starting of seeds for fall planting
Eve Marcum-Atkinson
Here’s some great information from on of our wonderful Master Gardeners, Constance Berk :)
- eve
From: Berk, Constance
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009
9:57 AM
To: 'Eve Marcum-Atkinson'
Subject: RE: starting of seeds for
fall planting
Now’s a good time to start seeds for fall gardens.
As to when to transplant them is a good question. It might be best to transplant the seedlings when they have their first set of true leaves. When the seeds sprout, you will see a set of “leaves”. These are the cotyledons. The next set of leaves will be the first set of true leaves.
We still have a lot of slugs and they will eat the tender young plants if they can. You want the plant to be big enough so that it can survive. (I put out “Slug Bars”, filled with beer, to trap my slugs. They’re attracted to the yeast in the beer, climb in and drown. Then I empty the Slug Bars into the compost heap, wash them out and refill them with beer. Since the slugs aren’t connoisseurs, I buy the cheapest beer I can find. The alternative is to purchase slug bait. You may need to be careful around children and pets with that stuff. You’ll need to read the label to know what the precautions are.)
That said, seeds will germinate at different rates. Winter squash will germinate, and grow, very quickly. Cauliflower and broccoli will be a little bit slower.
Good crops to plant in the fall are many of the same ones you would plant in the spring, cool weather types. These include broccoli, cauliflower, peas, lettuce and radishes. You can also plant winter quash, such as Hubbard and Acorn. You’ll need to decide when the last frost date, or harvest date, will be and then plan backwards, so you’ll have enough days to grow to maturity. Also, keep in mind that vegetable plants need 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily to grow properly, but as summer winds down and fall begins, our day length decreases, eventually becoming dark at ~5 PM. Due to decreased day length, you’ll need to increase slightly the number of days until harvest.
You will need to check the seed packets for the number of days for germination and the number of days until ready to harvest. Our first frost is sometimes at the end of Oct. If your crops aren’t quite ready to harvest at that point, you can cover them with floating row cover at night and remove it the next morning. (This works in the spring too!) You should expect to harvest the last of your garden at some point in Nov. A few years I was still picking tomatoes at Thanksgiving! Other years I was ready to shovel snow at Halloween! (And some springs we were able to start planting in Jan and other years we were lucky it warmed up in June.)
That’s part of the fun, gambling that you can get your garden to grow and produce what you want it to, regardless of the weather!
Anyway, gardeners are optimists. Even if you do have a bad year, you always think next year will be better! Who else will plant a small seed and expect a big plant to grow from it, complete with something to eat!
Good luck! Ask more questions and I’ll attempt to answer them.
Go to www.eXtension.com. This website has loads of info. Be certain that the answers come from an area close to home. What you do for gardens in Colorado won’t work here.
Connie
Constance Marie Berk
Room 336R
Dept. of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center
Marshall University
One John Marshall Drive
Huntington, WV 25755-9320
From: Eve
Marcum-Atkinson [mailto:emarc...@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 8:38
PM
To: Berk, Constance
Subject: starting of seeds for
fall planting
We’re looking at possibly starting some veg/fruit seeds this Sunday, so that we can do some fall planting 3 weeks later. Is that enough time? Should we wait to plant the seedlings till 5 weeks, or should we stagger the planting depending on the crops? Any advice on what seeds to start?
We’re looking at using recycled materials for seed starting – I’ve managed to collect lots of things to start seeds in, from egg cartons to old TP rolls, to plastic delivery-food containers, to plastic ground beef containers. Plus, old planter buckets that other seedlings came in.
- eve
Community Gardens Huntington
Hey, anyone interested in meeting me to start some seeds for a fall planting at the Barnett Center? I’m hoping for Monday or Tuesday evening next week, say 6-8pm.
We should have some seed starter trays, etc. But we might also try using recycled material containers, such as old TP rolls, newspaper, plastic containers, etc. I’ll get a bag of sterile seed-starter soil, as recommended by the wise expert Robin Howell – I’ll try to find a Miracle Grow variety.
What do you think?
- Eve Marcum Atkinson
Group Email: communityg...@gmail.com
Grace & Andrew Gooding
| I keep MEANING to come help with one of these things and have not. I just got rid of a ton of TP tubes,too. Drat. Update me and I will see what I can do... grace :) --- On Thu, 7/30/09, Community Gardens Huntington <communityg...@gmail.com> wrote:
|
ilacc2005!!
Eve; How are you doing on pots? I have about 20 ranging from small to planters if you need them. I have been busy with the cycle-recycle of Huntington and the Critical Mass Bike Ride. I am also taking care of several yards and trying to create a community yard sell in our neighborhood. Also, we started recycling electronics and the neighborhood kids are saving alum and steel cans to raise money to buy new tools. Plus theres my garden which isnt doing well at all. Too much rain, not enough heat. The chili peppers are doing great but the squash died. Possems kept eating the blooms!!
Have you guys planted any vegtables anywhere this year? Maybe next year we can actualy grow something instead of beautifying Huntington!! We are thinking about going down by the Visitors Center and weeding that section that runs down to the resturaunt. Vets memorial has turned into a major thourfare and we have an awesome visitors center! Have you been there yet?
I missed the training session today. I thought I had it on my calendar, but I guess not. Did you go? Peace out! Larry H.
HuntingtonHOURS, A local currency! http://www.facebook.com/group.phd?gid=61050765498 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ilacc Community Garden; http://www.huntingtoncommunitygardens.com
--- On Wed, 7/29/09, Eve Marcum-Atkinson <emarc...@gmail.com> wrote: |
Eve Marcum-Atkinson
YES, *Everyone* with old seed-starter trays, planters, etc. are encouraged to drop them off at the Barnett Center for use with the Huntington Community Gardens project. We’d greatly appreciate any donations of this type. Thank You Larry!
Either bring them during the day Monday, or bring them by on the night we schedule for the seed planting, either Monday or Tuesday from 6-8pm… haven’t had enough response yet to set a date, but I’ll just pick one by tomorrow evening if I’ve not heard anything and will post the official seed-meet day.
Larry, excellent to hear about Cycle-Recycle and great work on the Critical Mass Bike Ride… totally wish I’d been well enough this year to ride… my asthma is getting really bad, especially because of this flu and bronchitis. I have a nice road bike ready to go when I am :)
Yes, we’ve planted vegetables in several locations around Huntington: Barnett Center, Marcum Terrace and Northcott Court have vegetable and fruit gardens. Minton St is specifically a Kids Cut-Flower garden, so vegetables were not appropriate, but we did plant herbs and other things in an Eat-able raised bed (the one on the front left, nearest the fence). The Carter G. Woodson planting was focused on using the rest of our annuals around the statue area, cleaning out weeds, mulching, etc, so again veg was not appropriate.
A fall/winter garden will be planted at the Barnett Center by the end of August (thus getting together to start some seeds very soon). Details will be in the schedule of events we’ll be sending out next week on this google group, and on our web calendar. I’m hoping to get enough old window donations to winterize our raised beds… time for another shameless plug…
*Everyone* is encouraged to donate their old windows to our Huntington Community Gardens project, so we can winterize our raised beds, getting a bit more growth after the first frost, and to get an early start on planting next year. I’ve not yet arranged with Tim White for the storage of these windows, but hey, I’ve got a back porch if nothing else. As soon as I arrange a place for everyone to drop off their old windows (no broken glass, please), I’ll make sure to post it on this discussion thread. So if you’ve got them, email me directly at emarc...@gmail.com.
We’ve lots of plans for next year and hope to create more Vegetable & Fruit gardens with the specific goal of creating another real food source for neighborhood residents. To get there means loads of planning over the next few months, and then when the time comes, loads of volunteers lending a hand with turning the soil and planting.
Larry, THANK YOU so much for all you do for our community! You are an inspiration to many, and to me.
And to everyone on this google group, Thank You All for All Your Support!
- Eve Marcum Atkinson
PS: If you wish to email Jenn Williams directly, that’s seedso...@yahoo.com. If you want to email both of us at our official Huntington Community Gardens email address, send it to communityg...@gmail.com. And, for emailing to the whole google group of over 70 members, keep on sending them to communityg...@googlegroups.com and everyone will get the message… it’s a great way to share Community Garden ideas, news, events, etc with all those who’ve expressed an interest in our grand Garden ideas for Huntington.
Richard Cobb Sr.
Ms. Eva, I admire your effort and ability to sustain this effort. If I were physically able, I would help; sorry.
Richard
C. Richard Cobb, Sr.
Neighborhood Advocate
“The welfare of the people is the highest law.” - Cicero
1239 Kanawha Terrace
Huntington, WV 25701
304-523-7902 (residence)
304-638-6882 (mobile)
http://media.herald-dispatch.com/blog/cobb/
P To save our environment, please do not print this e-mail unless you really need to.
Eve Marcum-Atkinson
Hey, I totally understand. Really, this project has continued to bloom because of so many people putting in the time to make it happen.
And then there’s Jennifer Williams, a powerhouse of ideas, momentum, and communication – she’s been the one who’s arranged the locations and contributors for all of our events, planting and otherwise, contacted the right people to make them happen, getting the support we needed. Jenn has created a new unit of measure for me as to what one person can accomplish in very little time.
And then there’s Casey Williams, who’s raw energy at each planting project was just what we needed to get it done. And then there’s Kelly, Ginny, Will, Stephanie, Paige, Mary, Marcella, May, Robin, Gene, and of course Tim…
Really I could make a personal list of over 40 people who’ve been there for us at a time when we really needed them, and I could hug them all.
My lung health of late has gotten bad again, wasn’t able to be there to help plant at Carter G. Woodson or at HARC’s latest planting. One has to be able to breathe before one can dig in the dirt. I hope to be sufficiently on the mend to attend the next large planting, but the seeds-starting evening by Monday or Tuesday is quite do-able for me, especially because it’ll be 2 hours of mostly sitting ;) I’ve managed to be quite productive in front of the computer, taking an hour here and there over the last 10 days, when I was able, to address the many tedious parts of any organization – proposing plans & schedules, researching, organizing, working on website content, working with my hubby to build a Grants database, etc. I think you’ll be amazed at what Jenn and I post as our calendar of coming events early next week, and our list of plans for next year that I’m hoping we’ll have in a post-able format by the end of September.
Thank You Richard for all your support. It has been exactly what we’ve needed on numerous occasions, kept us inspired and kept us going :)
- Eve Marcum Atkinson
Community Gardens Huntington
The Date has been Set for our Fall/Winter Harvest Seed-Starting Evening:
Monday, August 3rd, from 6-8pm.
Bring whatever you can in the way of seeds, old seed-starter trays & pots, old containers that could be recycled as something to plant seeds in, gloves, and a smile :) I look to bring a large bag of sterile potting soil and a variety of seeds/sets, but extra seeds would be greatly appreciated.
We’ll set-up and plant from 6-7:30, and clean-up from 7:30-8, leave the place cleaner than we found it. The Weed and Seed’s Barnett Center is hosting a few events the following Tuesday, so they need us to leave the porch area clean for the next morning.
Bring music CD’s and I’ll bring my little CD player :)
***(Great info from Robin Howell)***
Here is a list of some vegetables that tolerate cooler weather and the average number of days to maturity.
- Lettuce 40 to 60 days ( all types)
- Mesclum 20 days
- Kale 50 days
- Carrots 50 to 60 days ( leave in ground until ready to harvest)
- Cabbage 78 to 120 days ( depends on type)
- Broccoli 90 days
- Beets 50 days
- Brussel Sprouts 95 to 115 days ( harvest after first frost for best flavor) will survive snow
- Onions - buy bunches of green onions at the grocery store, use the green part of the onion, plant the white with roots in a pot for onions all winter
- Parsnip, 120 days ( leave in ground until ready to harvest)
- Peas (green) 55 days
- Spinach 48 days
- Radish 20 days
- Garlic 48 to 50 days
- Cauliflower 48 to 50 days
***(Great info from Connie Berk)***
Now’s a good time to start seeds for fall gardens. As to when to transplant them is a good question. It might be best to transplant the seedlings when they have their first set of true leaves. When the seeds sprout, you will see a set of “leaves”. These are the cotyledons. The next set of leaves will be the first set of true leaves.
We still have a lot of slugs and they will eat the tender young plants if they can. You want the plant to be big enough so that it can survive. (I put out “Slug Bars”, filled with beer, to trap my slugs. They’re attracted to the yeast in the beer, climb in and drown. Then I empty the Slug Bars into the compost heap, wash them out and refill them with beer. Since the slugs aren’t connoisseurs, I buy the cheapest beer I can find. The alternative is to purchase slug bait. You may need to be careful around children and pets with that stuff. You’ll need to read the label to know what the precautions are.)
That said, seeds will germinate at different rates. Winter squash will germinate, and grow, very quickly. Cauliflower and broccoli will be a little bit slower.
Good crops to plant in the fall are many of the same ones you would plant in the spring, cool weather types. These include: broccoli, cauliflower, peas, lettuce and radishes. You can also plant winter quash, such as Hubbard and Acorn. You’ll need to decide when the last frost date, or harvest date, will be and then plan backwards, so you’ll have enough days to grow to maturity. Also, keep in mind that vegetable plants need 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily to grow properly, but as summer winds down and fall begins, our day length decreases, eventually becoming dark at ~5 PM. Due to decreased day length, you’ll need to increase slightly the number of days until harvest.
You will need to check the seed packets for the number of days for germination and the number of days until ready to harvest. Our first frost is sometimes at the end of Oct. If your crops aren’t quite ready to harvest at that point, you can cover them with floating row cover at night and remove it the next morning. (This works in the spring too!) You should expect to harvest the last of your garden at some point in Nov. A few years I was still picking tomatoes at Thanksgiving! Other years I was ready to shovel snow at Halloween! (And some springs we were able to start planting in Jan and other years we were lucky it warmed up in June.)
Hope to see a few smiling faces Monday evening at the Barnett Center.
- Eve Marcum Atkinson
Community Gardens of Huntington WV
1041 6th St. West
Huntington, WV 25701
Home: (304) 697-1402
Webphone: (614) 917-0848
Cell: (614) 357-8533
Email: emarc...@gmail.com
Group Email: communityg...@gmail.com
Web: www.huntingtoncommunitygardens.com
Google Group: communitygardenshunt
ilacc2005!!
Thanks Eve. Sorry to hear about your asthama. I got allergies and sometimes it throws me into a 2 hr snezzing fit!!
I will bring some of the pots Monday. I dont think I can bring them all at once. I dont have my bike with the rack up and running. About these windows, are you taking wooden ones or just alum? Maybe you could post it on frecycle? If you want to post a discussion or add an event in the Cycle-Recycle group feel free. It's not all about bikes. Bikes are the base but alternatives to healthy, happy living are the bi-products!! We hope through these groups we can bring back the small town trust in each other. My main drive is aimed at giving kids more options then drugs and violence. I had my days with the drugs and know first hand that if we include our youth in society that they are most likley not going to be our future homeless dope heads!
I had a little blow out with one of the local sk8ters yesterday. He said something on facebook about lurking and called me a fag in short. That was about the same time I was inviting his friend to join cycle-recycle.I am trying not to judge all sk8ters by the action of a few. I cant believe after all these years of lobbying for a sk8 park, all the time spent, he can be that selfish and arrogant. If I thought poking him in the nose would solve anything, I would! I took him off the friends list and I will not be involved in anything he is. He is a real negative bad influence on the young skaters.He is a hate breeder and has the mentality that his generation has all the answers. Sounds like me when I was kid! It took many years to figure out we get more done if we stop fighting the alleged enimies and try to work on solutions. I get so much more done now that I am not trying to change the
world!! I think, and maybe I have said this before, the chat &chew/create huntington groups are exactly what the hippies back in '60's & '70's envisioned. The revolotion wasnt about war but about peace. Alot of societys problems are man made. The goverment has feed us a line of crap and we believe it! They dont really want us to be independent. I really believe that if we help each other and share the burden we will need less involment with the goverments.
As Wayne says, I am writting a novel!! I know I get off topic and like to splurt my thoughts, but hey,it may get people thinking and we may have to use parts of our brains that are dormaint?
I am thinking of taking a weed eater down by the Visitor/Convention Center. It looks really bad. If you havent been to the center you should go! It is unique and true asset to Huntington. They made a great move! There is a store that has West Virginia made products like they had at the Downtown Depot. I think the restarunt is open also. It is sure worth the time! Take the kids! They have a workable electric train that runs the length of the building. I think the place was built in the late 1800's. There is an old bar, some old bikes, it is just amazing!! Keep up the good work!! |
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HuntingtonHOURS, A local currency! http://www.facebook.com/group.phd?gid=61050765498 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ilacc Community Garden; http://www.huntingtoncommunitygardens.com
--- On Thu, 7/30/09, Eve Marcum-Atkinson <emarc...@gmail.com> wrote: |
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Community Gardens Huntington
Yup, it’s canceled… I’m sitting here feeling like warmed over death, trying to catch my breath (computer office in basement), and I’m figuring that I’ll not be able to leave the house tomorrow, let alone set-up for a seed starting party, let alone participate.
Sorry gang, it was wishful thinking on my part... next plans I make will be with the reality of my COPD flair-up in mind.
At the very least, as I improve at home, I’ll get the seeds started here & baby them (and myself) as I go, so that we can plant our fall/winter crop in several weeks. I’ll ask me wonderful hubby to set-up a planting table out back and set-up the dirt and seeds, so I can putter as I can over the next several days. Yup, I pushed it today just to go to Lowes and buy them (put in a word to ask for old seed and bulb donations while I was there), and about collapsed when we went to Wal-mart… emergency inhaler, cold sweats, full-body weakness… Whew, I’m healthy :)
With the old windows my friend Priscilla has saved for us (Tim has approved our storage of them at the Barnett Center), and if I can get my body to cooperate (cross your fingers), we’ll be able to plant a great fall/winter garden at the Barnett Center.
- Eve Marcum Atkinson
Community Gardens of Huntington WV
1041 6th St. West
Huntington, WV 25701
Home: (304) 697-1402
Webphone: (614) 917-0848
Cell: (614) 357-8533
Email: emarc...@gmail.com
Group Email: communityg...@gmail.com
Web: www.huntingtoncommunitygardens.com
Google Group: communitygardenshunt
Richard Cobb Sr.
Peace and blessings to you, Ms. Eve. I hope you are feeling better, and my thoughts are with you.
Warm regards,
Richard
C. Richard Cobb, Sr.
Neighborhood Advocate
“The welfare of the people is the highest law.” - Cicero
1239 Kanawha Terrace
Huntington, WV 25701
304-523-7902 (residence)
304-638-6882 (mobile)
http://media.herald-dispatch.com/blog/cobb/
P To save our environment, please do not print this e-mail unless you really need to.
Tom Bell
Hi all,
As a courtesy to everyone and to reduce the amount of email, I would suggest that we limit responses like this to the specific person.
I am receiving more and more “well wishes” and “attaboys”.
I am afraid that as I hit my delete button that I may be missing some significant information.
Thank you for your consideration.
Tom Bell