So, I set out some of my garden babies too soon. They didn’t make it. A moment of silence please….
Okay. That’s plenty. I’m not worried though, because the babies that were sent outside were only peas, sweet peas, and beans. Those are easily redone. All in the spirit of learning. The beans were killed off my the cold, but the peas and sweet peas had actually survived the cold and were doing well, until the big winds came around and snapped the little vines. L
Sadly, it being finals week and all, I had accidentally abandoned some of my remaining garden babies that were indoors as well. Most are doing just fine, but some of the more fragile didn’t do so well. Nothing that will end my garden season though. Mostly just some flowers. Some of the babies out grew their starter pods, but I wasn’t comfortable putting them outside just yet, so I upgraded them to 2” peat pots that I’ve placed in aluminum baking pans. I still have some windowsill garden seed starting greenhouses, but there are other options for the thrifty. Last year, I stocked up on aluminum baking pans with the clear plastic covers as I would find them on sale. Those and some refill pods, or stock up on some seed starter size pots, and you’re good. Poke a few vent holes in the top, and it’s just as good as the store bought version.
Take it a step further, I read in a book the other day that you can use egg shells. During garden season, there are several things around the house you should never throw away. Egg shells are one. They are a garden multi-tasker. Some plants, such as tomatoes, need a little calcium boost, and egg shells crushed are great for that. Crushed shells are also great for repelling snails and slugs. Their soft underbellies can’t stand dragging across the sharp edges of the shell bits. Just spread them around your plants and they should remain slime trail free. But for these purposes, the really big use is as a seed starter. If you get a good crack on your eggs, you can use the halves as little pots. Fill them with your cheapest seed starter, and plant your seeds. When they are ready to transplant, simply take your garden baby, shell and all, and lay it to rest in its new home spot. The roots will break through the shells just fine, and the shells eventually biodegrade into the soil, providing nutrients.
This time of year, my house is just too warm to continue using the wood stove, which was what was providing warmth for the first round of plantings. I don’t, however, like running the gas furnace too much either, so the house gets a bit colder, and my babies suffer for it. I’ve looked into solutions at my hardware stores, and found they have these mats that are supposed to keep your seedlings warm. But these things cost an arm and a leg! I’m just not interested in spending that much money, it defeats part of the purpose of growing my own garden. So I hit up the thrift store.
At my local thrift store, I found an electric blanket for $3.00. I laid a half along the top of the cabinet where I keep my garden babies, then set my trays on that. I set a fluorescent glow light over that, because I am fixing to block the natural light so they were going to need supplemental UV, and then tucked the other half of the blanket over the top of it all. Now, safe in their little cocoon, they are warm and well lit. As they grow too big to remain covered, I’ll rest them on top of the blanket, allowing them to adjust to cooler temps, and then harden them off outdoors before giving them a permanent residence.
It’s all one big experiment, but we’ll see how it goes.
My eldest was finally afforded the opportunity to plant his own seeds as well. I gave him 24 pods and let him take his pick of seeds. He selected some from the store, all new for him, and some from my excess seed selection. He’ll be growing chocolate cherry tomatoes, bird house gourds, some really pretty new flowers I’ve never heard of, zucchini, peppers, spinach (one of his favorites!), various sunflowers, sweet peas, corn, and marigolds (another one of his favorites). When we get to direct seed sewing, he’ll be growing carrots, parsnips, and radishes. He’ll also be growing some Mammoth Sunflowers. Can you tell he’s thrilled? This year, he’s also doing more of the dirty work than last year. They grow so fast. And so do the gardens.
No comments:
Post a Comment