Garden Report February 1, 2014: Seedlings and Preparing for Spring

Alex sows seeds, January 25, 2014.  Her height made it much easier.

Sowing Seeds in Seedling Trays

Since my last post, we have completed two plantings of seed trays.  On January 25th, we planted our cold season varieties, including the following number of seedlings (we placed 2-3 seeds in each peat pod to ensure all sprouted):

• Baby Bok Choi: 8
• Broccoli: 8
• Collard: 10
• Kale, Lacinato: 12
• Kale, Russian Red: 12
• Kohlrabi: 26
• Onions, Mill Creek Red: 26
• Onions, New York Early: 26
• Spinach: 16

When the seed packages from Bountiful Gardens arrived, I compared the data on each to what I had read in several gardening and farming books, including a more recent read, the Kansas Gardening Guide, published by KSU, a great resource.  Though I planned to seed turnips directly in the garden, the package gave the option to grow transplants, so we adjusted our plan to do so.

In order to re-use the Burpee seedling trays I purchased and used in El Paso, I ordered a bag of 144 peat pellets online; unfortunately, they did not arrive in time to plant on the 25th and I was already a week behind schedule.  I found two great 72 count trays at a local hardware store in Leavenworth (still out of season for big box stores, which is unfortunate, since most gardeners and farmers are already beginning transplants for their hardy plants like broccoli and cabbage) which used peat pots with small netting.  Instead of individual compartments, these are stand-alone pods with a small depression in the center of the disk for sowing.  They worked great.

Of the varieties planted on the 25th, about 1/2 required a minimum of five days to germinate, while the others had a minimum of ten.  Three days later the first sprouts appeared, and by the 31st 113 of 144 seed plantings had sprouted, nearly all with the 2-3 seeds in each pod sprouting.  The kale, kohlrabi, bok choi, and collard have all sprouted.  Onions were much slower, but had a minimum of 10 days to germinate, and more than half have sprouted at day 7 (most of the pods that look blank actually have onion seedlings coming up now).

Tray 2: Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Bok Choi, & Spinach, February 1.

To track progress and germination rate, I created seed tray charts in order record the date of germination for every plant.  In the margin I total the day from that particular tray, but am careful to observe the rate by vegetable type to identify any issues.  For instance, 2 of the 8 broccoli seedlings have not sprouted yet...I read today that broccoli did not like light on the seeds prior to germination; however, I cannot keep the light off since the others already sprouted.  I'm concerned those two will not germinate, so in a few days, if not, I will re-sow those pods.  Below is the seed tray charts, including a legend for the abbreviations and a table to record daily totals.

Charts for Trays 1 & 2.

Today I planted the turnips.  My garden plan only calls for 27, so I planted 36 cells.  The extras will be available in the event some transplants don't survive.  I used the old Burpee trays with the peat pellets I ordered.  I was disappointed with the consistency of the pellets -- some hydrated and filled the cell quite easily, while others didn't, and others grew only halfway.  I manually broke apart about 2/3 of them, and even then, I added additional peat to level them off.  This made is harder to sow, since I had dry peat on top of wet peat.

Burpee trays and peat pellets before hydrating.

Burpee trays after hydrating pellets and adding additional peat.

I pulled down the first two seed trays for this photo.  They are currently on the shelf above two inches below the lights.

Yard Design

I made a few adjustments to my garden layout since my last post.  First, I created a 5 x 8 frame out of scrap wood to determine the overall dimensions of the garden.  I went as far as covering the first section with a tarp to smother the grass and pots to weight it down.  But much of the ground in the first terrace of our back yard is uneven and water pools during heavy rain storms.  It is often muddy and I'm concerned drainage will become an issue.  The convenience of having the garden down low is it's easy to water (another issue).

Lower yard, prior to changing my mind.  The lack of sun will make it impossible to prepare the beds in time.

However, for most of the winter sun does not hit this part of the yard.  I tried to pull up the boards in the photo above and the dirt was ice.  Not hard, but solid ice.  It was 60 degrees out last Sunday when I tried.

The second tier of the yard has many advantages.  First, it has been about 95% weed versus 5% grass the past two summers since we moved in.  No one is going to fuss over digging up the yard -- in fact, it will be an improvement and the recondition soil will be easy to grow grass or lay sod on when we eventually move.  Second, it has good drainage.  Third, it is more level and wider,  giving me more options and flexibility for bed layout.  Finally, the sun hits this part of the yard year-round.  I'll be able to start prepping the beds (alot of digging) in late February.

New garden plan, with depiction of drip irrigation system concept.  Green line is the hose running from the spigot.

I spent some time studying drip irrigation systems and it will make it much easier than hand watering.  One long watering per week with this system will do for most of the growing season.  Last year, I watered each plant or area about 30 seconds.  What I didn't know is that shallow waterings lead to shallow roots, making it necessary to water your plants constantly when the climate gets hot and dry.  I figure I can build this for somewhere between $150-$200.

Last Sunday I spent some time cleaning up and turning the compost pile, which has been neglected since it got cold.  I took some t-stakes and left over fencing and built a cage around it.  This will make it easier to turn without debris falling out of the pile, and it looks more organized.  Inside are hundreds of worms and other critters.

Compost pile.  I started this last summer.  We put all of our food scraps in here.  Mostly fruits, vegetables, & bread .

I don't sow anymore seeds until February 22, where I'll begin several varieties of lettuce, After that tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini in early March.  I'll continue to record the progress of the seedlings and any changes or progress with the beds outside.  I received a gallon of Neptune Organic liquid fertilizer this week and will begin to use for the seedlings once they receive their first mature leaves (the peat pods and pellets do not have any nutrients or minerals to feed on). 

We receive a few inches of snow last night, and we are expecting some subzero nights next week.

Gardening Season Begins for 2014

This my first post since May 2012.

I wanted to begin this again as I am beginning a new phase in gardening and mini-farming preparation and I want to share it with everyone as I work through the season.  The season has already begun -- by some accounts I should have started growing transplants this weekend, but will delay until next weekend.  This past weekend I focused on developing my basic concept, including the garden design, and which plants would be planted in which bed and when.  This amounted to most of Friday and part of Saturday, Sunday and today.

My desk, with my master planning chart on the screen and my assortment of gardening references laid out.

This weekend I focused on gathering the necessary equipment which I don't have.  One of my primary objectives during this growing season is to minimize overall costs -- if I have anything that works, no matter what the appearance, use it.  Anything new must be scrutinized carefully for its necessity and practicality.  Most items that require purchase will be for the basic materials.  For example, I will not purchase a garden trellis, I'll buy the materials to make one to reduce costs.  Seeds, at least this season, were a necessary purchase.  For seed propagation,  after mulling over several options, I determined that I would need to purchase a new shelf system and install new lights and lights I had purchased in El Paso when I did this before.  I bought the cheapest - these are not specifically for indoor gardening, but rather basic shop lights that I could install on the shelves.  Instead of setting this up in the garage, I did it in the basement to avoid additional costs to purchase heating mats (I have only one, not sure it would have been enough) plus it gets much colder here than in Texas (-11 F two weeks ago at 7:30 a.m.!).  Plus I have plenty of space in the basement and it provides a much easier location to grow and maintain transplants.

My new shelf, 48" wide and 24" deep.

 I installed two sets of lights on two of the shelves.  A third shelf will act as the initial germination shelf (seedlings don't require light until they actually sprout and break through the dirt.) I have two additional lights for installation if necessary; I believe based upon my growing schedule I will be able to rotate the plants on the shelf into the garden about the time I start the next group.  For example, I start growing broccoli next week, and it's due to be transplanted into the garden March 8.  I don't seed all varieties of tomatoes until March 1, and the tomatoes won't require light until the broccoli goes outside, thereby freeing up the space.

This year's garden has several primary objectives:

1) Plan, prepare and manage a garden of a larger size than I have in the past;

2) Germinate seeds directly and through transplants; no purchasing of seedlings;

3) Synchronize the schedule for transplants and direct sowing to maximize overall production during the growing season, including multiple plantings for a spring and fall crop;

4) Apply a new set of skills learned through study over the winter;

5) Manage a year's garden and maximize home-grown vegetables, at the very least breaking even on costs (I will use market value of vegetables and yields to project savings and measure that against my costs.)

Last year I seeded lettuce and purchased seedlings for a few varieties of tomatoes and sweet peppers, grew from seed several cucumber vines, grew a few herbs and seeded and re-seeded several iterations of lettuce.  The amount of garden space utilized included a 4x4 foot bed, a 4x8 foot bed, some planters and a small garden strip along the back of the shed that was heavily shaded.  It was not well planned and the time and discipline necessary to manage it (though small) was not available.  Rookie mistakes were made, including watering.  Long, infrequent waterings are preferred in most circumstances, and I watered for short periods of time (I would count slowly to 20 or 30) and didn't realize that shallow watering cause plants to grow shallow roots that spread out and compete for more space, making the plant more susceptible to damage from heat and requiring regular watering.  Further, I watered all plants from above (I had learned that emulating rainfall was a good practice) and didn't realize this worked well for all plants - cucumber and other plants are more vulnerable to mildew and disease if their foliage is wet.

I realized that though I don't live here permanently, I need to continue to develop gardening plans and use it as "practice" and a means to provide feedback as I develop a long term plan to make mini-farming and market growing my next career.  I will not be able to afford the trial and error once it becomes a full-time effort.  Therefore, I must be disciplined enough to careful account for my costs and document yields, health of the plants, soil, climate and all other variables to gain the knowledge and experience to move to the next level.

My list of vegetables, selected by considering many factors, include:

Beets
Pole Beans
Bok Choi
Broccoli
Carrots
Chard
Collard
Corn
Cucumbers (two varieties)
Kale (two varieties)
Kohlrabi
Lettuce (five varieties)
Onions (two varieties)
Peas
Rutabaga
Spinach
Sweet Pepper
Tomato (eight varieties)
Turnips
Watermelon
Zuchinni (two varieties)
Potatoes

I will utilize several principles of the bio-intensive farming method, including planting everything close together.  I will still following space guidelines, but there will be no rows so as the plants grow they create their own canopy and micro-climate, trapping moisture in the soil and requiring less space and water.  The goal is to maximize yields in a much smaller space.  I will have a total of 128 square feet (four 4 x 8 raised beds) plus a few planters.  A cherry tomato variety will go in a planter and another in a hanging basket.  Monica will grow herbs in the area behind the shed.

Some crops are test crops and yields are less of concern that the experience from growing that particular vegetable.  For example, the corn I'm growing requires spacing of 15 inches.  In one bed, that amounts to about 10-12 plants, each of which will only have two ears of corn.  I can't plant less than that because there has to be more than a row in order to create conditions for pollination.

Some crops listed above might be on the chopping block due to space.  I would like to grow potatoes but to make it worthwhile I probably need to dedicate an entire bed.  Perhaps I'll do a fall planting. 

Another principle of the bio-intensive method I'm applying is companion planting.  Different varieties of vegetables benefit from sharing space, while others inhibit one another.  I'm considering this as I map out what will be grown and when it will be grown in each bed.  In the bed with the corn, I will plant cucumber and watermelon, which will benefit from the partial shade the corn provides.  I'll plant marigolds in the shade of the tomatoes (which require 24 inches spacing, ugh) because they will attract beneficial insects like ladybugs which feed on pests.  Lettuce benefits from shade of larger plants so I will plant lettuce near the tomatoes as well (lettuce roots are shallower and shouldn't interfere with the tomato root systems too much).

For some varieties of plants I will build trellises on the north side of the bed and ensure the taller plants are on this side, including the vine varieties (both peas and beans will have trellises).

A "rough" visualization of the raised beds.

Finally, though the soil in our yard is mostly clay, instead of purchasing the 32 cubic feet of required for one foot to fill each 4 x 8 bed, I will use the double dig technique to prepare each bed.  I still may supplement with additional topsoil, but will use compost from the pile I started last summer and add any other necessary minerals, based upon the PH level.  The double dig process involves removing the top 12 inches of soil, loosening up the next 12 inches, then adding a shallow layer of compost before adding the top 12 inches back in, then spreading compost on top.  I'll building 12 inch high garden boxes from used lumber.

Next week I'll share some photos of the seed propagation preparations and hopefully have the garden plan near completion.  My time is competing with my one MBA class this term, which requires a short paper to be written each week.  As soon as the ground loosens up in late February (hopefully) I'll begin preparing the beds.  Next weekend I'll lay down tarps to smother the grass where the beds will go.