Mission Failure

For the first time in 14 years of growing my own tomatoes from seed I have failed. At first, I just thought that the tomatoes were chilly in the basement under the lights so I moved them out to the greenhouse. When that didn't help I thought maybe they had a phosphorous deficiency and sprayed them with kelp spray. They haven't grown at all in a month and I knew I had to concede defeat. In the end, I think my beloved APS units were the cause of failure. I usually transplant the tomatoes from the smaller APS units to regular plastic pots but this year since I was going on vacation for 2 weeks in May I decided to transplant them into the larger APS units. I think that the tomatoes were too wet. Luckily, I have a wonderful local garden source, The Pure Gardener. They have a great selection of heirloom tomatoes. Some of them were the same variety that I had planted.  My tomato season has been saved and I'll probably have tomatoes even earlier than if I had succeeded with my own. I don't have the heart to throw away my tomatoes just yet. The two Coustralle are actually looking like they are turning the corner so I may just plant them out and see what happens.

The Joy of Seeds

I've finally done some of my early seed starting and I'm having some success. I've learned the value of "fresh"aka new seeds. I started these new lettuce seeds inside in the APS growing system and 2 days later they had sprouted. I normally don't start lettuce inside but this year I'm wanting to plant them out in a pattern alternating some of the green and red lettuces in the raised beds. In one of the rows I planted Ruby lettuce seed from a few seasons ago and it has yet to sprout. Under optimum conditions lettuce seed viability could be about 5 years but since I keep mine in a cupboard in the basement and not in a fridge I'm not expecting them to last that long. Besides, when you compare the cost of buying a bag of the fancy lettuce with a few packets of seeds that will provide lettuce in the garden for 3 months it's a bargain to start with new seeds each year. Below is a list of the seeds that I have started so far.

Lettuce started inside on 3/10( all Pinetree Garden Seeds). Sprouted 3/12
New Red Fire
Tom Thumb
May Queen
Jericho
Red Grendbloise
Ruby(not Pinetree Garden Seeds)

Broccoli seeds started 3/10. Sprouted 3/13
Gypsy
Small Miracle
Early Dividend

Cauliflower started 3/10. Sprouted 3/13
Violetta
Graffiti

Eggplant started 3/14.
Lavender Touch-sprouted 3/20
Dusky
Pingtung Long

Pepper started 3/14
Ancho Hot Pepper

Flowers started 3/14
Impatiens Accent Star Mix
Begonia Bronze Leaf Mix
Dahlia Red Skin Mix
Marigold Lemon Star
White Chrysanthemum Paludosum
Hollyhock Black
Hollyhock Queeny Purple
Rehmannia Chinese Foxglove
Aster Perser Mix
Datura Black Currant
Coleus Black Dragon
Streptocarpus Weismoor Formula

Get Ready, Get Set, Grow!

So, I finally quit procrastinating and started planting my earliest seeds. I think the 60 degree weather helped kick me into gear. Although there will still be snow to fall it's really time to get the seeds started.

I bet you're wondering how I know when to start my seeds as seed packages don't come with a message saying when exactly to plant them. I use lots of different resources from books to the internet. I like using Organic Gardening Magazine's seed starting guide. I also recently found a new seed starting guide at The Savvy Gardener that is also good. Seed starting does take a bit of forethought and planning so take a look at the charts to see what you need to do now.

You'll need to have all your seed starting supplies together before you get started. This basically means something to plant your seeds in and a seed starting medium. As I've pointed out in an earlier post I start my seeds in the APS systems from Gardener's Supply Company. Feel free to start your seeds in anything you like from peat pots, yogurt containers or plastic pots. Just remember that you are going to need to keep a special eye on them when it comes to watering. Now you need a seed starting potting mix to plant them in. Again I turn to the germinating mix from Gardener's Supply Company. I actually was going to use a potting mix from a local store this year, thinking it would be cheaper, but the germinating mix from GSC was about half the price and it's worked really well for me. Please save yourself the heartache of using regular garden soil to start your seeds. It doesn't do well for seed starting as the soil crusts over and makes it hard for the seed to germinate. Remember we want success for our little seeds! Okay, now assuming you've already purchased your seeds you're ready to plant. By the way, I get most of my seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds. I like their inexpensive prices, quality of seed and an incredible variety of international seeds. In the fall, I've also been known to scour the end of season sales at garden centers for cheap seeds. As a rule of thumb you'll want fresh seeds but I figure it never hurts to try and see what a little bargain will bring.

The Evolution Of My Seed Starting

I came across an old photo of my very first seed starting system(circa 1998) and I wanted to share it with you to show you that a seed starting system does not have to be one of those $700 specialty grow racks advertised in the fancy gardening magazines. You can see from the above photo that a simple shop light on a table or bench will do the trick just fine. I really am not even sure what I grew that year although I do see some tomatoes and I think I also grew some stock. No, not the kind that tumbles on Wall Street but a nice spicy scented flower. I also see that this must have been when I discovered Gardener's Supply Company because of the white APS . The APS ( Accelerated Propagation System) is my favorite way to start seeds. Here's what the system looks like close up. I really like it because you can see it has individual cells for each plant so the roots are separated from each other. This makes it very easy to "pop" the plant out without tearing it roots and it gets the plant off to a healthier start when you put it in the garden or larger pot. The biggest selling point of this system though is the capillary mat that the seedling roots rest on at the bottom of the cells. This mat wicks water up from the bottom reservoir to keep your plants moist at all times. Presto, no more dried up wilted plants because you forgot to water them every day. It's even better for us frequent travelers who happen to be out of town a lot and can't afford a plant babysitter. This system makes your plants virtually self sufficient. Unfortunately, it is not available to raise your pets or children.
Over the years I have adapted and changed my simple "lights over a table" growing system into something a bit more sophisticated. I admit what started as a simple request for a utility sink in an unfinished basement led to a complete basement remodeling. I ended up with great cabinetry to hold all my seed starting supplies and nice metal shelves to hold the shop lights. Ok, I went over the top but now I have a really great spot of my own to plant my dreams.