Hi all,

Just wandering what everyone has started inside and if they've put anything
outside yet.
I was going to put in peas yesterday, but with the threat of snow I wasn't
sure if that was a good idea. Thursday is looking to be dry and starting a
nice warm up. Is that a good time to get things going? Also was thinking of
putting in some young landscaping plants at that time, though the sun
beckons to me this afternoon.
Also, any suggestions for how to keep my indoor starts from getting 'leggy'
and falling over? I had that problem last year and want to avoid it this
year.
As an update, I have two large health purple mustard and two small chicory
plants that survived my slug-eaten and neglected winter garden!

Bonnie

Hi Bonnie,

I think it’s still too early, too wet.  Unless you have a raised bed with good drainage and sun exposure, it’s likely that your pea seeds will just sit and rot.  Although, it doesn’t hurt to plant a few and see what happens.  I routinely pre-sprout my peas before planting, as they are then supposedly less vulnerable to wet/cold spells (ie, they will go dormant instead of rot).  Just soak in tepid water overnight then keep moist/covered  2 to 3 days until you just start to see the ‘germ’ swell—but don’t wait too long or they will fall apart.  I sprinkle inoculant on them and then plant like usual.

I’m planning on throwing some seeds (mostly greens) on a small raised bed sometime this week.  I still have kale, chard, a little lettuce, and lots of nice fava growing from last fall.

So far I have been lazy and have only started some tomatoes.  Legginess is typically due to an inefficient light source.  Light coming from windows is usually not adequate.  I grow my starts under a couple of florescent bulbs.

Good luck!

Stephanie

BTW:  Did any of those bulbs come up?

From: Bonnie Hildebrand
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 3:46 PM
To: Northwest VEG Veganic Gardening Group
Subject: [VEG] what's in your garden?

Hi all,

Just wandering what everyone has started inside and if they've put anything outside yet.
I was going to put in peas yesterday, but with the threat of snow I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Thursday is looking to be dry and starting a nice warm up. Is that a good time to get things going? Also was thinking of putting in some young landscaping plants at that time, though the sun beckons to me this afternoon.
Also, any suggestions for how to keep my indoor starts from getting 'leggy' and falling over? I had that problem last year and want to avoid it this year.
As an update, I have two large health purple mustard and two small chicory plants that survived my slug-eaten and neglected winter garden!

Bonnie

Thanks Stephanie!

Yes, a lot of the bulbs have come up!
Last year I had my peas in at this point. I will try your suggestion of
pre-sprouting a few and get them in this week.

Has anyone started their starts in the dark on a heated surface? A friend
of mine puts her starts in a dark space on a blanket wrapped heating pad
until they are about an inch tall. Just wondering if others have done that
and the rational for it.

Bonnie

On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 4:30 PM, Stephanie Lucas <sluca...@comcast.net>wrote:

I haven't planted anything outside yet, but I started onion family seed
inside, and just yesterday planted lettuce and some cabbage family seeds.
I'll start tomatoes & relatives later this week.

My indoor method is the same as Stephanie's.  My set-up is near a heating
vent, so that plus keeping the fluorescent lights (even the supposedly cool
ones) only an inch or two above the pots provides enough heat that even warm
season crops germinate quickly.  Sometimes I'll soak seed to get an even
quicker start.

Bonnie - Some seeds need light to germinate, but your friend's dark heat
method will work for a lot of seeds.  Though I think heat is the factor in
it's success.  I would move them to light as soon as they germinate, rather
than letting them grow an inch.

Outside:  I harvested my first corn salad yesterday, from seed that
germinated in the fall.  I also noticed that a lot more have germinated
recently, most so thickly that they'll stunt each other.  I don't do a good
job of broadcasting seed!  This winter has been so mild, I have been
harvesting fresh greens all winter - mainly cabbage family, with a little
chard now and then.  My kale is starting to grow again too, so I'm anxiously
awaiting it to start sending up flower buds, which are the their tastiest
harvest, in my mind.

Jill

We just planted two trays of leeks indoors for our communal garden areas at the ecovillage. Once they emerged they were immediately transferred to our little greenhouse so they get enough light.

We also just planted some sweet pea seeds in trays Maitri saved from last year's crop. They were up in record time. This is an experiment as I am not sure how well sweet peas will transplant. I like Stephanie's suggestion to directly seed outside by sprouting first inside to awaken the germ. However, I admit we did not do this for a packet of bush peas we just planted last week. I am more worried they will actually sprout OK but then succumb to an onslaught of slugs. We will probably need to get that beer out as soon as they emerge to give them a little protection.

I agree, planting anything directly in the ground right now risks losing seeds to rot.

Also, the heating pad is a great idea. We have used that in the past with great results. We do not have access this year so I put our trays in front of an electric heater. The ones that did not have a clear cover tended to dry out on the heated side, however, so you need to watch carefully. We have also heard of placing trays in a warm area such as on top of a water heater or fridge. The gentle heat definitely accelerates sprouting. However, I think room temperature is also fine: I suspect will simply be a little slower than with a heating pad. I think we just need to be in less of a hurry. What's the rush?

By the way, we are using Sunshine Professional Grower's mix that we get from Naomi's in 2 cubic foot bags. It seems to be mainly peat moss and works really well for starting seeds.

Here at the ecovillage, our most recent activities outside have been transplanting fruit trees (we just did 17 trees on Sunday, mainly Italian prune plums), raspberries, and kale. It is amazing to think that we are still in winter!

We have tons of kale starts for anyone who would like some, just drop by and dig some up by our cherry trees at the NW corner of our site. I will be around most of the weekends but I suggest calling first if you want me to be around and help.

On 3/5/2012 4:41 PM, Bonnie Hildebrand wrote:

Thanks Stephanie!

Yes, a lot of the bulbs have come up!
Last year I had my peas in at this point. I will try your suggestion of pre-sprouting a few and get them in this week.

Has anyone started their starts in the dark on a heated surface? A friend of mine puts her starts in a dark space on a blanket wrapped heating pad until they are about an inch tall. Just wondering if others have done that and the rational for it.

Bonnie

On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 4:30 PM, Stephanie Lucas <slucas74@comcast.net> wrote:

Hi Bonnie,

I think it s still too early, too wet. Unless you have a raised bed with good drainage and sun exposure, it s likely that your pea seeds will just sit and rot. Although, it doesn t hurt to plant a few and see what happens. I routinely pre-sprout my peas before planting, as they are then supposedly less vulnerable to wet/cold spells (ie, they will go dormant instead of rot). Just soak in tepid water overnight then keep moist/covered 2 to 3 days until you just start to see the germ swell but don t wait too long or they will fall apart. I sprinkle inoculant on them and then plant like usual.

I m planning on throwing some seeds (mostly greens) on a small raised bed sometime this week. I still have kale, chard, a little lettuce, and lots of nice fava growing from last fall.

So far I have been lazy and have only started some tomatoes. Legginess is typically due to an inefficient light source. Light coming from windows is usually not adequate. I grow my starts under a couple of florescent bulbs.

Good luck!

Stephanie

BTW: Did any of those bulbs come up?

From: Bonnie Hildebrand

Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 3:46 PM

To: Northwest VEG Veganic Gardening Group

Subject: [VEG] what's in your garden?

Hi all,

Just wandering what everyone has started inside and if they've put anything outside yet.
I was going to put in peas yesterday, but with the threat of snow I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Thursday is looking to be dry and starting a nice warm up. Is that a good time to get things going? Also was thinking of putting in some young landscaping plants at that time, though the sun beckons to me this afternoon.
Also, any suggestions for how to keep my indoor starts from getting 'leggy' and falling over? I had that problem last year and want to avoid it this year.
As an update, I have two large health purple mustard and two small chicory plants that survived my slug-eaten and neglected winter garden!

Bonnie

Thanks for the info Ole, and for the offer of kale starts!  I might take you up on that.  BTW, do you know if the Grower’s mix is vegan?
Steph

From: Ole Ersson
Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 4:06 AM
To: nwveg-veganic-gardening@googlegroups.com
Cc: Maitri Ersson
Subject: Re: [VEG] what's in your garden?

We just planted two trays of leeks indoors for our communal garden areas at the ecovillage. Once they emerged they were immediately transferred to our little greenhouse so they get enough light.

We also just planted some sweet pea seeds in trays Maitri saved from last year's crop. They were up in record time. This is an experiment as I am not sure how well sweet peas will transplant. I like Stephanie's suggestion to directly seed outside by sprouting first inside to awaken the germ. However, I admit we did not do this for a packet of bush peas we just planted last week. I am more worried they will actually sprout OK but then succumb to an onslaught of slugs. We will probably need to get that beer out as soon as they emerge to give them a little protection.

I agree, planting anything directly in the ground right now risks losing seeds to rot.

Also, the heating pad is a great idea. We have used that in the past with great results. We do not have access this year so I put our trays in front of an electric heater. The ones that did not have a clear cover tended to dry out on the heated side, however, so you need to watch carefully. We have also heard of placing trays in a warm area such as on top of a water heater or fridge. The gentle heat definitely accelerates sprouting. However, I think room temperature is also fine: I suspect will simply be a little slower than with a heating pad. I think we just need to be in less of a hurry. What's the rush?

By the way, we are using Sunshine Professional Grower's mix that we get from Naomi's in 2 cubic foot bags. It seems to be mainly peat moss and works really well for starting seeds.

Here at the ecovillage, our most recent activities outside have been transplanting fruit trees (we just did 17 trees on Sunday, mainly Italian prune plums), raspberries, and kale. It is amazing to think that we are still in winter!

We have tons of kale starts for anyone who would like some, just drop by and dig some up by our cherry trees at the NW corner of our site. I will be around most of the weekends but I suggest calling first if you want me to be around and help.

On 3/5/2012 4:41 PM, Bonnie Hildebrand wrote:
  Thanks Stephanie!

  Yes, a lot of the bulbs have come up!
  Last year I had my peas in at this point. I will try your suggestion of pre-sprouting a few and get them in this week.

  Has anyone started their starts in the dark on a heated surface? A friend of mine puts her starts in a dark space on a blanket wrapped heating pad until they are about an inch tall. Just wondering if others have done that and the rational for it.

  Bonnie

  On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 4:30 PM, Stephanie Lucas <sluca...@comcast.net> wrote:

    Hi Bonnie,

    I think it’s still too early, too wet.  Unless you have a raised bed with good drainage and sun exposure, it’s likely that your pea seeds will just sit and rot.  Although, it doesn’t hurt to plant a few and see what happens.  I routinely pre-sprout my peas before planting, as they are then supposedly less vulnerable to wet/cold spells (ie, they will go dormant instead of rot).  Just soak in tepid water overnight then keep moist/covered  2 to 3 days until you just start to see the ‘germ’ swell—but don’t wait too long or they will fall apart.  I sprinkle inoculant on them and then plant like usual.

    I’m planning on throwing some seeds (mostly greens) on a small raised bed sometime this week.  I still have kale, chard, a little lettuce, and lots of nice fava growing from last fall.

    So far I have been lazy and have only started some tomatoes.  Legginess is typically due to an inefficient light source.  Light coming from windows is usually not adequate.  I grow my starts under a couple of florescent bulbs.

    Good luck!

    Stephanie

    BTW:  Did any of those bulbs come up?

    From: Bonnie Hildebrand
    Sent: Monday, March 05, 2012 3:46 PM
    To: Northwest VEG Veganic Gardening Group
    Subject: [VEG] what's in your garden?

    Hi all,

    Just wandering what everyone has started inside and if they've put anything outside yet.
    I was going to put in peas yesterday, but with the threat of snow I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Thursday is looking to be dry and starting a nice warm up. Is that a good time to get things going? Also was thinking of putting in some young landscaping plants at that time, though the sun beckons to me this afternoon.
    Also, any suggestions for how to keep my indoor starts from getting 'leggy' and falling over? I had that problem last year and want to avoid it this year.
    As an update, I have two large health purple mustard and two small chicory plants that survived my slug-eaten and neglected winter garden!

    Bonnie

--

Sustainable community living in inner SE Portland, Oregon
Experiments in sustainable urban living

Hi All,
I purposely left some carrots and potatoes in the ground to over
winter-just as an experiment! I dug it all up on Sunday and roasted
some  for dinner.I noticed the potatoes were sending out minuscule
roots already, and a few were invaded by slugs.I have washed the
remaining veggies and packed then away in a cool dark place.
I have had tremendous luck with  2 years of growing potatoes in the
same patch.Can anyone advise me as to whether this is OK?
Do I have to rotate them elsewhere? What will happen if I don't?

I had an early harvest of the snow pea type in(June?) and planted a
second batch, again as an experiment! To my surprise,I harvested some
and due to the mildness of our weather,I let them remain in the garden
growing.The plants didn't grow many peas late in the season but I was
able to munch on the top halves  through out the winter!They were so
sweet.I just dug them up and of course- will compost them.

My third experiment was with the broccoli plants,you got it,I let them
over winter too! I have harvested flower tops(in bloom)through out the
winter,also occasional handful's of smaller heads- both tasty stir fry
or salad additions.

I planted collard greens in late fall,and am thinking that they will
start growing any time now.I have a few lettuce sorts popping up, and
may decide soon to purchase starter plants.I am anxious to get
peas(from seed) in the ground but will hold off a bit,like others
suggested.I have purchased organic corn and carrot seeds; Fred Meyer's
had buy one/ get one sale.

Does anyone know about Burpee Company Seeds? I heard that you cannot
grow another time around, if you plan on growing from the harvested
seeds. Is this normal standard practice with seed companies?It's easy
to figure out why...they want us to buy more seeds.
Cindy

Hi Cindy,

Crop rotation is recommended to deter build-up of host-specific diseases and
insects.  Plus different crops make use of somewhat different minerals and
nutrients, so your soil might become a bit depleted if you're not heavily
composting each year.  As far as potatoes, I think an equal risk is bringing
in pests and diseases on the starts we use each year.  I grew 4 different
varieties in a bed that had never hosted potatoes or their relatives last
season, but one of the varieties (organic, from Irish Eyes Co. and planted
in two different spots) died back before flowering and months before the
others - I barely got more harvest than I planted.

For saving seed, first you need to make sure the variety you bought from
Burpee (or any other company) is "open-pollinated," generally noted in the
description.  If it says it is a hybrid, or  "F1" or something similar, what
comes up from saved seed will be potluck.

Secondly, some crops will cross-pollinate with their close relatives if
they're planted nearby.  Examples would be winter squash crossing among
varieties or even with zucchini, or a lot of the Asian greens will cross
pollinate too.  Corn is also extremely notorious for this - and then since
it is the seed we eat it is your first harvest that can be affected.

And finally - superior seed is selected from the best plants, generally
alongside culling poorer specimens before they have a chance to flower and
add their inferior pollen to the local gene pool.

Jill