The Gutter Garden is assembled. It didn't cost much, except for the tin snips and the giant bag of zip ties I bought. It's a little too white, but I don't really want to spend the effort to paint it.
I'll put them up tomorrow, and I'll have to fill them with soil at the same time. I mean, I guess I should just put the seeds in there at the same time.
I'm not sure I'm going to get to all of this tomorrow. I mean, it doesn't take that much time, but I got so much shit to do and I still have no groceries.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Transplanting!
I'm going to transplant all the veggies tomorrow. We got two bags of potting mix, so I'll dump that in the raised bed to bring the level up to the top. It's pretty full, I'm not even sure I need two bags. I just really want to make sure I have it as high as I can, so they're not shaded.
I've got 9 Kale, 6 Radicchio, 6 Romaine, 6 Bok Choy.
I'm thinking the new bag of soil will be nice to plant in, because it's not too wet, it's not as cold. If I feel like it, I might even spread the worm castings over top.
It's supposed to be above freezing for the next 10 days. It looks like we're supposed to get some nice sunny days and a little rain. And I see that other people have their cold weather plants out already.
I've got some little tiny Kale seedlings that just barely started to grow, just one set of real leaves. In theory, I should be able to transplant them now, but I'll give them another week under the lights and then a week hardening them off outside.
I might also put down some direct-sow seeds. Let's say I put them in 3 deep. That's 9 little rows of 3. And a 3 by 3 area should be 2 by 2 feet. So, I've accounted for 6 of my 8 feet.
I'm going to fill the Gutter Garden with Mesclun, I think entirely. I guess I will try either Spinach or Arugula in the rest of the raised bed space. Probably should have started Spinach inside by now. I could also just do another round of Bok Choy. They're claiming to be 30 days to maturity. I'm sure I've been growing these for at least a month inside, and they're not really what I would consider ready to harvest. (Yes, I planted those Bok Choy on February 21st. 5 weeks of growth looks really, really good, but not done or anything.) If it grows pretty well, maybe another 2-3 weeks.
I've got 9 Kale, 6 Radicchio, 6 Romaine, 6 Bok Choy.
I'm thinking the new bag of soil will be nice to plant in, because it's not too wet, it's not as cold. If I feel like it, I might even spread the worm castings over top.
It's supposed to be above freezing for the next 10 days. It looks like we're supposed to get some nice sunny days and a little rain. And I see that other people have their cold weather plants out already.
I've got some little tiny Kale seedlings that just barely started to grow, just one set of real leaves. In theory, I should be able to transplant them now, but I'll give them another week under the lights and then a week hardening them off outside.
I might also put down some direct-sow seeds. Let's say I put them in 3 deep. That's 9 little rows of 3. And a 3 by 3 area should be 2 by 2 feet. So, I've accounted for 6 of my 8 feet.
I'm going to fill the Gutter Garden with Mesclun, I think entirely. I guess I will try either Spinach or Arugula in the rest of the raised bed space. Probably should have started Spinach inside by now. I could also just do another round of Bok Choy. They're claiming to be 30 days to maturity. I'm sure I've been growing these for at least a month inside, and they're not really what I would consider ready to harvest. (Yes, I planted those Bok Choy on February 21st. 5 weeks of growth looks really, really good, but not done or anything.) If it grows pretty well, maybe another 2-3 weeks.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Real Gardening
Soon I'll have to switch from the comfy indoor seed starting kind of gardening to the hard work- gardening. I need to dig up and divide a lot of these grasses really soon.
The tall grasses are probably the most important. They really need to be divided. Granted, I don't know what I'm going to do with them after that. We've got, like, 6, I think. I'm not sure how much I need to divide them. I could probably get away with dividing them in half, but quarters would be better. I certainly don't want 24 separate ornamental grasses. I guess I can just leave them in a box with a sign that says "Free Plants!" They're great screening plants, they don't need a lot of water, they live forever. When we dig them up, we'll need to be really careful not to destroy the Daffodils. I think the way I planted them will help- I kept them in swaths, so they're not just randomly scattered everywhere.
This is not a project we can do next weekend. We should at least wait until all the snow melts. But then we need to wait for the soil to dry out. Mike McGrath says you shouldn't work wet soil. But I am thinking wouldn't we have a much easier time getting them out when the soil is wet? It's not like these are disease prone plants. It's probably best to do this when we start to see a little new growth. The weekend of April 11th is probably best.
This coming weekend is going to be used for setting up the Gutter Garden with all the lettuces.
I also need to figure out what to do with all the Liriope. By my count, there are 7 in the front bed and 7 in the sidewalk bed. And they're all really big, they could definitely be divided into quarters.
I'm not really sure what I want to do with them. I know some people use them to make a border, and a probably have enough to do that if I want to. I kind of prefer a more natural look. And I like having some annuals right up front in that front bed. The vincas were amazing. So, what I could do is just get all the Liriope dug up and divided, and then try to arrange them near the front of that bed, in a staggered pattern that will look nice and natural.
The Daylilies are about the same height as the Liriope. I'd like to divide those, too, because I think it's about the time for that. I don't know that they have to go in front of or behind the Liriope, necessarily. I like having 3 swaths of space for annuals. I can delineate those with some Liriope, and stagger the rest a little further back. The Daylilies, I don't know, I guess I'll just kind of place them all around.
I am going to plant a Knock Out Rose right in the center. It needs a big anchor, and that's a color that's easy to work with, and a plant that's guaranteed to do really well. Once that's in, I shouldn't have to traipse around in there.
The tall grasses are probably the most important. They really need to be divided. Granted, I don't know what I'm going to do with them after that. We've got, like, 6, I think. I'm not sure how much I need to divide them. I could probably get away with dividing them in half, but quarters would be better. I certainly don't want 24 separate ornamental grasses. I guess I can just leave them in a box with a sign that says "Free Plants!" They're great screening plants, they don't need a lot of water, they live forever. When we dig them up, we'll need to be really careful not to destroy the Daffodils. I think the way I planted them will help- I kept them in swaths, so they're not just randomly scattered everywhere.
This is not a project we can do next weekend. We should at least wait until all the snow melts. But then we need to wait for the soil to dry out. Mike McGrath says you shouldn't work wet soil. But I am thinking wouldn't we have a much easier time getting them out when the soil is wet? It's not like these are disease prone plants. It's probably best to do this when we start to see a little new growth. The weekend of April 11th is probably best.
This coming weekend is going to be used for setting up the Gutter Garden with all the lettuces.
I also need to figure out what to do with all the Liriope. By my count, there are 7 in the front bed and 7 in the sidewalk bed. And they're all really big, they could definitely be divided into quarters.
I'm not really sure what I want to do with them. I know some people use them to make a border, and a probably have enough to do that if I want to. I kind of prefer a more natural look. And I like having some annuals right up front in that front bed. The vincas were amazing. So, what I could do is just get all the Liriope dug up and divided, and then try to arrange them near the front of that bed, in a staggered pattern that will look nice and natural.
The Daylilies are about the same height as the Liriope. I'd like to divide those, too, because I think it's about the time for that. I don't know that they have to go in front of or behind the Liriope, necessarily. I like having 3 swaths of space for annuals. I can delineate those with some Liriope, and stagger the rest a little further back. The Daylilies, I don't know, I guess I'll just kind of place them all around.
I am going to plant a Knock Out Rose right in the center. It needs a big anchor, and that's a color that's easy to work with, and a plant that's guaranteed to do really well. Once that's in, I shouldn't have to traipse around in there.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Future Herb Garden
I've just started two 6-packs of Basil seeds, which Mike McGrath says are easy to grow. I probably don't need 12 Basil plants (if I truly get all 12 plants), but I'm pretty sure I know some people who would take a Basil plant off my hands...
I'll buy a Parsley plant again, and probably put it in the same spot. It did really well there, even though it's kind of dappled shade. I clearly only need one.
I also have those great Chives. I was really happily surprised to see them start to grow back last spring. I might move them around. I might even try to divide one of them. I think that's how they're supposed to be propagated.
Of course, there are lots of other herbs I might try to grow- Oregano, Sage, Mint, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, real Thyme. Mint of course needs to be in a container, and so does Lemon Balm. I don't know if I care about growing Lemon Balm, but Mike McGrath makes it sound so nice, and it repels mosquitoes, and you can bring it inside over the winter to make you happy, and it's a perennial (zone 4!), and it's easy care and all that.
Ok, fine. So I'm getting Mint and Lemon Balm.
I also really want Rosemary again. I wish I had brought it inside last fall to try to carry it over and keep a nice, big rosemary going strong, but I left it for dead. Well, I'll try again this year, why not. I love Rosemary and I use it all the time. The Oregano... I don't know, man, I don't use fresh Oregano all that much. It does claim to be hardy to Zone 5.
I think it you want to have a truly perennial herb garden, you need to plant these things in the ground. Well... the Rosemary has to be in a container so I can bring it inside. Mint and Lemon Balm can't be grown in the ground because they will take over the world. The Chives are doing just fine in the raised bed. That would leave Oregano, Sage, and Thyme. Ok, I have never cooked with Sage. I mean, I don't dislike it, but what's the point of it, in food? It doesn't really get me excited. It can be really pretty... When I've tried to grow Thyme in the raised bed, it gets completely overshadowed. So I thought I might have to use it as edging in the flat perennial beds, or grow it in a container.
So what's the plan?
I'm thinking, maybe when I build my Gutter Garden, the top rung can be an herb garden? Small nice things like Thyme, Sage, maybe the Cilantro and Chives... I'm thinking it will be nice because they're so accessible.
Other than that, what's going into that thing in the summer? In the spring, it's going to be all lettuces. And it's going to look beautiful. I might throw in some pansies too. In the summer, I was thinking I'd have like, a wall of Nasturtiums. I also ordered those Strawberries from Burpee. I forgot about those, that order arrived but I guess they'll ship the Strawberries later. They get transplanted in April, I guess after the last frost date. You get 25 bare root plants... that's kind of a lot, actually. I only have 20 linear feet. So, no problem, I'll put them about a foot apart, 8 in each row, and plant Nasturtiums in between.
So does that mean I can't plant herbs in there? That's correct. Just put them somewhere else, come on. So about the strawberries- I bought these weird pink Nasturtiums, because I was thinking about the patio, and how I want to grow Begonias in the new raised bed inside the patio, and those are usually pink. The ones I grew last year definitely were. And I'd have the Coleus in there, and maybe some Caladiums, and some New Guinea Impatiens, and it would be a lot of pink. Is it going to look stupid to have these pink-purple Nasturtium flowers next to red strawberries? Eh, probably not.
So what else is going in the actual raised bed? I'm going to have at least one tomato, but maybe 2? And I will be growing Pole Beans, but I'm not yet sure where. I want to grow the Morning Glories on the outside patio wall, because I think the people who walk past it every morning would rather see flowers than beans. And I don't really like being crouched down in the middle of the sidewalk picking beans when people are walking by and I'm in their way being awkward. Basically I'm pretty sure I don't want to put the beans there. And if I put them in the same place as the Tomatoes, they kind of grow into a tangled mess and I don't want that.
Ok. I'm going to put the pole beans next to the raised bed, and not build something new, but kind of partition it off. I'm going to take those crappy wood planters that are kind of long, and are terrible, and just take them apart and use the wood to section off an area. So it will be about 8 inches high, not a foot high like the whole raised bed. I think it will look ok. And how high do they need to be, I mean, they're going to grow to be like 8 feet high.
I'll buy a Parsley plant again, and probably put it in the same spot. It did really well there, even though it's kind of dappled shade. I clearly only need one.
I also have those great Chives. I was really happily surprised to see them start to grow back last spring. I might move them around. I might even try to divide one of them. I think that's how they're supposed to be propagated.
Of course, there are lots of other herbs I might try to grow- Oregano, Sage, Mint, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, real Thyme. Mint of course needs to be in a container, and so does Lemon Balm. I don't know if I care about growing Lemon Balm, but Mike McGrath makes it sound so nice, and it repels mosquitoes, and you can bring it inside over the winter to make you happy, and it's a perennial (zone 4!), and it's easy care and all that.
Ok, fine. So I'm getting Mint and Lemon Balm.
I also really want Rosemary again. I wish I had brought it inside last fall to try to carry it over and keep a nice, big rosemary going strong, but I left it for dead. Well, I'll try again this year, why not. I love Rosemary and I use it all the time. The Oregano... I don't know, man, I don't use fresh Oregano all that much. It does claim to be hardy to Zone 5.
I think it you want to have a truly perennial herb garden, you need to plant these things in the ground. Well... the Rosemary has to be in a container so I can bring it inside. Mint and Lemon Balm can't be grown in the ground because they will take over the world. The Chives are doing just fine in the raised bed. That would leave Oregano, Sage, and Thyme. Ok, I have never cooked with Sage. I mean, I don't dislike it, but what's the point of it, in food? It doesn't really get me excited. It can be really pretty... When I've tried to grow Thyme in the raised bed, it gets completely overshadowed. So I thought I might have to use it as edging in the flat perennial beds, or grow it in a container.
So what's the plan?
- Don't grow Oregano if you don't like Oregano. It's a big ass plant, don't waste the space.
- Grow Rosemary, Mint and Lemon Balm in containers (separate ones)
- Get some Thyme and grow it in the ground, or in a container.
- If you want to grow Sage, fine, whatever.
I'm thinking, maybe when I build my Gutter Garden, the top rung can be an herb garden? Small nice things like Thyme, Sage, maybe the Cilantro and Chives... I'm thinking it will be nice because they're so accessible.
Other than that, what's going into that thing in the summer? In the spring, it's going to be all lettuces. And it's going to look beautiful. I might throw in some pansies too. In the summer, I was thinking I'd have like, a wall of Nasturtiums. I also ordered those Strawberries from Burpee. I forgot about those, that order arrived but I guess they'll ship the Strawberries later. They get transplanted in April, I guess after the last frost date. You get 25 bare root plants... that's kind of a lot, actually. I only have 20 linear feet. So, no problem, I'll put them about a foot apart, 8 in each row, and plant Nasturtiums in between.
So does that mean I can't plant herbs in there? That's correct. Just put them somewhere else, come on. So about the strawberries- I bought these weird pink Nasturtiums, because I was thinking about the patio, and how I want to grow Begonias in the new raised bed inside the patio, and those are usually pink. The ones I grew last year definitely were. And I'd have the Coleus in there, and maybe some Caladiums, and some New Guinea Impatiens, and it would be a lot of pink. Is it going to look stupid to have these pink-purple Nasturtium flowers next to red strawberries? Eh, probably not.
So what else is going in the actual raised bed? I'm going to have at least one tomato, but maybe 2? And I will be growing Pole Beans, but I'm not yet sure where. I want to grow the Morning Glories on the outside patio wall, because I think the people who walk past it every morning would rather see flowers than beans. And I don't really like being crouched down in the middle of the sidewalk picking beans when people are walking by and I'm in their way being awkward. Basically I'm pretty sure I don't want to put the beans there. And if I put them in the same place as the Tomatoes, they kind of grow into a tangled mess and I don't want that.
Ok. I'm going to put the pole beans next to the raised bed, and not build something new, but kind of partition it off. I'm going to take those crappy wood planters that are kind of long, and are terrible, and just take them apart and use the wood to section off an area. So it will be about 8 inches high, not a foot high like the whole raised bed. I think it will look ok. And how high do they need to be, I mean, they're going to grow to be like 8 feet high.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Transplanting Concerns
Mother fucking snow. A lot of it. Ugh. It's not like I was going to do anything this weekend, at least not outside.
I'm worried that the peas haven't germinated. It's been a week for the first container. They should germinate in 7-14 days, and usually my stuff germinates in half the time it says. I guess if 14 days pass, I'll just move them some place warmer.
Next weekend, I'm really hoping all this goddamn snow is gone. I guess I can start hardening off some of these little plants by taking them outside on warm days and bringing them inside overnight. I think the ideal way to do this is to bring them outside for just a few hours, then a little longer, then eventually for a whole day, etc. Today I could do that from noon to 6, when it will be 40-50. Tomorrow's looking a little colder, but still over 40 for a stretch. I'm not sure if I can do this during the week, since they would need to be outside for 12 hours straight.
Reading the Territorial Seed website, they say the Bok Choy will not do well if it's exposed to frost when it is young. They're actually recommending it more as a Fall crop than a Spring crop for that reason. I guess they're all like that, the Brassicas. They taste best if they've been chilled a little when they're mature, but if it's too cold when they're young, I think it just slows them down. We don't want to have them sit there all tiny throughout April, and then when I'm actually harvesting in May it's too warm for them to taste good. But, I have these plants now so we'll just see how it goes.
I don't think I'm well situated for fall gardening at all. So, today is the Equinox, which means the sun pattern today is the same as it will be on September 21st. It's still relatively low, and behind some trees for a while. (Maybe I should take pictures; the snow will make it especially clear what's in direct sun and what's not.) But now, and for the next month or so, the trees don't have any leaves. In September, they're still 100% leafed out, so the slightly lower sun means a big lack of light on the raised bed. Hm. Not a lot I can do about that.
The things that you're supposed to grow in the early Spring are the little baby lettuces and radishes and peas. I really can't believe the radishes are supposed to be 30 days to maturity. That's crazy, for something that grows a big fat tasty root. I've got a container planted with those, and once I see them sprouting I'll start moving it outside. (Same with the Sweet Peas.)
So, Peas are in three containers, I've got a container with Radishes, I've got 9 Kale starts, 6 Radicchio starts, 6 Bok Choy starts, 6 Romaine starts... I guess I could get a row cover if I wanted to get serious. Hm, it's not all that expensive. It's just, do I really want to be that guy? I'm sure they already think I'm crazy, so might as well lean in to it.
Anyway. The Kale, Radicchio, Bok Choy and Romaine will all be going into the raised bed, maybe at different times. What else is there, up there? I've got a few really nice Cilantro plants going strong. I'll give one to Mom, for sure. I guess I could plant some of the others in the raised bed, depending on space. They will bolt and have to be taken out by June, so that times well with tomatoes and whatever. Um... I planted two 6-packs of Basil. I don't think I've ever grown Basil from seed, but Mike McGrath says it's a pretty easy one to do. I've got the Coleus, 5 fairly large ones, one 6-pack that's already sprouted but needs a lot more time, and one 6-pack that I just started a few days ago.
I have 10 of the 6-packs, so I should be able to account for all of them:
So the Basil and the Coleus obviously can't go outside until May. Zinnias can be transplanted "after danger of frost," so that's like, late April, I guess. Same with the Thyme, if I can even get some of them going.
I should have everything for Spring veggies transplanted by the first weekend of April. That will free up some more space under the lights. Well, it will open up like, three of the 6-packs. And what do I want to put in those? I could get the Swiss Chard going. I could definitely use some more Zinnias. I'll need to transplant the Zinnias to some kind of larger container soon; they're growing pretty fast.
I kept meaning to start some Spinach seeds. I have some, they seem easy to grow, they're relatively short (42 days). I'm not sure why I didn't. I guess I figured that was plenty of time, but it isn't really. I was also thinking, maybe I have too many different things. Kale, Radicchio, Bok Choy, Romaine, and I also want Arugula, Mesclun, and Spinach? The Mesclun and any other leaf lettuce will work great in long containers on the patio wall. So, all these things will start to look really sad in May-June, and I'll need to figure out what to plant next.
I'm worried that the peas haven't germinated. It's been a week for the first container. They should germinate in 7-14 days, and usually my stuff germinates in half the time it says. I guess if 14 days pass, I'll just move them some place warmer.
Next weekend, I'm really hoping all this goddamn snow is gone. I guess I can start hardening off some of these little plants by taking them outside on warm days and bringing them inside overnight. I think the ideal way to do this is to bring them outside for just a few hours, then a little longer, then eventually for a whole day, etc. Today I could do that from noon to 6, when it will be 40-50. Tomorrow's looking a little colder, but still over 40 for a stretch. I'm not sure if I can do this during the week, since they would need to be outside for 12 hours straight.
Reading the Territorial Seed website, they say the Bok Choy will not do well if it's exposed to frost when it is young. They're actually recommending it more as a Fall crop than a Spring crop for that reason. I guess they're all like that, the Brassicas. They taste best if they've been chilled a little when they're mature, but if it's too cold when they're young, I think it just slows them down. We don't want to have them sit there all tiny throughout April, and then when I'm actually harvesting in May it's too warm for them to taste good. But, I have these plants now so we'll just see how it goes.
I don't think I'm well situated for fall gardening at all. So, today is the Equinox, which means the sun pattern today is the same as it will be on September 21st. It's still relatively low, and behind some trees for a while. (Maybe I should take pictures; the snow will make it especially clear what's in direct sun and what's not.) But now, and for the next month or so, the trees don't have any leaves. In September, they're still 100% leafed out, so the slightly lower sun means a big lack of light on the raised bed. Hm. Not a lot I can do about that.
The things that you're supposed to grow in the early Spring are the little baby lettuces and radishes and peas. I really can't believe the radishes are supposed to be 30 days to maturity. That's crazy, for something that grows a big fat tasty root. I've got a container planted with those, and once I see them sprouting I'll start moving it outside. (Same with the Sweet Peas.)
So, Peas are in three containers, I've got a container with Radishes, I've got 9 Kale starts, 6 Radicchio starts, 6 Bok Choy starts, 6 Romaine starts... I guess I could get a row cover if I wanted to get serious. Hm, it's not all that expensive. It's just, do I really want to be that guy? I'm sure they already think I'm crazy, so might as well lean in to it.
Anyway. The Kale, Radicchio, Bok Choy and Romaine will all be going into the raised bed, maybe at different times. What else is there, up there? I've got a few really nice Cilantro plants going strong. I'll give one to Mom, for sure. I guess I could plant some of the others in the raised bed, depending on space. They will bolt and have to be taken out by June, so that times well with tomatoes and whatever. Um... I planted two 6-packs of Basil. I don't think I've ever grown Basil from seed, but Mike McGrath says it's a pretty easy one to do. I've got the Coleus, 5 fairly large ones, one 6-pack that's already sprouted but needs a lot more time, and one 6-pack that I just started a few days ago.
I have 10 of the 6-packs, so I should be able to account for all of them:
- Romaine seedlings
- Zinnias- Giant Flower
- Zinnias- Cut and Come Again
- Coleus- sprouted
- Coleus- new
- Basil
- Basil
- Romaine- just sprouted
- Creeping Thyme
- maybe more Kale???
So the Basil and the Coleus obviously can't go outside until May. Zinnias can be transplanted "after danger of frost," so that's like, late April, I guess. Same with the Thyme, if I can even get some of them going.
I should have everything for Spring veggies transplanted by the first weekend of April. That will free up some more space under the lights. Well, it will open up like, three of the 6-packs. And what do I want to put in those? I could get the Swiss Chard going. I could definitely use some more Zinnias. I'll need to transplant the Zinnias to some kind of larger container soon; they're growing pretty fast.
I kept meaning to start some Spinach seeds. I have some, they seem easy to grow, they're relatively short (42 days). I'm not sure why I didn't. I guess I figured that was plenty of time, but it isn't really. I was also thinking, maybe I have too many different things. Kale, Radicchio, Bok Choy, Romaine, and I also want Arugula, Mesclun, and Spinach? The Mesclun and any other leaf lettuce will work great in long containers on the patio wall. So, all these things will start to look really sad in May-June, and I'll need to figure out what to plant next.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Potting Mix Party
Woo, finally bought all that potting mix. Now I have 3 32" containers loaded with Pea seeds, a 24" container with Radish seeds, and a 24" container with Sweet Pea seeds (and the ill-fated seedlings I started under the lights a few weeks ago.
I also filled two of those rectangular take out containers with the seed starting mix, and put lettuce seeds in one, and Swiss Chard in the other. I finally found that Mike McGrath interview on growing microgreens indoors. Not that I couldn't figure that part out on my own. It's partly just because I think it will be super cute and happy.
I now have a ton of seed starting trays upstairs. The Radicchio and the Bok Choy really need to be transplanted. I guess I should harden them off during next week, and then over the weekend, I'll actually plant them. Same with the Lettuce, and the bigger Kale.
I got 9 decent Kales, 6 Radicchio, 6 Romaines, 6 medium Bok Choy, one biggie Bok Choy... I think that's it. That's almost enough to fill the raised bed. Before we transplant those, I will want to top it off with more potting mix. And! I have some lovely compost to spread on top!
There are 2 full trays in the worm bin. The one that I "harvested" was only have full, and I got lots out of it. If I actually cook for a while, I'll have another full tray in 3 months! I'll have plenty of compost for the raised bed. And I'll be able to compost other things, like the shrubs.
I also filled two of those rectangular take out containers with the seed starting mix, and put lettuce seeds in one, and Swiss Chard in the other. I finally found that Mike McGrath interview on growing microgreens indoors. Not that I couldn't figure that part out on my own. It's partly just because I think it will be super cute and happy.
I now have a ton of seed starting trays upstairs. The Radicchio and the Bok Choy really need to be transplanted. I guess I should harden them off during next week, and then over the weekend, I'll actually plant them. Same with the Lettuce, and the bigger Kale.
I got 9 decent Kales, 6 Radicchio, 6 Romaines, 6 medium Bok Choy, one biggie Bok Choy... I think that's it. That's almost enough to fill the raised bed. Before we transplant those, I will want to top it off with more potting mix. And! I have some lovely compost to spread on top!
There are 2 full trays in the worm bin. The one that I "harvested" was only have full, and I got lots out of it. If I actually cook for a while, I'll have another full tray in 3 months! I'll have plenty of compost for the raised bed. And I'll be able to compost other things, like the shrubs.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
I'll be transplanting some of the spring plants really soon. That's the Radicchio, the Kale, the Bok Choy, and the Romaine.
Under the lower light, I have six 6-packs
Under the lower light, I have six 6-packs
- Giant Flower Zinnias
- Cut and Come Again Zinnias
- Coleus
- Creeping Thyme
- Romaine
- Kale
The first set of Zinnias, the Coleus and the Creeping Thyme are all germinated. The others I started today, so they definitely need some time.
Under the big light, I have...
- a large Bok Choy
- 6 Bok Choy starts
- 6 Kale starts
- 6 Radicchio starts
- Cilantro
- 1 Creeping Thyme
- 5 Coleus starts
- 6 Sweet Pea starts
Most of those will get transplanted in 2 weeks. Only the Coleus and the Creeping Thyme need to stay there.
So once I've freed up some space, I should start at least one 6 pack of Basil. I'll also start another pack of each kind of Zinnia. The Romaine and the Kale that I started today might also be ready to transplant within the next 2 to 3 weeks.
I need to get at least 2 more bags of potting mix. I started one of the containers with the peas, but I ran out like, immediately. If I get two more bags, I'll start the other two. Once they're germinated, we'll be ready to move them outside. I'll also need like, 2 or 3 more bags to just throw in the raised bed. I need to make sure I bring the level all the way up before I go transplanting stuff in there.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
So I've been meaning to get more seed starting mix and some potting mix for like, 2 weeks now. I've got to do that tomorrow.
I'd like to transplant the Cilantro and the bigger Kale to bigger containers, because I think they're getting really root bound. They might also just be too hot. I'll move them to the window downstairs, because I don't think they like that light anymore.
I think I'll be able to transplant the Kale, Radicchio, Bok Choy and Lettuce to the raised bed at the end of March. So, we're talking like 2 weeks from now. That will free up a lot of space under the lights, so I can start more Zinnias, more Coleus, and I'd like to get some Basil seeds.
Just ordered a ton of stuff from Burpee. that 20% off really messes with me. I got Basil, more Mesclun, and some new Nasturtium. They have a pink and yellow Nasturtium, which I have never seen. It's kind of a risk, but I'd rather be consistent with the color palette. I also got that Hori Hori knife I've been wanting, a big bag of seed starting mix, a big rubbery bin that I will use for a million things. And I got some strawberry plants. For $20, it's 25 bare root plants. It's a variety that is said to do well in containers. We'll see.
I'd like to transplant the Cilantro and the bigger Kale to bigger containers, because I think they're getting really root bound. They might also just be too hot. I'll move them to the window downstairs, because I don't think they like that light anymore.
I think I'll be able to transplant the Kale, Radicchio, Bok Choy and Lettuce to the raised bed at the end of March. So, we're talking like 2 weeks from now. That will free up a lot of space under the lights, so I can start more Zinnias, more Coleus, and I'd like to get some Basil seeds.
Just ordered a ton of stuff from Burpee. that 20% off really messes with me. I got Basil, more Mesclun, and some new Nasturtium. They have a pink and yellow Nasturtium, which I have never seen. It's kind of a risk, but I'd rather be consistent with the color palette. I also got that Hori Hori knife I've been wanting, a big bag of seed starting mix, a big rubbery bin that I will use for a million things. And I got some strawberry plants. For $20, it's 25 bare root plants. It's a variety that is said to do well in containers. We'll see.
New Vertical Gardening Plans!
I'm pretty excited about a potential gardening project for spring. I've been wanting to get some nice vertical gardening going on my ugly cinder block walls, and I haven't been all that successful.
I tried a stupid thing where I shoved the coir liners into the oval cut outs and filled them with soil and planted petunias. That was kind of a perfect storm of conditions to cause the things to dry out immediately.
Last year I got those Woolly Pocket grow bags. I put the big one on the wall and tied it on with some twine. It did ok. I was worried it didn't hold water very well, because it seemed to drain a little too well. That worked out ok for a while, but sometime in the middle of the summer, I broke the twine and the whole thing crashed to the ground. I left it there on the ground for a few weeks, at first because I was too bad at myself to deal with it. Also just lazy. Because it had just fallen straight down, it kind of looked ok sitting on the ground against the wall. The plants didn't seem to suffer too much. If I use that thing again, I'll use proper zip ties.
The Woolly Pockets are very nice, but they're expensive. If I wanted to cover the wall, I would need to spend like $400.
Mike McGrath had a guest who wrote a book about vertical gardening and she talked about using gutters, in multiple rows. One could also use the plastic window boxes, which would of course be much greater volumes of soil, but that would also start to get expensive. I would probably be out, like, $150. They're also about 7 inches wide, which would take up more horizontal space.
Gutters are obviously a lot cheaper. By my estimate, I can cover my wall with 3 rows of 7 foot long gutters and all the hardware and connectors for about $20. They're obviously a lot smaller; it looks like they're 5 inches wide and 3-4 inches deep. That seems small, but there are window boxes that are about that size, too. (Those little copper ones, typically.) I think the fact that they're vinyl should be good for keeping them from drying out too much.
The author on YBYG pointed out that having a lot of small containers near each other means they don't dry out nearly as fast as they would if they were on their own. Since they're only 5 inches wide, they'll sit fairly flat to the wall, which will look nice and not compromise much of the patio space.
And they actually look pretty nice. The molded shape is very aesthetically pleasing. And they're white, which is fine. They're also paintable, so if I want to get crafty, I could get some Rustoleum or something and paint them to match the patio raised bed.
Obviously the size limits the kinds of plants I can have. But lettuce would be perfect. I want to grow a lot of Mesclun and stuff like that. A gutter is like a single row of lettuce. And that would look so beautiful, and grow quickly. Pansies would also be great, they don't seem to ever expand their roots past the volume they occupied in the cell, so I think they'd be happy there.
In the summer, I'll definitely do some Nasturtiums. They're also really fast growing, they grow from seed really easily so it's cheap (just buy 1 pack of seeds, which says it has 50 seeds.) Some people seem to be growing Strawberries in these gutters. That's probably the only edible thing I can grow in the summer. I could do herbs, especially the smaller ones like Thyme or Sage.
I don't really want to use too many different kinds of plants, because it won't look very good. In the Spring, just Lettuce and Pansies. Lettuce on its own is so beautiful. I can plant it at the end of March (in 2 weeks), and it'll be all full and pretty by the end of April. I would then plant Nasturtium seeds at the end of April, and when the lettuce dies, the Nasturtiums will be getting going.
I am a little concerned about the height of the plants that can go in there. With the layout I'm planning, there would be 5 inches between the top of one and the bottom of the other. That's fine for the Nasturtiums, and I probably for the Strawberries. I guess if I grow small leaf lettuce like Mesclun, they would be ok. Looking at pictures from the lettuces I grew in containers, they didn't get more than 5 inches high, if I don't count the Romaine.
Ok! I can't think of a good reason not to do this. I might have some issues with water, especially when I'm travelling. If I do this, I'll be able to grow all these lettuces right there, and I was otherwise limited by the space in the raised bed. I don't really think it's worth building out the raised bed. It would mainly be to get that extra sun for a tomato, but I don't really think I need to grow that many tomatoes. Maybe two plants, at the most. The area next to it might be ok for the green beans even without any raised bed. I mean, it's not like I want those to be much more elevated. The soil's a little compact over there, but if I mix in some perlite that could help, right? I'll just use those lean-to trellises I already have.
The only sad thing is that they just replaced a bunch of gutters. If I'd been thinking about this a lot earlier, I could have trash-picked some gutters to use, and I wouldn't even be buying those. If I see them come back to do more, I'll try to catch them. They should be coming back, there are a lot of old and busted gutters around. That might not be worth the effort. If I buy them new, I'll be able to get the right end caps and everything. The existing ones will already be sealed together.
I will also get to fill up the Patio bed with some kind of shade happy plants. I might move my Hostas over there, even though they aren't supposed to be in a raised container. I bet they'll be fine. I'd also like to get some tender perennials like Elephant Ears and Begonias.
Hm. If one wall is covered with Nasturtiums, the pink Begonias are going to look stupid.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
March Gardening Plans
A few months ago, I put some gardening stuff on my calendar in March, like "Plant Peas," or "Cut back the Liriope." We just got a foot of snow, and I'm having a really hard time believing that it's going to be ok to put anything outside within the next month. But, it's warm today, it's going to be warm for the next week, and maybe the snow will be gone by the weekend.
You're supposed to plant peas on St Patrick's Day (for good luck, apparently), so I think it should be ok? I'm going to plant them in containers, so they can germinate inside, and once they sprout, I can move them outside. Maybe I will actually plant them on St Patrick's Day, March 17th (a Tuesday). I'll actually be here that week, and I could use some luck. If it's nice that weekend, I can move them outside and give my neighbors more reason to think I'm crazy.
I also started some Sweet Peas (just the flowers), in a little tray under the lights. That was kind of a waste- they germinated fast, and promptly grew these 3 inch high stems, with tiny leaves. That's what I would expect if they weren't under lights! So now they're too tall to even have them under the lights, and they're starting to get singed. I don't think they really need to be started early, and they're not really fitting in well with the others. I guess I'll start them in containers as well and see if I actually get some flowers.
When we get to the end of March, I'll actually plant the Kale and Radicchio and Lettuce. I'll need to get a lot of potting mix to refill the bed, and to fill all these containers I'm going to do. Maybe I'll even take a vacation day. Once I've done that, I'll have a lot more space under the lights to start some other things. I wanted to get some Spinach and Arugula going, but I don't really know how I can do that with the space I have. If I go buy some more seed starting mix next weekend, I could get them at least germinated. And if I'm here, I can alternate them under the lights with some of the other plants. The Mesclun and leaf lettuce and stuff like that, I think I can just direct sow. That's what you're supposed to do with a lot of the other things, but the longer maturity times seemed like they should be started early. And I'm glad I did, the Radicchio is looking so good, and the 3 Kale plants from the first round are also doing really well. As soon as I get the other seeds into trays, I could move them to the window, I don't think they'll suffer too much from a week of weak sun before going outside.
And! I am going to need to "harvest" some of my worm castings! I think I need to put the 4th tray on there soon. When I opened it to put in more stuff yesterday, I looked at the top layer with all the shredded newspaper, and the whole thing was moving. The worms have absolutely made their way up to the top. Now, I know they supposedly double their populating in a few months, but that must mean that the bottom tray has very few worms in it. It's also decreased in volume considerably. That's a good sign, because it means it's all composted, but it also means there isn't much stuff there. I haven't been cooking very regularly, so I'm not putting in a ton of stuff. If I increase that a little bit as we get closer to spring, that should help.
I'm really nervous about this process. When I had just two trays on there a while ago, I tried to lift the top one up to see how the bottom tray was doing, and there were worms in the process of climbing up through the grid, and it was so gross and I was afraid I was hurting them. Apparently when I want to collect the stuff from the bottom tray, I have to take it out, and place it on top of the working tray under bright lights. That's supposed to encourage any worms in there to move down through the grid into the working tray. I'm supposed to stir it periodically to help with this. I guess the worms will retreat down, I'll collect stuff from the top, and as I do that, they keep moving down. And I'm sure that's stupid stuff in there that won't break down, like whole potatoes or something dumb, and I should pull that kind of stuff out as well. Oh my god, why did I take this on? I probably need a compost sieve.
There is also actual work to be done, like cutting back the liriope, and dividing the ornamental grasses. This is probably a job for Drake and his machete. I guess I shouldn't try to do that until the Daffodils come up, so we know where they are. Of course, we will also end up trampling them in the process.
Back to the peas- if I start them on March 17th, they supposedly will be mature (ready to pick) around May 15th? That seems like a long time. I'm really hoping they go a little faster than that. I mean, by then it's time to put in summer crops, right? My plan was that the peas would come out, and the green beans would go in. I need to decide if I want them to be on the outside of the wall. I mean, that seems like the best place to me. They get plenty of sun, they've got the support, everything should be good. The other option is to put them in the raised bed and get some stakes or poles or whatever. And I need to decide if I really want to build out another 4 feet in the bed. It seems a little silly, and it makes me feel stupid for not doing it right the first time. But it's stupider to put a bunch of vegetable plants in a bed that's partly shaded when there's a nice sunny spot next to it. I just have to buy the lumber and build it. And then fill it with potting soil. If I do that soon, like next weekend, I would have more space for the spring vegetables. And I could use the patio wall to grow something pretty like Morning Glory. I think the many people who walk past my house everyday would prefer to see a wall of Morning Glory than a bunch of Green Beans.
I'm also planning on growing a lot of Zinnias and Sunflowers. I have the same "Cut and Come Again" Zinnias that I grew last year (new seeds for this year), and the "Giant Flower" mix, which I bought a few days ago. I started a 6 pack of the Giant Flowers yesterday. As I get more space under the lights, I'll keep starting more and more. I mean, I can't have too many Zinnias. I'll give them away. I will probably end up filling the side bed with Zinnias and Sunflowers.
I bought the "Elf" sunflower seeds, which are really cute in containers. I might try to just fill as many containers as I can with those. I also have some that say they will be 4 feet tall, which is kind of bigger than I would want. I might plant them in the bed across the sidewalk, although I won't really be able to water them as easily. I'm also pretty sure they'll face the wrong direction, which is no fun for me.
You're supposed to plant peas on St Patrick's Day (for good luck, apparently), so I think it should be ok? I'm going to plant them in containers, so they can germinate inside, and once they sprout, I can move them outside. Maybe I will actually plant them on St Patrick's Day, March 17th (a Tuesday). I'll actually be here that week, and I could use some luck. If it's nice that weekend, I can move them outside and give my neighbors more reason to think I'm crazy.
I also started some Sweet Peas (just the flowers), in a little tray under the lights. That was kind of a waste- they germinated fast, and promptly grew these 3 inch high stems, with tiny leaves. That's what I would expect if they weren't under lights! So now they're too tall to even have them under the lights, and they're starting to get singed. I don't think they really need to be started early, and they're not really fitting in well with the others. I guess I'll start them in containers as well and see if I actually get some flowers.
When we get to the end of March, I'll actually plant the Kale and Radicchio and Lettuce. I'll need to get a lot of potting mix to refill the bed, and to fill all these containers I'm going to do. Maybe I'll even take a vacation day. Once I've done that, I'll have a lot more space under the lights to start some other things. I wanted to get some Spinach and Arugula going, but I don't really know how I can do that with the space I have. If I go buy some more seed starting mix next weekend, I could get them at least germinated. And if I'm here, I can alternate them under the lights with some of the other plants. The Mesclun and leaf lettuce and stuff like that, I think I can just direct sow. That's what you're supposed to do with a lot of the other things, but the longer maturity times seemed like they should be started early. And I'm glad I did, the Radicchio is looking so good, and the 3 Kale plants from the first round are also doing really well. As soon as I get the other seeds into trays, I could move them to the window, I don't think they'll suffer too much from a week of weak sun before going outside.
And! I am going to need to "harvest" some of my worm castings! I think I need to put the 4th tray on there soon. When I opened it to put in more stuff yesterday, I looked at the top layer with all the shredded newspaper, and the whole thing was moving. The worms have absolutely made their way up to the top. Now, I know they supposedly double their populating in a few months, but that must mean that the bottom tray has very few worms in it. It's also decreased in volume considerably. That's a good sign, because it means it's all composted, but it also means there isn't much stuff there. I haven't been cooking very regularly, so I'm not putting in a ton of stuff. If I increase that a little bit as we get closer to spring, that should help.
I'm really nervous about this process. When I had just two trays on there a while ago, I tried to lift the top one up to see how the bottom tray was doing, and there were worms in the process of climbing up through the grid, and it was so gross and I was afraid I was hurting them. Apparently when I want to collect the stuff from the bottom tray, I have to take it out, and place it on top of the working tray under bright lights. That's supposed to encourage any worms in there to move down through the grid into the working tray. I'm supposed to stir it periodically to help with this. I guess the worms will retreat down, I'll collect stuff from the top, and as I do that, they keep moving down. And I'm sure that's stupid stuff in there that won't break down, like whole potatoes or something dumb, and I should pull that kind of stuff out as well. Oh my god, why did I take this on? I probably need a compost sieve.
There is also actual work to be done, like cutting back the liriope, and dividing the ornamental grasses. This is probably a job for Drake and his machete. I guess I shouldn't try to do that until the Daffodils come up, so we know where they are. Of course, we will also end up trampling them in the process.
Back to the peas- if I start them on March 17th, they supposedly will be mature (ready to pick) around May 15th? That seems like a long time. I'm really hoping they go a little faster than that. I mean, by then it's time to put in summer crops, right? My plan was that the peas would come out, and the green beans would go in. I need to decide if I want them to be on the outside of the wall. I mean, that seems like the best place to me. They get plenty of sun, they've got the support, everything should be good. The other option is to put them in the raised bed and get some stakes or poles or whatever. And I need to decide if I really want to build out another 4 feet in the bed. It seems a little silly, and it makes me feel stupid for not doing it right the first time. But it's stupider to put a bunch of vegetable plants in a bed that's partly shaded when there's a nice sunny spot next to it. I just have to buy the lumber and build it. And then fill it with potting soil. If I do that soon, like next weekend, I would have more space for the spring vegetables. And I could use the patio wall to grow something pretty like Morning Glory. I think the many people who walk past my house everyday would prefer to see a wall of Morning Glory than a bunch of Green Beans.
I'm also planning on growing a lot of Zinnias and Sunflowers. I have the same "Cut and Come Again" Zinnias that I grew last year (new seeds for this year), and the "Giant Flower" mix, which I bought a few days ago. I started a 6 pack of the Giant Flowers yesterday. As I get more space under the lights, I'll keep starting more and more. I mean, I can't have too many Zinnias. I'll give them away. I will probably end up filling the side bed with Zinnias and Sunflowers.
I bought the "Elf" sunflower seeds, which are really cute in containers. I might try to just fill as many containers as I can with those. I also have some that say they will be 4 feet tall, which is kind of bigger than I would want. I might plant them in the bed across the sidewalk, although I won't really be able to water them as easily. I'm also pretty sure they'll face the wrong direction, which is no fun for me.
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