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Tuesday, May 3, 2011
April Showers Bring April Showers
Normally around this time of year I would be writing a post about the great start to the garden season. How my my peas are close to being trellised. How my spinach and greens are growing well. How the gardens have been prepped and are ready for the busy season. And how my "workable soil" seeds are ready to be sown...
Not this year...
What workable soil?
We have had rain. And rain. AAANNNDDD RAIN. By far the rainiest spring that I can ever recall. So rainy that I had 1 hour in the dark last week to mow my grass between work, travel, and rainy days. Lo and behold my yard needs at least 2 hours in the LIGHT in order to be fully mowed, so here I sit with a half mowed yard - already in need of its second clipping. Yet there's more rain. If I see anyone building a large boat I am going to befriend them.
It's not all bad. We did have one nice day a few weeks back where I was able to plant some greens seedlings and get some peas in the ground. The peas and greens sprouted this week so at least we have something to keep an eye on.
The seeds that were started indoors are doing well. The tomatoes, herbs, and greens are doing the best. The peppers are a bit behind by doing well none the less.
My hop rhizomes that were planted last year all came up and are standing at about 3 feet now. I will have a different trellis system for them this year so they're currently waiting on me to complete that.
Jul filled 3 strawberry pots this evening FULL of strawberries, and I have raised beds prepared for both potatoes and more strawberries.
Something unique that we're trying this year is to use potato grow bags - but not the kind that you can purchase. We have a few friends who work for a small craft brewery and they always have plenty of grain bags that they're trying to dispose of. The brewery prides itself on being sustainable meaning they hate to throw the bags out. We'll see how this goes. I have two kinds of potatoes in the grain/grow bags now.
As soon as the weather breaks and I have some time to spend outside I will post some photos. Until then I'm off to do some school/career work.
Keep it real wet....haha, sick.
Not this year...
What workable soil?
We have had rain. And rain. AAANNNDDD RAIN. By far the rainiest spring that I can ever recall. So rainy that I had 1 hour in the dark last week to mow my grass between work, travel, and rainy days. Lo and behold my yard needs at least 2 hours in the LIGHT in order to be fully mowed, so here I sit with a half mowed yard - already in need of its second clipping. Yet there's more rain. If I see anyone building a large boat I am going to befriend them.
It's not all bad. We did have one nice day a few weeks back where I was able to plant some greens seedlings and get some peas in the ground. The peas and greens sprouted this week so at least we have something to keep an eye on.
The seeds that were started indoors are doing well. The tomatoes, herbs, and greens are doing the best. The peppers are a bit behind by doing well none the less.
My hop rhizomes that were planted last year all came up and are standing at about 3 feet now. I will have a different trellis system for them this year so they're currently waiting on me to complete that.
Jul filled 3 strawberry pots this evening FULL of strawberries, and I have raised beds prepared for both potatoes and more strawberries.
Something unique that we're trying this year is to use potato grow bags - but not the kind that you can purchase. We have a few friends who work for a small craft brewery and they always have plenty of grain bags that they're trying to dispose of. The brewery prides itself on being sustainable meaning they hate to throw the bags out. We'll see how this goes. I have two kinds of potatoes in the grain/grow bags now.
As soon as the weather breaks and I have some time to spend outside I will post some photos. Until then I'm off to do some school/career work.
Keep it real wet....haha, sick.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Seedcropolis
Last year I grew weary of the daunting task of starting seeds indoors with direct sunlight.. It works well enough when they're small but as soon as the seedlings turn to small plants you're faced with constantly turning, maneuvering, and untangling them. It's effing awful. The only way(s) to rectify that is to 1) build a greenhouse - which obviously is not plausible for someone in my situation, 2) deal with it and stop complaining, or 3) build something so as to start seedlings with artificial lighting. I'll take # 3.
Materials:
1 stainless steel metro shelving unit, preferably 72 in high x 48 in wide x 18 in deep.
48 in long fluorescent lights.
Power strip.
Optional:
Heat pad.
Reflective blanket to hang behind rack.
I purchased the 18 inch deep shelf because it is wide enough to allow a full row of seeds to receive enough lighting. Also with it being 72 inches high it allows for 4 full shelves of growing if needed.
Lighting can be achieved in many ways. I purchased 1 single unit that has 4 individual bulbs. It fits nicely, but two two-bulb lights would work just as well, simply requiring more wires and more chains.
Wattage is another issue to keep in mind. When purchasing designated "grow" lights you will get a higher wattage, more heat, and a more "natural" light. These obviously will work the best but they will also cost a bit more. I paid $55 for the 4 bulb set and it's only 30 watt. It will work just fine but I have to start the light basically touching the seedlings. I only purchased one light to start and so I'm planning on increasing the quality for the second one.
The heat pad is a very nice addition if you have one/purchase one because it will keep the seedlings at a constant temperature even when you turn the light out over night. The seedlings need at least 6 hours of darkness per day. My temperature under the lights is at or around 75 degrees when the light is lit, but drops to around 60 degrees at night (my basement is cold), so a pad would be ideal.
Simply assemble your lighting fixture and hang from the shelf directly above. Be sure to purchase lights that have the optional chains to hang from. This will save you a lot of hassle and will allow you to easily adjust the height when the plants begin to grow. Most often they're called "shop lights."
There you have it! Easy as drinking a beer. Keep the light slightly above the seedlings until they emerge, then raise it to coincide with their growth.
Currently I have Swiss Chard, Celery, Lettuce, and Spinach started. This weekend I will start some Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Leeks, and a few others.
Start the seeds in a good organic seed starting mix, barely covered. Keep them moist but don't over water. If you have capability to water from below I have found that works best.
If you aren't growing enough to use all of the shelves it becomes great storage space. These wire metros are also great for storing harvested veggies on when the time comes. Good luck, happy seeding.
Good talk.
Keep it metro yo.
Materials:
1 stainless steel metro shelving unit, preferably 72 in high x 48 in wide x 18 in deep.
48 in long fluorescent lights.
Power strip.
Optional:
Heat pad.
Reflective blanket to hang behind rack.
I purchased the 18 inch deep shelf because it is wide enough to allow a full row of seeds to receive enough lighting. Also with it being 72 inches high it allows for 4 full shelves of growing if needed.
Lighting can be achieved in many ways. I purchased 1 single unit that has 4 individual bulbs. It fits nicely, but two two-bulb lights would work just as well, simply requiring more wires and more chains.
Wattage is another issue to keep in mind. When purchasing designated "grow" lights you will get a higher wattage, more heat, and a more "natural" light. These obviously will work the best but they will also cost a bit more. I paid $55 for the 4 bulb set and it's only 30 watt. It will work just fine but I have to start the light basically touching the seedlings. I only purchased one light to start and so I'm planning on increasing the quality for the second one.
 |
| Beginning to assemble the unit. |
The heat pad is a very nice addition if you have one/purchase one because it will keep the seedlings at a constant temperature even when you turn the light out over night. The seedlings need at least 6 hours of darkness per day. My temperature under the lights is at or around 75 degrees when the light is lit, but drops to around 60 degrees at night (my basement is cold), so a pad would be ideal.
 |
| Testing the height of the light. |
Simply assemble your lighting fixture and hang from the shelf directly above. Be sure to purchase lights that have the optional chains to hang from. This will save you a lot of hassle and will allow you to easily adjust the height when the plants begin to grow. Most often they're called "shop lights."
 |
| Finished product with one flat of seeds. |
There you have it! Easy as drinking a beer. Keep the light slightly above the seedlings until they emerge, then raise it to coincide with their growth.
Currently I have Swiss Chard, Celery, Lettuce, and Spinach started. This weekend I will start some Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions, Leeks, and a few others.
Start the seeds in a good organic seed starting mix, barely covered. Keep them moist but don't over water. If you have capability to water from below I have found that works best.
 |
| Close-up of Giant Pascal and Tendercrisp Celery started. |
If you aren't growing enough to use all of the shelves it becomes great storage space. These wire metros are also great for storing harvested veggies on when the time comes. Good luck, happy seeding.
Good talk.
Keep it metro yo.
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