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 My first try using soil blocks for starting seedlings wasn’t highly successful (see Seeding Soil Blocks) because I didn’t get my grow-lights up in time to keep the seedlings going. However, it wasn’t a total loss since I’m just reusing the 3/4″ blocks to start more seedlings. The photo below shows 2 week old tomato seedlings that were started in reused 3/4″ [...] Continue reading Soil Block Tomato Seedlings  Starting transplants in soil blocks is a new process for me, so this is a learning project. When seeding the first flat of mini-blocks (see the 3/4” blocks below), I found one nice thing is the depression in the top for a seed. With large seeds, it’s very easy to get a seed into each [...] Continue reading Seeding Soil Blocks  In the past, I haven’t been very good at keeping garden records; however, I’m going to do a better job this year. I know it’s important to keep records to evaluate what varieties and techniques work the best; and I really want to start using varieties and processes that produce the best taste and yield, in the [...] Continue reading Garden Planting Log (w/downloadable template)  Soil blocks were first developed in Holland as a more efficient method for starting seedlings or transplants; and extensive research in European countries has shown transplants grown in them are superior to transplants grown in containers. I’m for anything that’s more efficient and gets better results, so we’re starting seedlings this year using soil blocks. Soil [...] Continue reading Soil Blocks for Starting Transplants  Here in Ohio, it’s been a long winter, and we’re more than ready for some spring color. So, it’s a good time to start pruning spring-blooming trees and shrubs; and force the branches to bloom indoors. The benefits are color and scent inside, and the pruning gets done while plants are dormant and their form can clearly be [...] Continue reading Forcing Spring Flowers  3/4" and 2" Soil Block Makers This year I’m going to start my seedlings in “soil blocks” because containers aren’t needed (so it’s less expensive), and seedling growth is supposed to be better. But, before starting seedlings, I make seed starting mix using a recipe from The New Organic Grower by Elliot Coleman. 3 buckets (10 quart [...] Continue reading Making Seed Starting Mix  Now that the vegetable garden seeds are ordered (see Vegetable Seeds for the 2011 Garden), it’s time to get the planting schedule down on paper again. It helps me keep focused on starting transplants, getting supplies, and making sure the garden beds are prepared on time. I start with my schedule from the previous year (see Making a [...] Continue reading Making 2011′s Seed Starting & Planting Schedule (w/downloadable template)  This is the 2011 list of vegetables for the garden. Every year I make up this list, and every year it makes me anxious for spring. This year I’m trying more greens and baby vegies (see last year’s varieties), because we do like to eat those a lot. We’re giving up on watermelon and corn for now [...] Continue reading Vegetable Seeds for the 2011 Garden  Now that the chickens and goats are here, we have one of the main ingredients for growing great produce. Composted animal bedding makes an incredible difference in garden productivity, especially since I prefer to fertilize naturally rather than chemically. I learned about natural vegetable production early – it was the way my grandfather, who’d grown [...] Continue reading Garden Gold  Right now, it’s very important to focus energy on cleaning up the vegetable garden. I wish that all my cleanup chores were done; but I’m still working on it because I know a few hours of work now will make a huge difference in next year’s garden. It’s most important to remove and destroy (not compost) all the remains from this [...] Continue reading Fall Garden Cleanup  We love using fresh rosemary in our cooking (see Herbed Eggs), and find that it’s a very easy herb to grow. But a little rosemary goes a long way, so we always buy just one plant from the garden center in spring. Rosemary’s also a tender perennial, and in colder areas of the country it needs to be brought indoors if you plan to overwinter it. Plants should be moved indoors before [...] Continue reading Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Previously, watermelon has not done particularly well in our garden – generally the growing season’s over before the watermelon are ripe. However, this year I used the old heirloom variety called Crimson Sweet, and we’ve been happily eating watermelon for several weeks. Crimson Sweet is described as an AAS winner (1964) that’s crisp and sweet; has medium-red [...] Continue reading Watermelon Success  Growing a big garden is lots of work, and I’m ashamed to say that I’m always tempted to throw in the trowel mid-summer. It’s hot, it’s no fun weeding, I’ve got a million other things I’d rather be doing, etc., etc. But I generally persevere, and then BIG harvest time hits. There’s squash, potatoes, onions, sweet [...] Continue reading Harvest Time  Adult Potato Beetle
Almost overnight, they’ve attacked our Yukon Gold potatoes, but thankfully they haven’t found the Purple Viking potatoes, peppers, eggplants, or tomatoes. Every gardener growing potatoes is likely to run into this beetle, as it’s a devastating pest of potatoes. Both the yellow, black-striped adult and the black-spotted, red larvae feed on potato [...] Continue reading Controlling Potato Beetles  Over the past few months, I’ve written several posts on growing healthy garden transplants, and I’ve combined them here (for convenience) into one “how-to” on growing seedlings indoors.
Getting Started I’m always anxious to get a jump on the garden growing season, so I start most vegetable plants indoors instead of direct seeding in the garden; that way, I’ve got stocky transplants ready as [...] Continue reading Growing Stocky Garden Seedlings |
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