radish sprouts and transplanting

Growing plants from seeds (rather than from starts) is proving to be quite challenging. In the raised bed outside, I planted beets, chard, radishes and carrots about 2 weeks ago. On the advice of a gardening book, I planted the radishes and carrots in the same area. The theory being that carrots take a long time to germinate (over two weeks) whereas radishes sprout more quickly, thereby reminding me to water the area where the carrots are hiding. Given the success of the radishes thus far, I now recommend radishes to any beginning gardener. While I think I see a few carrots starting to come up, I am still optimistic that more will sprout. So far no sign of the beets and chard.


The early success in the basement greenhouse was followed by a realization that I actually gave the seeds too much light. I used the artificial light for 12-14 hours per day, excited that the plants were growing so quickly. Unfortunately, plants are not accustomed to grow that quickly. The peas, leeks and cucumbers grew too rapidly, leaving their stems long and stringy....not good. The light essentially stretched out the sprouts, making them very weak. I brought the greenhouse outside for a few days to acclimate the plants that did sprout and eventually transplanted the row of peas and a couple of feeble leeks. I am doubtful that the peas will have what it takes to flourish outdoors. I wove them into the lattice for support. The greenhouse experiment has been dissappointing. I will try the greenhouse again, but will limit the light to 6-8 hours a day, an amount more similar to the 6 hours they get outdoors. I also believe that as we approach summertime, the raised bed will get more sunlight.

cucumber and leek sprouts

Cucumber cotyledons (first leaves):


Leeks stick their roots into the ground, lifting their black seed up into the air:


Peas are growing very quickly, about 6 inches tall after 1 week:

basement pea sprouts

The seeds in the basement greenhouse have received about 12 hours of light each day since I planted them 5 days ago. Yesterday, the peas began to break through the soil. Here are the sprouts today, so exciting!

planting plan

As the weeks went by and the greenhouse was no closer to being started, I decided to go to Berkeley Hort to get some advice. After a very thorough consultation with a very patient employee, I've decided on my new planting strategy: some seeds will go directly into the raised bed and some seeds will be grown in my basement. Carrots, beets and radishes are all root vegetables so they need to be planted directly into the ground. They don't transplant well. Warm weather vegetables are ready to start as seeds in a greenhouse. When they grow to about 6" in about 4 weeks, I can transplant them into the raised bed. Since germination requires warmth and sun, I need to use artificial light for about 10-14 hours a day. Hence, the basement.

So here are the seeds I'm planting into my new basement greenhouse (Amish Snap Peas, A&C Pickling Cucumbers and Prizetaker Leeks):


All of the seeds I'm planting are heirloom varieties from the Seed Savers Exchange. This means that they have all been bred for their taste over many years by small farms, free from genetic modification. I am using these mini-greenhouses for ease:


Here are the greenhouses next to the washer/dryer machine in the basement:

greenhouse: following the sun

It has been a quiet winter in the backyard. However, I've noticed that the winter sun shines primarily on the original plot and much less on the raised bed. That leads me to believe that as the sun changes position in the sky from winter to summer, the sunny part of the garden shifts from the original plot to the raised bed. To maximize the sunshine, I am now considering building a small greenhouse on the original plot. That way, I can grow seeds in a warmer environment where the sun is currently shining, and then as the sun shifts, I can transplant the starts into the raised bed. I mocked up a design for a hoop house using PVC piping.

Here are a few models I've been referencing:

http://westsidegardener.com/howto/hoophouse.html

http://www.laspilitas.com/garden/howto/greenhouse.html

ripping it up

It was ugly, but someone had to do it... the recent rain, subsequent mold and overall nastiness had to go:


Incredible how long the tomato plants grew, more than 20 feet long:

happy halloween

My favorite two things about Halloween: carving pumpkins and candy. This year, I was compelled to show my support:


No, I did not grow the pumpkin in my backyard. But next year I will. It's certainly a sustainable endeavor, carving pumpkins that is...and quite time consuming (design thanks to yeswecarve.com). We also couldn't resist baking Halloween cupcakes, with sprinkles and frosting. The contrast between the natural and artificial was striking:


And finally, we made good use of the pumpkin seeds. Just added some oil and salt, and toasted them in the oven for about 20 minutes: