2016 -- starting seeds and cuttings for the new season

[imafan26]

Seeds are growing but I seem to be having a black thumb year with cuttings. I am having a higher than normal mortality rate. Some cuttings are doing better on top of the bench instead of under it.

[digitS']

About the only cuttings I do are for rosemary, Imafan.

I also leave them under the bench ... if they can't grow roots from energy stored in their stems, they just aren't going to make it. They are down there with no direct sunlight for as long as 3 weeks. How long depends on whether it's sunny or cloudy when I really begin to feel guilty about their lengthy confinement away from sunlight. If it's cloudy, they can come out sooner.

Rooting hormone is used. It all works! Most of the time there is about a 90% success rate. I'd have trouble bringing myself to put the cuttings in direct sunlight.

Steve

[applestar]

Sooo excited! -- I took my mom shopping at H-Mart (a Korean/Asian grocery store) and they had a newly opened crate of lotus roots packed in moist wood shavings, some still joined in links like sausages. I grabbed the one with some roots still on the joint.

They also had fresh water chestnuts on sale probably because they were deteriorating -- some were shriveled and some were ... starting to sprout I picked the biggest sprouting ones

I'm going to try to get them started in a bucket for growing in my pond.

I also found some big taro corms with beginning of pinkish shoots, white skinned blue/purple fleshed yam/sweet potatoes, and I bought another pre-bagged sweet potatoes that had signs on the display touting how sweet and better these were compared to the regular Korean sweet potatoes.

I don't know if these sweet potatoes are treated to not sprout, but I'm going to try to get slips growing out of them if I can. I already have organic sweet potatoes in my pantry that has started to grow, too.

Oh, and I bought a small bag of organic sweet brown rice which I'm going to try to grow in my little rice paddy this year, and -- this one I hadn't considered possibility of GMO variety, but -- a big bag of gorgeous huge seeded black soybeans that I'm thinking of trying to grow. If this is the same or similar variety to one I'm thinking of, it will be good for harvesting as fresh edamame as well as using as mature dried beans.

[digitS']

I am jumping right back here to say, "Yay, AppleStar!"

Good luck with growing Asian produce. I may try taro, some day. I mean, many of us are storing dahlia and gladiolus roots in our basements (me ). Many are willing to care for caladium and callas (I finally purchased a call a root, recently). Why not taro?

I tried sweet potatoes several times. In fact, I had good seasons growing a edamame soybean. Delicious! This is an appropriate climate for neither! After 3 or 4 good years with only 1 success out of numerous soy varieties I tried, I moved my gardening to a different location where conditions did not favor even that one! People who knew sweet potatoes better than me, were amused at my efforts to grow them, including the tasty but poorly performing purple that I tried last .

It hasn't occurred to me to try to grow rice on glacial till ... didn't even think about water chestnuts . I did have good success with watercress in a temporary garden pond once ... Ya know what I substitute for water chestnuts in my stir-fries? Radish. Yeah, I use a round variety and the entire plant goes in. I know, it's pathetic ... okay, I'll be curious about your experiences there in the Garden State.

Black rice. Yeah! I was just reading on CNN about a researcher extracting its anthocyanins and using them in a "super bread." The bread is made with conventional wheat flour, the anthocyanins probably change very little other than the color (purple), but slow our digestion of those simple bread starches. Maybe we can make a more healthy loaf of bread. I don't think it would bother me at all if it's purple!

Steve

[applestar]

I just checked and these water chestnuts look like they grew some more in the produce bag and want to grow the most right now so I put them in this tray where I was watering the tomato and pepper seedlings for now -- I'll find a smaller container for them later.
I still have to find out the best way to start the lotus roots in a bucket of water... Does anyone know?

66 2Kc's fit in a standard tray. I watered these and others scattered in various smaller trays and sorted them by height and need for double-deckering or uppotting or dividing.

[pepperhead212]

Apple - I started some tomatoes in that vermiculite in the spoons, and it turned out good - all the seeds came up, and the seedlings were easy to get out (unlike some in the papers), to transfer. Won't be doing this for my large batch of seeds I do all at once, but when starting early ones, it is an easy way to do it.

[applestar]

Oooh! Good to know vermiculite works well for this method. Thanks, pepperhead

[pepperhead212]

I forgot to mention that they came up in about 2 1/2 days, and that photo was taken at about 72 hours.

[applestar]

Yep. See why I like this method?

...

Subject: 2015-2016 Winter Indoor Peppers

The Hari eggplant seedlings -- both in this ice cream tub and another group in yogurt cups -- are yellowing for some reason. I can't tell if I might be overwatering, if I'm not keeping them warm enough, or if they need fertilizer -- I've heard eggplants are heavy feeders. I tried adding organic 7-4-2 to the yogurt cup group yesterday, but if anyone knows what this is, please let me know. I have had limited success growing eggplants from seeds so far and I don't know why they grow sometimes and why they don't other times.

...I added fertilizer (Dr. Earth organic fruit fert.) and added some more potting mix in the Yogurt cup Hari, and they have responded very well, so I think the issue was soil fertility.

...I fertilized the ice cream tub Hari seedlings a few days ago as well.

[digitS']

The only containers left in the warmth of the kitchen overnight hold basil seed.

It is a little cool in the darkness of the south window but the little table is still nearly full of tiny seedlings. It will be cloudy today and the shop light over the table will be turned on.

The greenhouse heater has been running for over a week and the benches are filling with plant starts. Many of them have been moved out of community containers and into 4-packs. Rosemary stem cuttings are still under the benches and out of direct sunlight.

The onions started from seed in the then unheated greenhouse in early February have been moved into the unheated temporary hoop house over two garden beds. Joining them are some pots of thyme and mint started from root cuttings. The covered beds hold some bok choy transplants and seed, which should be emerging soon. Many of those Asian greens and escarole seedlings will be moved to beds in the open garden.

... Steve

[pepperhead212]

Glad to hear that the fertilizer worked, applestar. I have had this happen with some eggplants, but strangely, other varieties in the same soil mix would look fine! What I use for fertilizer now is a hydroponics liquid that I use for herbs and greens: Foliage Pro 9-3-6. I just put a few drops per quart, starting when the plants get their first true leaves, and use this every time I water, instead of giving the larger amounts of fertilizer periodically. This works great, and, while not organic, I use these types of things indoors, since they have all of the nutrients needed by the plants.

[applestar]

Every time I see digitS's reports, I think to myself -- I've GOT to build some of those season extending structures. Some of you know I've talked about it every spring,... And yet, here we are. Eventually, I will get around to building them, and then I'm coming back to these for tips and timing on their use.

Pepperhead, sounds like you've got it worked out. I currently only have one other variety of eggplants started from seeds -- Japanese Kamo. I just Uppotted them from a community K-cup to individual K-cups. I have 5 of them -- one iffy but discovered a late sprouting loop, so hopeful. I put a little organic fertilizer in their mix so they don't run out.

...this is such a busy time! Indoor started seeds and seedlings to care for and uppot as well as earlier started transplants, ready for early spring planting to be done. My peas are ready in their little egg cartons.

I ended up putting 2-3 pea seeds per cell
I planted one 24 cell of Early Burpeana today, but should have tried to get more done considering the rain in the forecast.... Also planted the pre-germinated spinach and some more broccoli.

[digitS']

Every time I see digitS's reports, I think to myself -- I've GOT to build some of those season extending structures. Some of you know I've talked about it every spring,... And yet, here we are.  Eventually, I will get around to building them, and then I'm coming back to these for tips and timing on their use. 

My next step, is thru the South Gate into my neighbor's yard and the hoop house attached shed! It's easier to heat than the flimsy thing I've got in my own backyard.

Now, if you wait too long, AppleStar, I will have just continued South. So far! I won't be able to get back home to my own backyard. I won't need season extension, just shade! And, I may be so olde I will have forgotten all the bother I went to!



Steve
who got up this morning to a half-inch of slush on the backsteps

[imafan26]

I finally got cuttings of lavender to strike. I planted them on New Years day. I had them on top of the bench in the sun instead of under the bench where I usually keep cuttings. I finally transplanted them yesterday and most had a well developed root system. I will see how many survive the transplanting. I took more cuttings to start more. I planted more chili peppers Scotch bonnet, Rooster spur, fatali, Waimanalo long eggplant, Shimonita negi, Trinidad scorpion, Hawaiian chili, Hungarian Wax pepper, a cross between a Hawaiian chili and Ghost ( I am not counting on it, there weren't many seeds in the pod), Joe E. Parker pepper, and AAS winner Flaming Flare pepper ( Fresno type). I transplanted dwf siberian kale, Thai eggplant, Black beauty eggplant, key largo, and yellow bell peppers. I repotted some lavender into gallon pots, and potted up Chinese Giant bell pepper into a 4 gallon pot.

[applestar]

Winter Paradise Penthouse and Annex
Winter Paradise Level 2b
Winter Paradise Level 2a
Winter Paradise Level 1

...I'll post photo(s) of the rest of them in the Garage V8 Nursery tomorrow

[applestar]

Sometime last fall, we bought some HUGE Asian pears that were packaged in clear clamshell package kind of like egg cartons except much bigger. They were delicious and I thought it might be fun to see if I could grow them from seeds, so I pushed them into a pot on the patio outside that had become vacant in the winter freeze

L:Today,nI noticed they had sprouted

R: A trifoliate orange "flying dragon" seedling had sprouted inside, but I think it will be Ok outside

[applestar]

Here's an example of how the peas pre-sprouted in the clear egg cartons turned out. I planted all of the rest today since for the last three or four days, they were needing twice daily care to make sure they didn't get dried out in the sun or drowned when it rained. I'll post elsewhere with more details about how I'm planting them this year.

[imafan26]

I went to the garden today to drop off three more trays of seedlings. Someone had turned my sprinklers off and half the bench looks really bad. Peppers, fennel, kale, thai basil that was ready for the sale next week probably won't make it. I watered the plants and hoped for the best. I guess I will find out tomorrow what will come back. I transplanted more dill and I potted up some spearmint. I forgot to take my miracle grow sprayer with me so I will have to remember to do it tomorrow. Just as well, it would not have made sense to water dead peppers anyway. I was hoping to pot more of the peppers up, but I may be cleaning the bench instead. There is nothing more I can do about it anyway. I'll just have to plant more seeds for next month. I may be able to get more quick cutting of spearmint and maybe some daylilies potted up. They root fast so they may be ready for the sale.

I have another broccoli head to pick and another one that is starting to bloom already. I waited so long for them and now, I can't get to them fast enough. I picked another handfull of greenbeans, and the cherry tomatoes are falling off the vine. I haven't had time to get to them either, and it requires some acrobatics to get to some of them since the broccoli is behind the beets and the komatsuna, tatsoi, and cucumber are in front of the tomatoes which decided it liked to sprawl on the ground instead of climb the trellis.

I have to make some room in the garden soon for the lettuce and bok choy, and pot up the peppers.

Today was my green day and the cans were empty! I haven't had the time or energy to work on my own yard. I did actually pull a 5 gallon bucket of nut sedge but that went in the garbage not the greenwaste can.

[applestar]

Wow, what a bummer about the dried out plants.

[imafan26]

Yeah. Apparently they worked on an irrigation valve on Wednesday. But, the timer was set for 0 minutes and nobody knows who messed with it. There would not be any reason to touch the timer if they work on the irrigation system, and really no reason to change the program.

[applestar]

Last minute addition to this year's snow peas lineup

[applestar]

Well, my "rhubarb" turned out to be either red or aurora orach. (I think I did one of those [two things in the same seed starter shortcut] and ONLY orach sprouted ) I'm planting them out now so they can provide some salad interest.



I did start some more -- this time ONLY rhubarb seeds though in a community flat BUT between two rows of nasturtiums so no way to mistake.

[imafan26]

I made more lavender cuttings and I planted garden chives, long purple eggplant, applegreen eggplant, borage, EZ leaf celery, and transplanted poblano peepers and some long green egglplant.

I planted out the zucchini into the garden. I was a bit late, it is already trying to make fruit. This zucchini is parthenon which does not need to be polinated. I am hoping to get a better yied with parthenocarpic fruit.

The sunburst melon seeds sprouted and I planted 2 gourd seedlings at the community garden along with a lot of won bok.

Last week I transplanted the overgrown lettuce and won bok cabbage as well as a swiss chard and early girl tomato. This week they looked like most of them survived.

[applestar]

I'm going to pre-germinate corn and start corn trasplants again this year -- looks like this weekend or next week
Subject: 2014 pre-germinating/sprouting experiment Peas, Corn, Curcs

As I mentioned in the other thread, I decided to pre-germinate the corn before planting this spring.

[applestar]

I have 2 or three different varieties of corn to grow this year. I'm going to try to be careful to stagger planting time for them and will also grow in beds that are located on two opposite sides of the house. I'm also learning to use isolation tassel and shoot/cob bags for corn seed saving.

First up, I started soaking my Mirai 350BC seeds yesterday. After soaking all morning, I drained the water and put them in my seed sprouter, and have been rinsing them at approx. 8 hour intervals.

...just a little while ago, I decided to give them another rinse, and was tsk- tsking that these shriveled up corn kernels had NOT plumped up with water and that some of them are STILL not sinking to the bottom, wondering if they are duds since I tend to think good seeds should sink. Then did a double-take because I realized one of the floaters had a rather long radicle/seedroot growing already. -- Time to sow!

I started sowing them in the 1/2 gal rice milk carton. For this, I stand it up on one of the long narrow side like this, which provides 4.5 inch depth. I can comfortably fit two 10 seed rows = 20 per carton, and could squeeze in another 4 in between for even two dozen per carton.

-- today, there were actually only 16 germinated seeds, though. So I left space for 4 more seeds.

[applestar]

Peas update Subject: Applestar's 2016 Garden

The peas were slow to come up even though they had been pre-germinated and in some cases sprouted -- I guess the ground was still cold -- that I was afraid something had gone wrong, but they are now almost all up -- I GENERALLY don't get this kind of solid rows of peas when I don't pre-germinate/sprout. Elephant garlic are doing really well, too.

[applestar]

Some of these are up

[applestar]

Found four more had germinated, so was able to fill the remaining spots for Mirai 350BC

...Can you see the two sprouts that are poking out? Yes, it's that fast.

Soaked and started pre-germinating Black Aztec corn yesterday.

[applestar]

...and here we are -- the first batch of Mirai 350Bc sweet corn seedlings are ready to plant out
(I just need to harden them off -- or actually today is a good day to plant since it's overcast... But I hear Mirai can be a wimp in the cold, so I guess I'll just keep this with the tomato seedlings.


Soaked and pre sprouted another batch of Mirai350BC which were ready to sow today, and started soaking the Kandy Korn x Glass Gem F1

[imafan26]

Potted up borage, Hawaiian chilies, and Fushimi sweet peppers. Beets have sprouted, mesclun is a little spotty, but I hope it more will sprout.

[digitS']

This has been the first year for me to start beets and set them out as transplants. Seems to have worked! I say "first year" but I tried several years ago but sowed the seed too late. They were the last things to come out of the greenhouse, I forgot them, and they burned up !

Anyway, the seed went in a tray insert with lots of cells. Of course, lots of plants showed up, multiples in each cell.

We set them out very early without any attempt to thin them. Maybe it's been our very warm weather but DW wanted to know if I was ready to thin them for baby beets! They aren't that ready but the direct-sown spinach is no where close to catching up to those beets!

For lunch, I've got volunteer orach or bok choy out of the temporary hoop house over a couple of garden beds. I like having the purple orach but it made me think, the beets aren't far behind!

Steve

[applestar]

Planted the first batch of corn seedlings today. I decided it will be Ok since we are having overcast days and then rainy for a few days and it is going under the insect cover for the time being, which will provide some shelter from the sun and the elements.

You can see how long the roots get.




...I was so happy to find THIS little Garden Patrol INSIDE the netting (left)

The other one was patrolling one of my Patio 'window boxes

[applestar]

This is almost too easy. MIral 350Bc corn seeds obtained from Kitazawaseed Seeds this year are showing excellent germination. Only about 8 kernels discarded so far for spoilage.

I'm keeping these out on the patio at night and in the garage V8 on sunny days, rather than inside in the heated Winter Paradise, to slow them down a bit, so there will be some spread in harvesting.

(Kandy Korn x Glass Gem) F1

[applestar]

Pre-germinating mixed seeds that will eventually be planted in the same bed. They are easily recognizable for what they are -- except for a few Marrowfat vs. Blauwschokker Blue peas that I couldn't differentiate (Marrowfat is green and Blauwschokker Blue is brown as a rule, but some were tan. )

...I see Christmas Lima and Runner beans as well as green hull less Kakai squash in addition to the peas that have germinated and are ready to plant.

[applestar]

Here's more corn starts in the picture I took for the shiitake harvest:

You can also see some seedling greens -- bit of lettuce but mostly escarole and rocket arugula. I have reached a sad conclusion that most of my lettuce seeds are expired -- very few germination. I'm going to end up growing mostly Iceberg lettuce this spring, which is really kind of funny because I don't particularly like iceberg and was only growing it for DH's benefit.

...on the bright side, NOW I can shop for fresh lettuce seeds

[applestar]

- This Korean sweet potato from H-Mart is finally starting to sprout. I was beginning to think it might be treated with an inhibitor, but I think it's because we didn't have our usual end-of-April heatwave...

- Kakai hulless seed squash are starting to sprout. I started to prep the bed they will be planted in today, but am not finished.
- I HAVE to get these corn seedlings planted, but I was too tired from doing everything else today....
- Marrowfat and Blauwschokker Blue Soup peas are starting to sprout. I have to protect them from marauders with the piece of wire shelving since they are now outside on the patio table.

[digitS']

Parsley and basil.

The basil might be risky but I don't think so. It was only 55ºf and breezy, yesterday afternoon. Sometime yesterday, the Weather Service said it would be 39º, Tuesday morning ... It was 43º ... and calm. We might have had frost if it was 38º at the closest WS office. That's how it often plays out but, it never happened. Now, back to above normal.

I was just commenting to DW how we have extra room in our protective growing, unusual for mid-May. That's great and if the plants aren't in their usual root-bound state at transplanting -- great, again!

Now the eggplant -- I guess we brought it out yesterday to wilt in the chilly afternoon wind . Peppers can wait; melons can wait; eggplants made it out of the greenhouse again today. It was warmer . Lots of warm-season seed in the gardens. The gardens are close to being full! Had to use a little planning to save space for the tender sisters, just like usual.

Steve

[applestar]

How are the pre-started beets coming along digitS?

I had to try again with the sweet glutinous rice seeds. I had a crazy-thinking moment when I thought it would be a good idea to add fertilizer to the seed starting mix when I started the first batch. Since the rice seed flats are flooded in water that barely covers, the water got stinky and the nutrient-dense sprouted seeds promptly rotted.

2nd batch is coming along nicely however:

[DigIt16]

Lot's of helpful images in these posts. Thanks!

[applestar]

From Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:52 pm
Subject: 2016 -- starting seeds and cuttings for the new season

These are in the Winter Paradise indoor covered shelves which stays about 5-10°F warmer than the room temperature due to the heat mat on the bottom shelf and the light fixtures inside. I roll down but not zipper the front flap at night when it's very very cold out side. It's in front of a NW facing triple window and gets some direct westering and setting sun except near Winter Solstice when the sun sets south of west, which also helps to raise the temperature inside the cover.

TOP: Roselle ... Peppers with unfolded seed leaves ... Hari eggplants

BOTTOM: Germination trial Kikuza x Tromboncino F1 C.moschata cross ... Peppers and Tomato seeds started on the heat mat ... TPS (True Potato Seeds) seedlings

I kept those germination test seedlings of Kikuza x Tromboncino F1 squash. I've seen so many photos of wimpy, elongated and pale cucurbita seedlings that are started indoors, so I basically thought it's not feasible, but I wanted to see what would work.

I Uppotted them as they grew in straight potting mix, and kept them directly under the t5 lights in the Winter Paradise where it's warm, and then when they outgrew the nursery space, Uppotted in 1 qt size containers -- cut off 2 L bottle SIP and 4x4x6 square pot, and added crazy amounts of organic fertilizer, then moved to the Winter Wonderland t8x4 lights. The lights in both areas are bright enough to get tomatoes to fruit.

And they look like this today.


I was looking to see if I need to start new seeds to grow, but right now, looking at them, I think they are near limit in these containers -- you can see the roots starting to escape the SIP slits -- but still capable of being slipped out of the pots and planted out.