Shallots and garlic and water.

The shallots have been sprouting for a few days now. One of the cloves was popping out of the soil in it's little paper cup. When I tried to push it down, it wouldn't go. It doesn't have and sprout yet, but the roots are working hard. I hope I'm not stunting them in the paper cups. Maybe I should go plant them outside?

The garlic is just showing sprouts today. I think I'm going to have the same stunting/crowding problems with the garlic that I'm having with the shallots. I'm going to study up today.

The greenhouse is assembled to it's full size with four shelves and five bulbs lighting and heating the space. I noticed seedlings are starting to droop, especially the squashy-type veg. I'm not sure if they're just too top heavy from stretching tall with only one set of leaves. Some of the short squashy-types that have just emerged are short but are already putting out true leaves. Others have withered and look dead.

The lettuces that were doing so well flopped over and are mostly dead and withered. It's happened every single time I've tried to grow lettuce in a container, but in the past, if I take the container outside and leave it in the garden with all of the other growing things, it's rises from the dead and throws out beautiful, healthy plants. Maybe it's the heat in the greenhouse. Or the light? I haven' succeeded yet, so I don't know what works. More reading. I contacted the Master Gardeners at the university, but I didn't get an answer for growing seedlings other than advice that lettuce is sowed right in the ground, not transplanted. But I don't plan to transplant these. I just want some fresh containers of lettuce and greens. I'll have to keep looking.

I don't feel confident about my seedling management at all. I've had massive failure in previous years. This year I've used seeds from previous years - not heirlooms, seeds left over in old packets. The greenhouse thing is new. I turn the lights on. I turn the lights off. I open the door for circulation. I close it for humidity. I'm watering from the bottom. I've broken some stems when I've moved things around - some plants don't mind, some drop dead. If I get 40 plants from the 150+ plugs I've seeded, I think I'll feel successful. I'm well on my way with only 5 plugs or so without healthy looking seedlings, but I'm not confident.

I refreshed the water in the trays the plugs sit in. I'm not scientific about watering at all. I try to keep water in the trays. I've messed up a couple of times. I try to be mindful of the seedlings that are working hard to throw up stems and leaves. Air circulation and temperature affect the moisture too. Dozens of plugs sit in the same trays together even though they are different varieties. That seems like it's wrong, but I don't have the space to sort everything into it's own special places.

I've spent about $50 on seeds and soil. Pflaums sell pots, 3 for $5 with 3 seedlings in each plot. I can always fall back on them for the things that don't succeed.. I'm going to keep trying.

Weekend planting

We have had a definite break in the rain. Friday we had grey skies and got a trace of rain. Yesterday was lovely. Today and this week are supposed to be great.

I decided to get some herbs from the Pflaum Family at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. They have been so helpful with my gardening these last few years. They've answered my questions, and best, most happiest of all, the seedlings they sell are totally reliable and only $2 or 3/$5 for pots that are about 2"x2" with several seedlings in each clump. I've made mistakes in the past, killed something I liked, and was able to go back and get some more.

Yesterday, I grabbed a flat and started shopping. I decided to get 3 different varieties of slicing tomatoes, rosemary, basil, lemon basil, lemon thyme, catnip, Italian parsley, spinach, salad mix, pole beans, sweet peas and probably something I'm missing.

I planted everything I bought plus tomatoes, peppers, and some squash. The garden is really filling out. The seedlings help me visualize how the garden will look over time. I can't quite tell if things are too close together. I'm planting double wide rows of peppers and they seem a bit dense. I've staggered the tomatoes into two rows  with some closer and some further from the arbor. I plan on putting twine woven on the arbor uprights to  support the tomatoes.

I bought pole beans. I really like fresh green beans and I really like to watch them grow. They climb so fast. They are next to cucumbers and zucchini. I've set them on the east side of the arbor about a foot from the base. I'm going to run twine from the plants to the top of the arbor.

I'm going to move the last of the seedlings to the greenhouse or maybe outside because the greenhouse is getting really hot during the day. When I was moving things around yesterday, I noticed the spinach seedlings in my apartment were bolting. They're only 2" tall! I'm going to take them outside and shade all of the spinach with a tight weave nylon window screen so they are mostly shaded. I should have put them in sooner. I didn't get any spinach last year - it bolted right away. My book says this is caused by days that are too sunny too long. Wish me luck.

I'm going to try to spend all day outside reading and planting the last of the seedlings and a few more seeds. Everything should be done. All I'll need to do after is water, weed, and maybe thin. Oh, and eat too. The peas should be producing pretty quick.

abundance shared is abundance doubled

Tomorrow is the last day of Bible Study until the fall. We wrap up with a pot luck and hours of gab. It's not really my thing. I don't eat much. People comment on how little I am eating. I finish eating before everyone else.  You'd be surprised at how much things are about eating when you don't eat.
I LOVE to cook and I'm good at it. I love to cater. I love to set up parties and I love to hide behind an apron. No such luck at a pot luck.

I've been thinking about what I will make for the party or even if I'll go. A few weeks ago, when I was offering someone seedlings, she suggested I bring them to the pot luck as my thing to share.
Easy peasy. I can take them to the party. Make my presence known and dodge out whenever I want because I don't have to wait around to collect my pan or help clean up.

"Red Currant" Indeterminant Cherry Tomatoes

The 36-cell seed starter with tomatoes has been doing really well. Even better than I thought they would be at this point. I pulled out the bin of soil I've got in my living room and the 3oz paper cups I bought and started moving seedlings. I had read something about putting at least three seeds in every container when starting seeds, so that's what I did. I started running out of space so in some of the cells, I sowed five seeds.

I transplanted 40 or so into the tiny cups to take to Bible study and I still had a lot left over. I moved the rest, three to a cup, into the larger party cups that have been in rotation as I've moved seedlings to cups to planting. I lost track, but I think I planted at least five of them with these seedlings. All are watered in.

"Carnival Mix"
Sweet Peppers

I decided to transplant the "Carnival Mix" of peppers from the 18-cell seed starter. These were at least two seeds to a cell, but they're doing so well, it's just a matter of time until I have to move them. So I replanted those too. When I moved them around I realized how well they're doing. The stems are really green and firm; not delicate at all. I moved these three to a cup in the party size cups. All are watered in. I really look forward to see the varieties mature.

I am really happy with how all of this is going. I don't know why I've been so worried. Maybe it's just the wonder of it all. I was genuinely worried that I wouldn't have enough plants from the seeds I sowed and that I would have to buy some from Pflaum's at the farmer's market. Even with all of the sprouts, I've still worried that I would break them or kill them somehow. Last year, things did not go well. I hat lots of weak, spindly seedlings that couldn't handle being moved at all.

I got dirt happy and decided to split up some of the spinach cups too. There are at least five plants in each cup and sometimes many more. The spinach came up OK, but the stems have stayed spindly. Then the food leaves came up, they kept getting longer and longer, just making the whole seedling floppy. The same thing happened with last year's salad mix - they all fell over and died. When they died, I had them in a container and I just left it in the garden. It came back to life and did really well until it bolted.

I'm hoping that this year's floppy spinach, lettuce mix and herbs will revive with more space and heat. I've split my bet though. I've put some of the spinach seedlings in the ground already. Some are in clustered cups, and now some are split up in larger cups. Something is bound to work. I have nearly 50 spinach seedlings between the three settings.

My living room is clearing out. I have cups covering  The Rack, but there are only about a dozen left on the cardboard box island in the middle of the room.  I have some downstairs in the greenhouse too, but I can't remember what is there. These really established tomatoes and peppers could go to the greenhouse now too, but I know my plants are so much further along than the neighbors' and I'm afraid that some will be stolen. It's a sad reality.

Tomorrow after the party, I'm going to check on the peas I transplanted the other day. The rain has been such good timing!

I will take pictures of the minicups for church in the morning. The lighting isn't good here at night.

Perfect Timing [updated]

There isn't much to do in the garden until the volunteer plants are big enough to identify. I got squirrly and went to the Mpls. Farmer's Market and stopped by Pflam's booth. They had pickling cucumbers I was looking for. I also picked up two more pepper plants - these are early bearing. Pflaum's only had yellow beans so I searched elsewhere. I bought an "asparagus bean" seedling (aka Asian longbean).

When I got home, I planted the stuff just as it was beginning to rain. The thunder rolled in and I finished just in time. Now we've had a nice downfall. Rain for another day or two so I don't have to water anything.

I'm on the couch with my favorite blanket. Chilly but not cold - just right. Cozy.

[Update:]
The storm passed quickly and blue sky followed. I took a sun nap. The sun is setting with wispy high clouds showing gaudy orange, pink, purple and blue. I could go outside to work on my latest construction project, but I'm not gonna. xoxo

A Big Day

Today was a big day as the garden has actually become a garden with plants and everything. The fact that I'm the first person to put plants in the ground has caused a certain amount of anxiety for myself and my neighbors. None of us are confident about the weather. I installed 24 plants from my favorite grower (Julie Pflaum) and some seedlings from the apartment. I'm hopeful.

Garden fury has started.

It was cold and rainy and then I left town. When I got back, my garden plot had been raked several times and my neighbor Alexi told me he had to clean up a lot (though my plot is still cleaner than his). Fences and... gates are going up. Plant stakes are going in, and rows are marked. There are LOTS of onions already in, I've got nothing and I feel shame. I'm waiting for warm weather, so there. Plus I'm going plant shopping at the farmer's market tomorrow.