During these gloomy, grey days, I love to pour through seed catalogs. Call me crazy, but, somehow, choosing seeds makes me feel a bit closer to sunny days. Thank you to my friend, Trisha Shelly for inspiring me to write this post. I am combating SAD--Seed Acquisition Disorder!!! Im receiving about 3 seed catalogs a day--dont they know I have a problem? Dont they know they are just perpetuating my addiction? :-) All kidding aside, these catalogs show whats new, proven plants, old standbys. We start our own seedlings. Its cost effective--it allows us to choose the plants most suited for our conditions without breaking the bank. Now, not all plants are suited for starting indoors. Ive had the best luck with many plants by sowing the seeds directly in the ground. Cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, carrots, beets and beans all have higher success rates from direct sowing. These plants do not recover well from transplant shock, so wait to plant these until the weather and soil conditions are right. In our area, its best to wait until Memorial Day. Ive tried to plant earlier--take my advice, wait until then--you dont want to have frozen, shriveled plants. Weve had snow on Mothers Day. The seeds we start indoors include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, cabbage, parsley, basil, dill, Start these seeds about 6-8 weeks before the final frost of the season. Usually, March/April is about right for our area. Before putting your plants outside, expose them to a hardening off period. This means put the plants outside during the day for a week or two before planting--bring them back in at night. If you are starting these plants in a greenhouse, back off your heat source. This exposure allows the plants to gradually acclimate to the weather, preventing some measure of transplant shock. When you do plant these seedlings in the garden, give them a healthy dose of a B-Vitamin elixir, or Neptunes Harvest, with your first watering. The vitamins in these fertilizers give the plants the boost they need to get started. Soil is your base. Be sure your soil is amended--that means make sure you properly prepare your soil with finished compost, composted manure, fish guts, etc. This will put the minerals back in your soil that were taken from last years plants. Many everyday garden plants are heavy feeders. Give your plants a good base to live in. When we clean the chicken coop over the fall and winter, we put the litter right on the garden. By spring its composted and serves as a great soil amendment. As I reflect on last years garden (and years prior), here are some things I will do differently. I do not believe I will plant Brussels sprouts next year. We had an amazing crop, but they are uber-time consuming to prepare. They need to be peeled before you cook them and it takes for-e-ver!!! It is much cheaper to buy them frozen (yes, I said it). I do not believe we will do potatoes either. Hilling the plants is also uber-time consuming, and here in our area, there are several potato growers that you can get your potatoes from at a very good price. I will, however, plant a ton of cabbage again this year. I made so much sauerkraut!! It has been wonderful!! If you have never planted a garden, consider it. Start small--plant a few items. It really does not take that much time once youve planted, and your wallet will thank you. A small garden plot can produce all of your summer vegetables. Imagine not buying veggies at the store!! Dreamy!! Joyful reading and seeding, and homesteading happiness....
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 00:31:09 +0000
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