Spring is here and the beds are almost done!

Zach has started to make the cedar raised beds for the vegetable garden. He did an awesome job!!! Now, we need to level the ground and get the soil. It won't be long before we can plant:)

Here are some other pics of the flower beds.

To Seeds, Soil, and Hope!

Yours Truly,

Kat

Composting: Green vs. Brown

What would a garden be without composting? Some call it black gold for the garden. With the last frost right around the corner, it is something to think about. Many websites discuss this topic at length and suggest a healthy ratio of "brown" and "green" materials for a thriving compost pile. Supposedly, the brown items must significantly outweigh the green items. So it begs the questions of what materials qualify as brown. I found a site that breaks it down for us. Check out GoOrganicGardening.com. Specifically this topic on Green Versus Brown Compost Materials http://goorganicgardening.com/compost/green-versus-brown-compost-materials.

Happy Composting!!!

Does Rog not think I am a Lady?

Okay funny story. Rog, my brother, calls me up and tells me about a sale over a Rural King. Previously, I told him that I needed a solution for my falling Peony bushes. He calls on Sunday to tell me about the Peony supports on sale. The next day I receive a flyer in our mail from Rural King. On the front page there is a coupon for 10% off. He didn't tell me anything about 10% off. So, I read on. It states in good ole' dignified country manner that April 2nd is Senior Citizen OR Ladies Discount Day. I particularly like what comes after the asterisk. *Must be 55 or older OR a Lady. If you are a Lady and 55 or older, you only get 10% off.

I laughed so hard. Doesn't he think I would qualify???? Love ya Rog:) I am going on April 2nd to get the Peony Supports AND I am getting my 10% for being a Lady. I just hope they don't ask for proof. You gotta love the country stores:)

Yours Truly,

Kat

Day 11 and Counting

Well, everything seems to be growing. The peas are out of this world. Squash doing okay but should have put stakes in the pot before it grew and really should have planted it in something that could go straight into the ground. Other blogs say the Squash, Watermelon, and Carrots won't make the transplant because the roots are so fragile. May have to start over with them.

The tomatoes and peppers are the last to rise but looking strong. Not sure why but the Bell Pepper and Tomato in the Styrofoam cups haven't popped up yet. Seem to take longer in the cups. Wonder why? Could be they are further away from the heat.

I am going to give everything a little longer to grow in the cells. May have to start transplanting into bigger cups for some. I hope they all make it.

To Seeds, Soil, and Hope! (BTW the seeds have brought some hope in the household... I just landed a JOB! It's like burying the St. Joseph statute in the backyard hoping your house will sell. Just sow a couple seeds to get a JOB:)

Yours Truly,
Kat

Day 6: Cinnamon rocks and Squash is Huge!

I feel like a rock star. The seedlings are doing GREAT! The cinnamon worked like a charm. No mold in sight. Just a light dusting over the entire surface, and it sent the mold running. In fact, the plants are flourishing. Almost to fast, I need to do more research on what comes next. The squash is growing so fast that I think I need to transplant it to a bigger pot soon.

Almost everything has risen except for the the pepper and tomato.

I took the plastic dome off of the flats since everything is sprouting. I watered on Day 5. They looked like they were getting a bit dry. Especially since we took the newspaper off and the hoods. The heat lamp grabs the moisture in the soil.

Many questions and thoughts are running around in my head. When should we transplant and what size pots do I need? When do I give the seedlings more compost tea?

Things to do in near future: Turn the flats 180 degrees so that the seedlings will grow in the opposite direction (by following the light). This is supposed to create stronger stems.

I am off to do more research as this weekend may be filled with more activities.

To Seeds, Soil, and Hope!

Yours Truly,

Kat

Day 4 and WE HAVE GROWTH!

Holy Cannoli! I went in to turn on the the lights for our little seedlings, and I saw some of the newspaper had been moved. Could it be growth? Or did I accidentally move it last night before shutting off the lights? To my great surprise, WE HAVE GROWTH! I yelled for the girls to come look and while screaming with excitement we saw at least an inch of growth on some of the flowers and a quarter of an inch on the broccoli. Wow, I can hardly believe it!

All of this adrenaline was brought down quickly when I saw MOLD growing on the "cool flat." Sure the broccoli and peas are starting to sprout but I can also see white fluff on the top of the soil throughout the flat. The "hot flat" didn't show any signs of mold. So of course I headed to the computer to do some research. My best hit was to Dave's Garden http://davesgarden.com/. He talks about "The Dreaded Dampening Off." Oh dear this sounds serious!! Even though I did cook the soil, there are other culprits to watch out for 1)no air movement and 2) too much water. What a rookie I am! It definitely is damp in there, so I removed all the newspaper. Next, I removed the plastic hood for time being on the "cool flat." I got a paper towel and tried to gently removed the mold that I found. Some of the suggestions included mixing some hydrogen peroxide with your water (1 Tablespoon per quart of water). Misting this on top will help prevent mold. While I might still try that, for now I am using a more interesting and who would have thought of it approach with CINNAMON!

With a light dusting of cinnamon, we are hopeful this will do the trick. Check back to stay updated!

We learned a valuable lesson today, "Minimize wet conditions, and maximize air flow." Thanks, Dave!

To Seeds, Soil, and Hope!

Yours Truly,

Kat

The Process 1-2-3

After getting the small amount of supplies needed, we returned home and immediately starting baking the the soil. This is a sterilization process to keep fungus away from our little darling seedlings! After the soil has cooled, we filled the flats and cups with soil and made tags so we could remember what was what. The girls were planting Zinnias and Petunias. My husband and I wanted a lot of vegetables and the list includes:
-Broccoli
-Tomatoes
-Peppers (Banana, Cayenne, and Bell)
-Peas
-Green Beans
-Watermelon
-Carrots

(BTW: We receive Gardener's Catalog and I found an awesome resource in planning your garden. We are planning on using raised beddings and www.gardeners.com has an interactive site that helps you map out your garden. Go check it out.)

I tried to separate the seeds by those that require more heat and those that don't (i.e. broccoli and peas don't need all the heat that tomatoes do). Each flat holds almost 72 nooks, so we decided to plant in each nook except for the last row, which I cut off entirely. This will serve as a watering hole and water the seeds from the bottom up. Two short rows were planted for each variety again keeping the cooler plants in separate flats from the hotter ones. The planting depth was determined by carefully reading the back of the seed packet. I also took advice and planted a little higher that what the packet recommended. Evidently, a beginner often plants the seed too far down. I definitely didn't want to make a rookie mistake:) Next, I watered the plant with compost tea (see recipe at Sarah's Pioneer Living), which consisted of rotting vegetables and coffee grounds mixed with hot water, blended, and then strained. I could hear the seeds applauding and asking for more! A final mist of water went over the top of the soil.
Additional advice suggested that we soak newspaper and place over the top of the seeds. It was kinda like placing lasagna noodles over the dirt. The hood (plastic top) or saran wrap for the cups was put on last and the entire flat was placed under our fluorescent light and heat lap. We paid carefully attention to put the heat lamp closest to the "hot flat" leaving the cooler flat further away. Others may find two separate places for this scenario but we are limited on space so we are giving it a whirl hoping that both can coexist.

Voila! The germination process has begun!

To Seeds, Soil, and Hope!

Yours Truly,

Kat