still trying to figure out why all my herb seedlings died in the sun.  This is all very confusing–and making less sense as it goes on.  Anyone out there that can explain this to me?

I am starting to suspect that even in our sunroom (south facing, glass ceiling, windows to the east and west) there is not enough light.  I feel like the microgreens we are growing are rather tall–i.e. the fear is that they are already leggy.  For example, these guys have a much more healthily squat look to them (maybe they are just not as far along…maybe…).  Ugh!  Aren’t you supposed to be able to grow microgreens on a windowsill after all?  I really am bothered by this as it would be sad if we couldn’t fill our sunroom full of plants–does anyone know if at least some sort of house plants would do well in such a room even if not good for starting veggies?  My other plants don’t look too leggy, but…(I will update with a photo hopefully later today or over the weekend).

The other reason I am concerned is nothing seems to be growing well.  We’ve already been over the tomatoes (though that Purple Russian is still holding on, though that’s about all it is doing!) and the other herbs don’t seem to have much action going on either.  The other possibility is that the sunroom is too cold for them and that is retarding growth.  I suppose that problem will correct itself so we’ll get to test run that one.  (Of course I have been using my heat pad but that isn’t the same as keeping the air warm). 

Everyone is sitting on the floor for the time being as well.  (Lack of furniture–we moved a while ago but have not made much progress in certain parts of the house, and a sunroom was not a high priority in winter).  I don’t see why that should matter, the sunlight has made it billions of miles, what’s a few more inches?

Finally, the new batch of tomatoes have not even sprouted!  In my urge to curb my overzealous watering, perhaps I have now veered too much to the other extreme.  My last batch only needed a few days to sprout, meanwhile here there is no sign of life.  I do think that the seed-starting mix might be drying out too quickly (given it is so light) so I am going to up the watering to daily until they sprout (if ever!)  Perhaps that is what needs to be done.  After all, you keep a plastic cover over cells until they sprout to keep humidity high, then remove once germination occurs. 

In any case, am still planning to buy those transplants!

I fertilized just about everybody yesterday (minus the ungerminated tomatoes, the microgreens, and the chives).  We’ll see what happens–that same sage sprout was looking poorly again, as were some of the rosemary and Russian tarragon.  As of this morning any beneficial effects had not kicked in but maybe they’ll be happier later today.  It is finally sunny and warm!

I will have to start analyzing the sunshine patterns in our backyard.  I certainly hope that there will be enough sunlight for lovely tomatoes to thrive (among other things).  Ah, this gardening thing is complicated!

The Last Purple Russian Standing

As for my finding of purple on the underside of the dead leaves:  Andrea found some online information for me saying that purple indicates that temps are not as warm as the tomatoes would have liked, but that it’s not necessarily a problem, and it clears up once they go outside.  I wouldn’t be surprised:  the sunroom is not actually all that warm, and though my toms are on a heat mat that wouldn’t necessarily help the air around them.  This guy (unlike the others) has no purple so I’m not sure what to make of that.  I know I was definitely overwatering, but at the same time, the tomatoes were not growing well before then.  I have seen some pictures of 3 week old seedlings that are waybigger than this.  I have them in the sunroom which I would hope is enough light, but who knows?  For next year’s consideration…

There is a tiny bit of a seed leave starting on my Purple Russian so I’m crossing my fingers.  As for the second round of Marglobes and Celebrities, nothing yet.  I looked back and my first round had germinated by this point in time, so I’m not sure.  I think I will water again (horrors!) as the plastic wrap does not look particularly damp.  I feel like they should be up by now…maybe they were cursed at sowing by too much water being added, yet I almost doubt that as you often soak seeds to get them going.

Finally, my microgreens sprouted almost instantly.  I hadn’t even watered them yet, they sprouted from the moisture in the potting soil!  (I used potting soil rather than seed starting mix in this case, not a good reason for it to give you).  Besides the instant gratification, they are neat to look at–their seed leaves are totally different (and more interesting) than those of all the herbs and tomatoes I’ve been attempting.  Microgreens, if you didn’t know, are apparently de rigeurat all those fancy schmancy restaurants that I no longer go to.  For me, mainly, they seem like a fun idea, one I first saw here, and one which I copied to the T, including growing in an old salad package!  (A skewer worked well to punch some drainage holes in the bottom).  I wonder what I can do to use the same dirt again, next time round–just a shot of fertilizer?  But perhaps I am getting ahead of myself .

Microgreens April 21

 Update:  I also potted up the two basils and the oregano.  I put the basils in one big pot and the oregano in its own.  The idea for keeping the oregano alone was that it is a perennial and can withstand cold winters.  (I have high hopes you can see!)  I realized after that it wouldn’t have fit anyway.  The two basils are in a 10″ pot (the Magical Michael looks a little glum so I hope it will perk up in its new home; hopefully it just needed water, something I get nervous about doing now for fear of overwatering!) and the oregano is in an 8″ pot.  I was a little overly delicate getting the first transplant out of its old pot, but you needn’t be thatdelicate with plants, I realized.  I then reminded myself of this new realization when I capsized the potted up oregano all over the sunroom.  Got to see how the “floor” function works on our fancy vacuum.  Pretty well, FYI.  Not that I was wanting to test that out, but so it goes.

Here’s the pics:

Potted up Basils April 21

Potted up Greek Oregano April 21