This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy was my first dog and he thought the garden was his, even though I did all the work. Now Suzie and Charley follow in his footsteps. We're located near Boston (USDA zone 6A). I have a community plot, a backyard vegetable garden, fruit trees, berry bushes, chickens, and bees. I use sustainable organic methods and do my best to grow all of my family's vegetables myself.
Monday, April 06, 2009
wet crocuses
Looks like the snowy winter is turning into a rainy spring.
thank you for your blog. I'm a new veg. gardener and you have given me tons of info lately. I'm catching up on your blog since i was out of town this past week.
I noticed your post a few days ago on your seedlings. they look different than mine. Especially my broccoli ... mine seem tall/leggy and a couple are starting to fall over. what to do??
I also noticed you have more than one plant in many of your individual trays and i've read if more than one seed sprouts in same pot to cut off weakest one? do you do this, or do you separate them? sorry for long post. thanks for any insight!
Sounds like your seedlings just need more light. Its really hard to give seedlings enough light indoors in the north. A local farmer here has a beautiful heated hoop house that gets full sunlight. Her seedlings are always very short and green and leafy. This is how they should be.
Put your lights right next to the seedlings - 2 inches away and leave them on 10 hours a day. Or put them in a south facing window. Some windows are coated to reduce transmission some light wavelengths though.
You can plant the seedlings deep when you transplant them. I did this with leggy broccoli last year.
Try to give them more light. Go ahead and let them fall over and grow more until they out grow the pots or its time to transplant outside. Then be careful with the stems ans plant them deep to support the stem.
I should pull the extra seedlings in my pots, but I wait as long as I can. Its a failing of mine. (I'm too emotionally attached to my seedlings to ever be a really good gardener.) But often they can be separated at transplant. If they start blocking light from each other before I'm ready to transplant then I grit my teeth and pull them.
Dan, Can't imagine that you can't STILL have snow! I'd be a basket case if I hadn't seen any dirt yet.
PS. The surprise seedlings are growing well. I didn't look at your site to see what they are as I REALLY like a surprise (as long as I know they're not kohlrabi). I'm pretty sure I know what they are, but I'd like to watch them and gradually figure it out. Both tomatoes varieties you sent sprouted and are growing well.
I can't believe it snowed either after having next to no snow since February. Thankfully it is almost all gone today. Good to hear the seeds are growing well. I planted your tomato seed a couple weeks ago and they are growing well too. The squash I will start some time near the end of April.
I will let you know what I think of kohlrabi in a couple months, it will be the first time trying it in the garden and at the table.
7 comments:
A post card waiting to happen. Perfect photograph! My crocuses are under an inch of snow right now :-(
thank you for your blog. I'm a new veg. gardener and you have given me tons of info lately. I'm catching up on your blog since i was out of town this past week.
I noticed your post a few days ago on your seedlings. they look different than mine. Especially my broccoli ... mine seem tall/leggy and a couple are starting to fall over. what to do??
I also noticed you have more than one plant in many of your individual trays and i've read if more than one seed sprouts in same pot to cut off weakest one? do you do this, or do you separate them?
sorry for long post. thanks for any insight!
and I love love love your garden layout.
Justina,
Sounds like your seedlings just need more light. Its really hard to give seedlings enough light indoors in the north. A local farmer here has a beautiful heated hoop house that gets full sunlight. Her seedlings are always very short and green and leafy. This is how they should be.
Put your lights right next to the seedlings - 2 inches away and leave them on 10 hours a day. Or put them in a south facing window. Some windows are coated to reduce transmission some light wavelengths though.
You can plant the seedlings deep when you transplant them. I did this with leggy broccoli last year.
Try to give them more light. Go ahead and let them fall over and grow more until they out grow the pots or its time to transplant outside. Then be careful with the stems ans plant them deep to support the stem.
I should pull the extra seedlings in my pots, but I wait as long as I can. Its a failing of mine. (I'm too emotionally attached to my seedlings to ever be a really good gardener.) But often they can be separated at transplant. If they start blocking light from each other before I'm ready to transplant then I grit my teeth and pull them.
Dan, Can't imagine that you can't STILL have snow! I'd be a basket case if I hadn't seen any dirt yet.
PS. The surprise seedlings are growing well. I didn't look at your site to see what they are as I REALLY like a surprise (as long as I know they're not kohlrabi). I'm pretty sure I know what they are, but I'd like to watch them and gradually figure it out. Both tomatoes varieties you sent sprouted and are growing well.
Cheers!
I can't believe it snowed either after having next to no snow since February. Thankfully it is almost all gone today. Good to hear the seeds are growing well. I planted your tomato seed a couple weeks ago and they are growing well too. The squash I will start some time near the end of April.
I will let you know what I think of kohlrabi in a couple months, it will be the first time trying it in the garden and at the table.
I do need a rain coat for my camera! I braved the pouring rain for this shot. Yes, it still works.
I am bad for taking the camera out in the rain too and the snow and the dirt...
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