Finally! Off to a haphazard start for the 2014 season

[applestar]

I am not ready! Totally disorganized and not feeling up to straightening up my seed starting areas... But I had some tomato seeds sprouting on me in the fermentation/seed saving process so I sowed them and they came up yesterday:

Cherokee Tiger Striped Plum F7

I also started some seeds this morning -- trying different techniques again

UNHEATED GARAGE FOR 3 weeks
• lavender (English munstead) in a pt berry container

ON 4-TUBE T-8 WINTER WONDERLAND FIXTURE (morning sun, too)
• soil microblocks •
- broccoli (hybrid mix)
- cauliflower (snow crown hybrid and early snowball)
- kohlrabi (Purple Vienna)
- celery (Tango).
• community 4" container dense sowing •
- spinach (Tyee hybrid)
- pack choi (red)
- kale (dwarf blue curled scotch)
- chard (Cardinal)

[rainbowgardener]

YAY!!! Don't you love it!? The first little seedling!

We have a lot of the same things planted:

I planted lavender, but it was my friend's 1996 seed and hasn't sprouted. If it is a fail, I probably won't do any more this year. I do have lavender.

I have broccoli and celery seedlings. Not doing cauliflower and kohlrabi.

I have spinach seedlings, the same Tyee hybrid. I didn't get a great germination percent from them. I will direct seed the rest later. I will also direct seed chard and kale as soon as I can find my garden again!

I have lots more flowers and herbs planted.

[ReptileAddiction]

Looking good!

[applestar]

Yesterday (2/6) started

WIRE SHELF ABOVE 1-tube T-5 FIXTURE
• Anise hyssop (2" pudding cup) •
• 4" community pot •
- Cumin
- Apple mint
- Stevia
- Mexican mint marigold/tarragon

ROOM TEMP NO HEAT
• recycled K-cups w/2holes (filter paper *not* removed)•
- Yoi Choi Sum
- Summer Bibb lettuce
- Steinergold Côte de Bette Feurio (heirloom Swiss chard seeds souvenir from Switzerland. Packet descriptions in French but I believe "Feurio" is the variety name -- it has red ribs according to photo on the seed packet)

Last year, I tried starting cumin, apple mint, and stevia along with Mexican Mint Marigold/Tarragon in microblocks but only succeeded with tarragon. Others sprouted then died -- twice So I'm trying them in a community 4" pot this time.

Some of the broccoli are already pushing up hypocotyl loops I'll probably have to move those microblocks under the lights before tonight. ...some of the scotch kale and red pac choy that got exposed are already showing root tips. I sprinkled some sifted sand/coil mix to cover them.

Today (2/7) started
ROOM TEMP NO HEAT
• leeks (American Flag/Calantaine mix) in 4" community pot •

[applestar]

I put the lavender seeds in the unheated garage and was going to give them 70-75°F root temp at the end of February. Does that sound about right?

[applestar]

Rainbowgardener mentioned the merit of placing the link to previous year's own seed starting thread for comparison in this year's. I was just reminded of it so I think I'll do the same.

...also making a note of a comment I just posted about last year's broccoli and cauliflower seed starting and planting for my own reference.

[applestar]

So I sprinkled sand/coir mixture over all the exposed germinating seeds because I felt like I didn't really cover them enough, but the Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale wouldn't stay buried and are up:

Dwarf blue curled scotch kale

*** these might be pak choi red -- I thought they would have red stems, but maybe not ***
*** I forgot I sowed two rows of spinach, which would make these pak choi red, THEN dwarf blue curled scotch kale in the next row....

[PaulF]

I'm off to the basement to start herbs for my wife. I think the peppers will get started while I'm at it. Maybe this year they will be of some size by May so there will be peppers before frost. Tomatoes and some other stuff in a three weeks.

[applestar]

Which herbs? I'm going to start red basil with the peppers in a week or so, and other basils with tomatoes along with marigolds at the end of the month.

• Decided to move the leeks to the wire shelf above the t-5 for slightly warmer initial boost.
• Summer Bibb lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and kohlrabi are already starting to push up tiny loops. I think I'm going to move the germinated seedlings to the unheated garage "V-8 nursery" later today -- currently 42.3°F

[rainbowgardener]

any of the cold hardy perennial herbs, oregano, thyme, sage, mint, etc, could have been started already.

I started my purple basil at the end of Jan, but frost free I'm sure comes earlier to Cincinnati than to NE. Purple and red basils are slower than green. Like applestar, I will star the green basil with the tomatoes in a couple weeks.

[imafan26]

Looking good.

[skiingjeff]

Looks Great! Can't wait for the next week to go by so I'll be back home and able to start my seedlings

[applestar]

More kohlrabi, broccoli and cauliflower, plus cardinal chard, yu choi sum, leeks, and Mexican mint marigold are starting to sprout.

I'll have to thin those.

[applestar]

Celery is starting to sprout....

[rainbowgardener]

at 1:15 in the morning?

how long did it take for you? Mine started sprouting on the 14th day.

[applestar]

at 1:15 in the morning?

how long did it take for you? Mine started sprouting on the 14th day.

Couldn't sleep -- and remembered I didn't report about celery.

It was 8 days.

[applestar]

Leeks: they were sown a little too densely -- I was unsure of germination since these were collected in 2012.

Leek seedlings in 4" pot

[applestar]

Swiss chard "Feurio" sprouted. All sprouted cold hardy seedlings are moved out to the garage v8 nursery. (Not celery or MMM)

Re-seeded microblocks of broccoli, cauliflower, and kohlrabi that didn't sprout. (Sprouted ones were moved out to v8n)

Wintersowed
• Cabbage, Late Flat Dutch
• Cabbage, Red Acre (old commercial seeds from 2009)
• Onion, Red Whethersfield (collected seeds 2010)
• Spinach, Tyee hybrid
• Tatsoi

...not sure if Tatsoi is as cold/frost/freeze hardy as others...
-- Not an issue for germination which is supposed to occur "naturally" but for later after they germinate in their cozy little micro greenhouse containers. Still new to wintersowing and am unsure of what happens if they germinate in the warmth of the enclosed environment then we get a sudden freeze or something.

Also started parsley root Fakir above WWL light fixture.

[applestar]

Started pepper seeds on 2/20 as mentioned in the 2014 pepper variety thread
Recycled k-cups with filters (could be a mistake -- we'll see) 2 keurig-punched holes on the bottom and two Xcto knife slits on the side. Placed in vented clear salad container on the heat mat in WP and double covered for extra warmth.
• AJI CRISTAL
• ANAHEIM M
• BOLIVIAN RAINBOW
• Cuneo yellow bell
• Donkey Ears
• Purple Beauty
• Ramiro sweet pepper
• SIVRI BIBER
• TOBAGO SEASONING
• Corno di Toro Red [xtra]
• Peppadew or Scotch Bonnet Red [from unlabeled fruit]

Spinach and Swiss chard as usual is giving me problems.... (too warm?)
I have maybe 3 or 4 cardinal chard seedlings with true leaves growing. Leeks are growing well and stood up overnight -- I had to get them off their risers so they won't be touching the light.

Some of those little babies I moved out to the garage got socked by sudden chill in the 20's last week or something and they stunted and then died. So I re-seeded the yoi choi sum and the Swiss chard Feurio. Apple mint and stevia are not coming up -- gave up on those and sowed some flower seeds today.

Except for the blue angel salvia, these are my first try with impatiens, petunia, and balsam. Also started eggplants. I brought the lavender inside to hopefully germinate.

SALVIA BLUE ANGEL (microblocks in fridge for two weeks )

microblocks in Chinese food tray on heatmat
• Eggplant Orient Express (Ellie)
• BALSAM DOUBLE CAMELIA MIX
• IMPATIENS ACCENT STAR MIX (F1)
• PETUNIA DOLCE FLAMBE

[applestar]

TODAY is the day I will start/drop tomato seeds this year

Last night's armchair noodling has yielded a viable plan, so here is my map for six 20 microblocks -- that's 2 to a Chinese take out tray so only three trays, but actually 120 seedlings if they all grow....

ML01-ML20 which are the varieties reputed to be smack dab "mid season" will be started in the next round so I can compare their DTM's

...funny how posting makes you review your plan one more time. I made a few changes since I first posted, and finished the 4th tray map. I think I will just start the two trays of four 20 microblocks (compacts, dwarfs, extra earlies, and very lates) today.

The plan is to ONLY sow one seed per microblock. I won't re-seed if no germination or seedling failure. Hopefully this process of "natural selection" will decide which of these "absolutely cannot leave off the list" varieties will actually make it to this summer's tomato garden.
...wish me luck

[applestar]

WINTER PARADISE (not closing the front flap this winter because the banana tree is in front of it needing as much light from the shelf lights as possible)

Peppers in k-cups inside salad container, Flowers and two trays of tomato microblocks in Chinese food takeout trays. I decided last year that peppers take too long to sprout and it's too difficult to keep the microblocks from being too soggy but not dry out so I'm trying community sowing the peppers in the k-cups. Once they germinate and get growing, I can unblock them into 2" mini blocks. I checked on them a little while ago and Balsams are starting to germinate (I may have started them too early....)

Peppers, flowers, and tomatoes on heat mat.

Celery tray not getting the best light and the seedlings are stretched out, but they can be planted deep when they are uppotted into filter less k-cups.

Celery seedlings

GARAGE V8 NURSERY

Overview of happy leeks, seedleaf broccoli/cauliflower/kohlrabi, and pak choi/kale/chard with true leaves at far end

V8 Nursery

Slow growing brassica microblocks and lettuce community k-cups. Feurio Swiss chard to the left

You can see the front community pot seedlings died. I started covering the front of the shelves with a plastic sheeting and that seems to be helping now. Last couple of years, I covered the front of the shelves with Mylar covered foam windshield reflector but I have overwintering rosemary, jalapeño, citrus, and fig in front of these shelves making use of the the lights this year

Red pak choi, dwarf scotch blue kale, Cardinal chard

[applestar]

Two more days until I can plant the main tomato garden seeds....

...I couldn't help myself... Sowed another batch of cold weather leafies seeds in a plastic egg case:
Onion Evergreen Long White Bunching
• Spinach Tyee F1
• Swiss chard Ford Hook
• Mesclun (lettuce, arugula, radicchio)
• Swiss chard Rainbow (5 color silver beet)

This group will sit in the upstairs bedroom in upper 60's lower 70's room temp.

...also sowed 16 saved Roselle seeds from 2012. Nine out of the sixteen sank in the weak coffee pre-soak, so we shall see if that is a good indicator of viable Roselle seeds. After saying I intended to sow them in the above mentioned egg case and contemplating sowing them in 2" mini soil blocks, decided instead to sow them in microblocks. No more room on the heat mat so the little aluminum pan for these went on top of the two-tube 24" HO T-5 fixture in the Winter Paradise.

Did I mention that I'm putting all the microblocks on a layer of wet sand this year? I should post photos.... Oh! The celery seedling and brassica seedling photos in the previous post show examples.

...7 balsam and 3 petunia microblocks sprouted and have been moved to a brighter location. I can't keep them on the heat mat but am keeping a loose cover on to ease the transition. Anaheim and peppadew/scotch bonnet seedlings are up already and their k-cups have been moved out of the germination chamber.

[applestar]

LAVENDER seedlings are starting to pop UP

...also more petunia and re seeded Feurio Swiss chard, lettuce, yoi choi sum

Not sure what's wrong with the broccoli, etc. but reseeded ones won't come up still. Maybe sign that I have sufficient and should concentrate on other stuff.

Anaheim was saved seeds from 2011 grow out so I sowed extra.... They're going bonkers!

Feurio hypocotyls in the k-cup on the left. And -- oh BTW -- the succulent at the very left of the photo was given to me as a single leaf "cutting" last May. Can't believe how much it grew from just that one itty bitty leaf

...BTW2 do you see how SAD the pineapples in the foreground and the background look? I had them in these shelves dubbed "Winter Paradise" last year and they did very well. But this year, I don't have the front flap closed as explained above. So I think it's gets too cold here -- downstairs near the front door by the NW window.

Look at how happy the bigger pots of pineapple upstairs in the SE window are:

Upstairs pineapple jungle with lemongrass and poinsettia

[applestar]

Take a look at these four egg cells of mesclun seeds from yesterday (uploading at full size for clarity -- tap/click for magnified view)

Sprouting seeds

Is it just me or are these fascinating? Even the seeds that haven't quite germinated look fully swollen and ready to "pop"

They seem to like this little light for germinating -- one of a set of IKEA lights that I never got around to mounting on top of the wardrobe.... The egg case is occupying the space normally reserved for my bedtime mug of herbal tea.... LOL But it DOES make it easy to peek at them now and then to see how they are doing

The light is not nearly bright enough for them to grow after they sprout, so they'll be moving out soon.

[applestar]

Hm... I said the light isn't bright enough, but these -- I assume arugula though they could be radicchio -- are doing pretty well so far....

Seedlings under IKEA wardrobe light

I thought I'd post about the balsams I upblocked today:

Roots have outgrown the microblocks -- extending into the moist sand below

Getting ready to gently push the extended roots and the micro block rootball in the cubic hole made by the mini soilblocker insert:

Tomato seedlings have started to sprout. Plastic wrap has been cut apart to keep the rest of the microblocks covered.

First to sprout tomato seedlings.

image.jpg (19.5 KiB) Viewed 3330 times

Haphazard seedlings crowding under the lights

Balsam microblocks used to be in the covered round aluminum pan to the right -- now just holding sprouted petunia seedlings. Will put impatiens in there too -- they are just starting to sprout.

Uppotted celery micro blocks in used K-cups -- 5 with filters intact and 7 with filters removed to see if there is any difference. (...filter may lock up N... Filter limits volume to 2/3 to 3/4 of filterless K-cups... Filter will raise bottom so soil mix won't sit in water in drip pan.... Better or worse?)

Uppotted Tango celery seedlings

Went to visit MIL yesterday -- she had tomato seedlings started and gave me some to take home she uses an interesting technique of double and triple potting -- the smaller nursery pot is slipped inside a quart soup container with holes, which in turn is slipped inside a quart container without holes and she has excess water barely touching the bottom of the nursery pot. These were in her kitchen and bedroom windows -- NO SUPPLEMENTAL LIGHTS. (I think they are looking pretty good -- She DOES move them from window to window with kitchen facing one side of the house and bedroom facing the opposite side.). I believe the multi-pot must heat up the soil quite bit while they are in the sun, and the extra water that is trapped in the bottom evaporate, condense, and drip back down to keep the soil moist even when the water is not touching the pot with the seedlings planted in it.

[Cola82]

Very much enjoying watching your garden progress. Glad I'm not the only haphazard indoor gardener.

Don't feel bad about holding off on tomatoes. Mine are running rampant, getting huge, and it was sunny the other day so I started putting some outside to harden off, and, WHAT OH NO RAIN FOREVER. Rain for the rest of the week. Temperatures falling again. Augh. Augh Augh Augh.

If only I'd been patient.

[applestar]

Thanks, Cola I love seeing how everyone else's seed starting is coming along, too. There's always an idea or two that inspires me to tweak things here and there.

...I did end up sowing the 80 main tomato garden microblocks -- two Chinese food take out trays. These microblocks take up so little room that initially, it feels like I could start a lot more. I don't really have room of the heat mat until I re-organize a bit, so I put the plastic wrap and lid covered trays inside a large clear bakery clamshell box.and set it on a low table above the vent in an upstairs bedroom. With the snowstorm coming, the heat should stay on for a while.

[applestar]

Lost one of two Chibikko and one of two Prudens Purple tomato seedlings as well as a lavender seedling to damping off.

I know it's was from Saturday when we were going out so even though I saw that they had sprouted at morning inspection, I didn't take the plastic wrap cover off of them -- by the time we got home, the plastic wrap was draping heavily with condensation.

REMINDER TO SELF -- check the seedlings at least twice daily and take the cover off any that have sprouted.
I should know better.

oh! I should keep some toothpicks there to lift the covers up from potential sprouters

...I promised myself that I won't replace failed tomato microblocks, but I'm thinking of drenching them with peroxide then sowing basil and dill and see if they make it. Damping off is pretty potent and universal so maybe not.

[Ohio Tiller]

As cold as our winter has been I just can't bring myself to start yet. I guess I will get the lights set up this week. The weather man said we are going to se 40 degree weather next week So I guess it is time to get them started. I got a new small green house this year so I am looking forward to seeing how much I can get going in it when it warms up!

[applestar]

It seemed like as soon as I took the plastic coveres off and switched to plastic wrap only, the tomato seeds slowed down. Looking back at last year's records, I realized I moved the sprouted seedlings out of "germinating" trays to "growing" trays. As stated earlier, the WP germinating area is cooler than last year, too, due to the front flap being left open.

So I moved the ten germinated seedlings to their own tray and closed up the germinating tray again. Hopefully, I'll see some seedlings have sprouted this morning.

Sprouted tomato seedlings so far:

Map of Sprouted tomato seedlings in new "growing" tray

I put Rainbow Dwarf on the non-dwarf side because it wasn't very "dwarfy" in growth this winter. But I'll move it to the compact/dwarf side if it is obviously different from the regulars. Eventually, the dwarfs will be in their own tray and I may even have to segregate the compacts because their growth rates are dramatically shorter compared to the familiar tomato seedlings and will affect how far up to raise to the light.

I also took the plastic wrap off the three little lavender seedlings. The rest of the seeds rewarded me for the good move by sprouting some more . But one has succumbed to damping off for sure

Lavender seedlings

[applestar]

OhioTiller - if your warm set up isn't ready, start with the cool tolerant crops. My unheated garage "V8 Nursery" where I have the 3-tube t-12 and 4-tube t-8 lights is too cold still to put the tomato seedlings out there (35.8°F ATM) but as the tomato seedlings grow up, I will have to move out the cold tolerant seedlings to make room.... Anything that requires 50's and above will need to stay inside.

[applestar]

Sprouted and transferred to growing tray tomato seedlings so far. It's a pretty nice assortment already

...Very slow to germinate. I think it's because overall, house temp has been much colder this winter and I don't have a thermostat regulated germinating system. I'm noticing more sprouted on days that have been warmer (like today )


I've replaced removed microblocks with new microblocks of basil and marigold seeds.

[applestar]

Berkeley Tie-dye [heart] and a basil microblock germinated today.

Brought out the Salvia Blue Angel out of the cold strat fridge. Hopefully, they will be more willing to germinate in the cooler room temp than the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and impatiens. (balsam BTW are growing way too eagerly ). Celery and petunia seedlings are doing well.

Upblocked the brassicas that have been sulking with only seed leaves in the garage all this time. Maybe they just need a good shot of nutrients. Tomorrow, I have to upblock the first to germinate Stump of the World tomato seedling which is outgrowing the microblock and sending a taproot out along the moist sand.

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, your brassicas have been sulking. Mine which have been going in and out and in and out all this time, are sturdy transplant size plants with six true leaves. They could go in the ground as soon as they are hardened off enough and I have some ground ready for them. Tonight and tomorrow night they will stay out all night, but Wed it goes down to 15 deg and I will bring them back in -- with any luck for the last time.

[Cola82]

Yeah, gettin' real tired of this roller-coaster weather.

[applestar]

Hang in there, Cola

The brassicas are already sending up true leaves.
One Roselle that sprouted shriveled up (too late removing the plastic film cover) but another one is germinating.... Saved marigold seeds and basil from last summer are very lively and are popping up almost as soon as I sow them in miniblocks to replace sprouted tomatoes.

I have GOT to upblock some of those earlier sprouted tomato seedlings today -- am going to try making my own block maker that can set the microblocks deeper if I can.

I mentioned in another thread that I went outside and pottered around yesterday, cleaning up a bit, and rebuilt the compost pile. First look around to assess where to plant what this season, and what's needed. It's also time to prune apple and pear trees outside. Busy early spring season is unfolding.

[applestar]

Since last fall, I have been using paper -- newsprint type typically used for packing -- to line bottoms of my containers (to keep soil mix from falling out) and also have used k-cups without removing filters. I think the slow growth and stunted growth I'm seeing is due to nitrogen lock up in the area especially when the feeder roots grow up to the paper. Repotting/uppotting in fresh growing mix or heavily fertilizing once to kick them back into growth seems to be working.

Lining the container with paper worked perfectly fine last spring when the containers were going out for the season -- I think because the direct contact with the soil meant the earthworms etc. moved right in and started breaking down the paper right away. But I think I won't be doing this for indoor and isolated from the ground containers any more.

...

I couldn't help myself -- I re-seeded some of the tomato seed microblocks 3 days ago
Most of the compact/micro and dwarf tray that I put on the TV DVR box in the entertainment cabinet are sprouting. . Oh. Just checked and the other trays I put in a salad container on top of the TV box upstairs are sprouting in a smattering kind of way too. Yep. Constant warm temp is definitely a key factor.

Hmmm... for people who practice lunar planting cycles, does the impending full moon explain the 3 day germination?

...

Ladybug patrolling the pepoer seedlings

[applestar]

I love seeing the seedlings pop up like this
These are some of the re-seeded tomatoes

Tap/click for close up of the sprouting seedlings

Here's the map in case anyone is interested

[applestar]

Tomatoes!

image.jpg (43.12 KiB) Viewed 3057 times

...really good germination within 3-4 days for the 2nd try tomato seeds so I think the previous batch was gardener error -in judgment among other factors but- controlled temperature being most likely as I mentioned above. Another slight possibility for the previous failure which I want to explore at some point is that I tried spraying hydrogen peroxide when some of those showed signs of mold.

I'm finding recycled K-cups perfect size for celery starts. These are a little limp from needing a bit more light and lack of fan activity which I need to set up.

Adding photo of the cool weather early greens in the garage V8 Nursery. Found some aphids on them today so I woke up some ladybugs from the fridge.

[applestar]

Reorganized the sprouted tomato microblocks. I have a pair of tongs of exact width to hold the microblock and I was intent on carefully positioning and lifting a microblock out from among others when one DD asked me something so I shushed her. She looked to see what I was doing and said -- " Oh! are you playing 'Operation' ?"
___ETA___ These are a bit more stretched out than I consider ideal -- a problem due to the haphazard set up this year. But you can see they have colored up nicely and look pretty sturdy. Ordinarily, planting deep to just below the seed leaves when uppotting would make up for it. The one very pale seedling in the front left corner is a Brazilian Beauty seedling that was discovered in the unlit germination salad container atop the TV box 8 hrs too late. Very weak looking in this photo immediately after transferring, but it was hard to see the difference after 12 hrs under the lights and overnight uncovered in the cooler air___

Upblocked some:

Eclectic mix of other seedlings... Upblocked overgrown microblocks -- their roots had grown 2-3 microblocks over and neighboring seedlings were getting stunted -- in some home made soil blocks that lets me drop the microblocks down an extra deep deep hole

...one issue I have with these soilblocks is that I can't plant them up to the seed leaves when I upblock the first time. But the soilblocks are designed to make them grow concentrated root system inside the 2x2x2 cubic space, and after they outgrow the miniblocks, I will put them in the bottom of a deep cup. last year I used 18-20 oz beverage cups, and they will have chance to grow some serious roots along the stems.