 |
| 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.
