starting | Better Hens and Gardens

Making Soil Mix for Seed Starting

This will be our second year using “soil blocks” to germinate seeds and grow transplants (see Soil Blocks for Starting Transplants); but, before I make the soil blocks to start the seeds, I make seed starting mix using a recipe from The New Organic Grower by Elliot Coleman.

3 buckets (10 quart bucket) brown peat

1/2 cup lime

2 buckets coarse sand

1 cup blood meal

1 cup colloidal phosphate (22%)

1 cup greensand

1 bucket soil

2 buckets compost

To make the seed starting mix, measure the peat into a large mixing container, add the lime and mix. Then add the sand, blood meal, phosphate, and greensand – mix again. Add the soil [...]

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Making 2013's Seed Starting & Planting Schedule (w/downloadable template)

I want to make sure we do a better job this year with the garden and starting seedlings (got side-tracked with goat kids last year); so I’ve created our annual seed starting and planting schedule a little early (see below) to keep us on track. It helps me keep focused on buying seeds, 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 2012′s Seed Starting & Planting Schedule), copy it to a new spreadsheet tab, consult my notes from last year’s garden, and then work up the new plan. I’ve [...]

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2011 Fall Seed Starting & Planting Schedule (w/downloadable template)

I used to do a combined spring, summer, and fall seed starting & planting schedule (see Making a Seed Starting & Planting Schedule), but this year I wanted to start concentrating on extending the gardening season into the fall longer – so this is my first fall only planting schedule. But wow – it seems like the garden just went in – yet it’s already getting late for starting and planting crops for fall! I need this kind of schedule to keep me on track for what needs to be started indoors and seeded outdoors; otherwise I let the dates slip until it’s too late for [...]

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