What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

I'm not doing yarrow, but I'm doing beesbalm, salvia, and milkweed from seed. Some indoors, the remainder I plan on just scattering when it's warm. I bet you could do the same to see how they fare. I'm doing about 8 of each variant in soil blocks and the salvia is already an inch high. I expect yarrow is pretty similar to those in regards to growing. I will say the beesbalm is very slow growing inside. It might fare better when I throw the seeds in the beds in May.

Beesbalm hates me. Same with lavender. I've tried numerous times to grow it including buying healthy starts. It always goes toes up and dies but every year I buy it to try again.... I'm also planting Salvia and would love milkweed for the butterflies but it's highly toxic to my horses so unfortunately I don't dare grow it here.

I've started a flat (Group 1 of 3)of some cool weather flowers indoors - marshmallow, lavender (a different variety than the English), Penstemon, Clarkia, Violas, and Stocks.

Group 2 of 3 for flower starts wont be for a couple of weeks but will include the yarrow seeds I bought. I will likely do what you mentioned and start some in flats and some outside direct sowed.

 

[WthrLady]

Thanks for the response.

I think I understand that germinating a seed does not require anything more than an inert medium, like coco coir. You mentioned that would be good enough for the first few weeks.

Do you transplant the seedlings into a potting mix after the first few weeks if you need to continue to grow them out for 8-10 weeks?

In my case, I am planning to start tomato and pepper seeds in 3-inch net pots and hope to keep them in that net pot for about 8 weeks. In order to do that, I think I would need something more than an inert medium, like coco coir, because the growing plant would have to be feed by the medium after those first few weeks. Therefore, I bought the potting mix which I hope will both start and feed the plant for 8-10 weeks until it gets transplanted outside. Am I on the right track?

In the past, I just purchased 6 packs of vegetables at the nursery and transplanted them directly into the garden. This is my first year of attempting to start seeds in house, grow them out for 8-10 weeks, and then transplant them into the garden.

Frankly, I did not consider that the type of seed starting and growing medium for in house early planting needed to be any different than sowing seeds directly into the garden. But the more I learn about early seed starting, the more I am finding information about garden soil and/or compost might be disadvantageous for seed starting in house.

If I totally muck up the early seed starting and growing in house for the 8-10 weeks, my backup plan is to just buy more 6 packs of vegetables for direct planting after our last frost date. However, I have a few specialty seeds that I know our local nursery does not grow out, so I really hope they will sprout and grow out in house.

I start in a promix, which is coir and vermiculite and perlite
When the seedlings get their first true leaves, I fertilize with half strength liquid feed.
And their first transplant I use more perlite. Mine don't see soil soil until they finally go out to play in the garden.

=================
Snowing heavily after a morning ice storm. Snowflakes the size of puppies kind of snow. Tired of the cold. 50 mph winds..... March in a nutshell.
So laundry, pretzel making, and work day.

 

[WthrLady]

I love my Navage! DW refuses to use it though. Lol

The concept and the vision of it grosses me out to NO end, but I was desperate for relief.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Beesbalm hates me. Same with lavender. I've tried numerous times to grow it including buying healthy starts. It always goes toes up and dies but every year I buy it to try again.... I'm also planting Salvia and would love milkweed for the butterflies but it's highly toxic to my horses so unfortunately I don't dare grow it here.

I've started a flat (Group 1 of 3)of some cool weather flowers indoors - marshmallow, lavender (a different variety than the English), Penstemon, Clarkia, Violas, and Stocks.

Group 2 of 3 for flower starts wont be for a couple of weeks but will include the yarrow seeds I bought. I will likely do what you mentioned and start some in flats and some outside direct sowed.

Lavender doesn't seem to like our hot humid summers here either. I had one plant that I kept in a pot and it was doing great with me rotating it inside/outside depending on the temps...until a gust of wind toppled the whole pot over. That was over 10 years ago and I never tried again, lol!

 

[gtaus]

I wouldn't use that potting mix to start seeds, also I don't buy the miracle grow seed starter brand anymore. Its too coarse, it looks like regular potting mix in comparison to Jiffy seed starter. Jiffy seed starter is made of fine coco peat, peat moss, and vermiculite, its what a seed starter mix should look like.

Thanks. I'll check that out this weekend. I hope to start the seeds next week.

 

[gtaus]

There also the issue of the fertilizer feeding bacteria and fungi that can be detrimental to the seed/seedling in some cases.

Yeah, I just saw that issue discussed on a YouTube video last night. The guy on the video said he would never use topsoil or compost for that reason on his seed starting. He showed a small tray of 8 cells that was completely covered in mold from some bad starter medium.

 

[Paz]

I need a new light sprayer, the blow sprayer is heavy and uses too much oil, also the tank is way too large for the only two trees in the garden which actually need to be sprayed.
My lichee is blooming, as well as the small mango tree and pretty much everything but the cherub, longan and old mango.

Oil prices per litre (5 litre=1 gallon). Diesel is 9.51₪, which are something like 2.5€

 

[Paz]

Yeah, I just saw that issue discussed on a YouTube video last night. The guy on the video said he would never use topsoil or compost for that reason on his seed starting. He showed a small tray of 8 cells that was completely covered in mold from some bad starter medium.

You should top the trays with some vermiculite in order to prevent that.

 

[gtaus]

Vermiculite and perlite are also good to mix in for drainage.

I used to buy vermiculite in 3 cubic foot (90 quarts) bags at Menards for about $18.00. They don't sell those big bags anymore. The cheapest vermiculite the store sells is vermiculite in 8-quart bags. That amounts to $50.00 for a 3 cubic foot equivalent bag I used to buy fo $18.00.

Fortunately, I still have half a 3 cubic foot bag of the vermiculite left from before, so I hope to stretch that out.

I make my own blend in a plastic tote (that some people use for brooding chicks) starting with 1 brick of loosened coco coir, 1/2 quart bag of potting soil, 3 cups vermiculite, 3 cups perlite, 1 cup blood meal, 3 cups worm castings - water to mix and incorporate. These measurements are not exact, at this point I just eye it.

I'll keep that in mind. I'm not opposed to mixing my own starter medium to save money. Thanks.

Once I notice seedlings are starting to indicate they need for nutrients, I mix 1 tablespoon of SuperThrive into a warm gallon of water and then bottom feed.

I know seeds germinate at different times. So do you use germination date plus X number of days, or do you look for the first true leaves to come out and then feed.

BTW, I just learned last night about the difference between the leaves that break the soil and then the first true leaves that follow. Never needed to consider that before when I just planted in ground or bought transplants.

I'm learning a lot about seed starting in a short time and I appreciate all the help from you guys.

 

[gtaus]

I start feeding after the second set of leaves or first true tomato leaf.

Thanks. That's helpful.

I have been setting my tomato seeds out in the morning sun as soon as they sprout. They seem to like it and harden them selves.

I live in northern Minnesota. It still gets down to about 3F at night here, and today a high of only 18F. So, putting the plants outside in the day to harden off is not an option for me for many weeks. I do have an oscillating fan with a low setting to gently blow over the seedlings on the shelf. I hear that should help them grow stronger.

FYI, our average last frost day is 30 May where I live in zone 3B.