WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 12 MARCH 22, 2013

Free Republic | March 22, 2013 | greeneyes

[greeneyes]

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.

This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.

It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!

[Cold Heart]

Thanks, I'll pass that on.

I stated growing wasabi last year. They are looking real good for a harvest this year. I have been harvesting the leaves all along and found they don't develop the flavor till the second year.

[trisham]

:)

[Black Agnes]

Ok, where does one get wasabi starts? Would they be happy in zone 8A deep south?

[miserare]

That is lovely!

Can’t wait to see color again in my Northeastern garden.

[Black Agnes]

Oh, my biggie purchase that arrived this week was this: Herbal Antibiotics

[tubebender]

Things look better as the days get longer…

Turning the soil for some flowers…

A couple of views of the cover crop of Oats and Vetch…

[fidelis]

Great pictures, TB; thanks for sharing. One day, I’d love to have that much gardening space.

[Cold Heart]

Try richters.com. There was a site called NC alternative plants (?) that had a lot of info. Not sure how they would do in your area.

I got my starts from a local grower, they were hand delivered. Wasabi requires cool weather, shade, running water and are tricky to grow. The stuff is $140/lb! for a reason. I have Ideal conditions, spring fed & tall evergreen trees. My (surviving) plants are starting there second season and seem to be doing better this year.
I lost a few plants to a flash flood from a heavy spring rain last year. I pick a leaf or two to eat fresh and they definetly have flavor this year. Last year not.

[Black Agnes]

Ah, if they’re happy in CO, they’d be miserable in the deep south. I’ll take a pass for right now. Maybe during the next ice age.

Good luck. If they’re $140/lb you might have a cottage business in your backyard.

[Cold Heart]

I’m in OR.

I’m on my second year and I have leaves but no rhizome poundage. I’ll be happy with leaves for personal use but wouldn’t mind a backyard business. One other factor, the high priced ones don’t touch soil but are water raised on gravel. I have a mix. I could probably sell mine at a lessor cost if I ever get any.

[Free Vulcan]

We have had the worst March I can remember in at least 15 years. It hasn't gotten above 50, and today we have 3 inches of snow on the ground. Next Thursday is the first day it's supposed to be above 50. Last year it warmed in mid-Feb and was able to plant by the first week of March. We were mowing grass by now. No matter what the year I'm usually in by the 20th.

Told greeneyes I'd post this a few weeks back, but as you all know life intrudes. When I get the chance I'll also put this stuff up on a webpage. At any rate I wanted to share what I do for starting plants. Have been doing it for over 10 years now, and thru trial and error have grown to understand the factors needed to get good plants going, but also how to do it cheap with little capital which will be necessary in a more survival oriented situation. Since this is a long post I thought I'd wait till the end of the thread to post.

First thing in starting plants is to understand the priorities of what seedlings need in the indoor environment. I will list them with comments in the order that seems to be the most important:

• Heat – Although some spring seeds like cabbage and onions can germinate in cooler temps, I have found the best temp range to start most garden seedlings is 75-80F. I try to maintain this temp as much as possible.
• Humidity – This is a close second. Whether in the greenhouse or not, it is best to simulate those conditions by keeping a humidity level in excess of 70%, and lowering it temporarily only occasionally to ward off mold.
• Water – Starts need a cycle of good moisture followed by a complete drying of the top of the soil and repeat. This allows their root system to develop well while keeping the diseases away associated with too much watering. Some people do bottom watering, I myself do top watering except for the celery. In short, the best water to use is rainwater. All others tend to crust and leave minerals except for distilled, which will work in a pinch.
• Soil – You can use a number of mediums to grow plants. The main thing is you want something that doesn't get hard and crust. Some use a light vermiculite or similar mixture for fast growth then transplanting from the little plastic divider trays. I don't like to transplant till they hit the garden, so I use a mixture of 4 parts garden soil, 2 parts compost, and 1 part sand put into flats with no dividers that provide more than enough room and nutrients for each plant. In a SHTF situation, I can get all those without going to the store if need be.
• Containers – You can use anything for containers, the main things that it is cheap, and if not, durable, and set up for good draining and will hold soil without washing it out. I build my flats out of free pallets, some of my oldest ones are 10 years old and just starting to get the point where they are unusable.

Now to some pics of my setup.

First the flats. As I said I build them out of pallet wood 1X4's and 2X4's from the slats and spines so the materials are free. The 1X4's are 16” and the 2X4's are 10 inches. Here's an exploded view of how they fit together and a final version. I nail them with 1 1/2” gripper nails which run me about $2 a pound...cheap.

Next I take landscape matting and cut it to 14”X18” pieces. I can't tell you the cost of a roll of landscape matting because these I've used for over 10 years and they are still in great shape. In fact I've still got most of the original roll. After each use I wash them in hot soapy water, dry them on the line, fold and pack them away till the next year. They do a great job of holding the dirt but letting water thru.

As far as the soil, watering, heat, light, and humidity, as I said I use as 4:2:1 soil/compost/sand mixture. It does an excellent job of feeding the plants while staying loose and friable. I buy the play sand now but can get it at the creek if need be and sift it.

Because I keep the temp so high, I don't get damp off, which allows me to topwater and not even sterilize the soil. If you do need to sterilize, what I do is put a couple of capfuls in each bucket of rainwater, and sterilize dry soil in stainless steel 8 qt bowls in the oven at 300F until the soil reaches about 175 on the oven thermometer, which is usually an hour or so baking time. You can also use a double boiler to steam sterilize on the stove to the same temp. That will kill most viruses and weed seeds

I store my soil in tubs, keep it outside till I need it (some tubs can't take the cold and will get brittle, others won't) because the freezing temps break the clods down so their easy to mash. I then mix using three very large long and flatter tubs and shifting 1/2 the mixture of two to the other one 3 times.

Watering as I said is from rainwater only unless I run out then I used distilled. I usually collect it in the fall and in the winter when I can get it in 5 gallon plastic buckets. You can often get these for cheap or free from Walmart, Caseys, or any retail business that makes donuts or pastries with icing. I use a small 1 qt watering can with really small holes to as to not wash the seeds/seedlings away when I water. Most garden stores have them.

As far as heat, I have three sources. I have a south facing window that puts sunlight on half the table. I also have 4 grow lights that I got at Walmart, two for each mini-table that I have. I put smaller tables on top of the big one which are 4X4' and will fit 9 flats with overhang. If I remember I cover them with a garbage bag or plastic sheeting before I put my flats down, but this isn't necessary.

The mini-tables are made of 2X4's built into a frame and covered with plywood. I drill into the sides, and use political sign wires (free!) bent and cut into a specialized U shape that holds the lights that are on 1X2's. Third is a small space electric heater if needed when the sun doesn't show for a number of days. It dries things out fast so I might run it for an hour at a time under the plastic.

Light as I said is a combo of grow lights and sun. I keep the grow lights on for 16 hours a day or so and have them about 6 in. above the plants. I fashioned my political wires such that I can slide the lights around as need be.

The plastic was the final variable that I nailed down a couple of years ago that made the difference between good plants and excellent plant. I cut and draped a piece of roll sheet plastic for covering windows and drape it over the whole setup, using the political wires for support. It locks the heat in and keeps the humidity up.

The last pic is of my hardening off table with all the cabbage family stuff. A couple of weeks before plants need to be set out, the first week is best for bringing out under the plastic and getting them used to cooler temps and less humidity. I compensate the first couple of days with more water, then taper that off to harden them to dryer conditions, but not to the point they wilt.

Remember that plants inside cannot take full sun, so the next week I'll will slowly start them in the evenings to an hour of full sun near sunset and the gradually ad ½ hour a day. If the weather allows I'll let them stay out overnite to get used to the high and low temps, but not too extreme of a variation. I like to keep them out of below-40F temps that week before they go into the ground for spring stuff and below-55F for summer.

In the end, my setup produces great plants, but even if I bought everything new it might cost me $100 and last me for years and years. The grow lights are the most expensive part and the only thing you have to buy new. img src=”http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5252/5451875175_e05fde4341_m.jpg” hspace=”5”/p

[Free Vulcan]

I forgot to copy and paste...the 3rd important variable is light. Most plants need light in them within a day or two, cabbage family within 12 hours or they get leggy. I use sunlight and grow lights that are on 16 hours a day, 6 inches above the plants.

[jjotto]

That’s why they grow GIANT cabbages in Alaska!

[tubebender]

A local wildlife group installed this web cam on a Eagle Nest on Humboldt Bay

Eagle Nest Camera

[greeneyes]

I have no experience with dog control, except to keep them in the house, and turn them out into the play yard or walk them on a leash.LOL.

Our subdivision restricts dogs to leash or pen outdoors, but we have a lot of irresponsible people that drop off strays in front of our entrance, and they roam the neighborhood.

They don’t usually cause us any problems other than occasionally a really big one will walk through and squash the new transplants.

[greeneyes]

We had a big snow today - started last night. About 14 inches in St. Louis. Had to call of the birthday celebration party for my daughters ( both were born in March).

It’s not a record though, Around 20 inches in 1890.

We have ordered plants, but they won’t even ship them till later this month. I’m going to go back to hibernation and drag out the thermal wear if this keeps up.LOL

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the tips. I’ll try it. It may still get that freezing weather though. We sometimes get snow in April.LOL.

I just heard that St. Louis got 14 inches so far. Schools around us have already announced closing tomorrow. Won’t know about our’s until tomorrow morning.

[greeneyes]

For me, it’s corn. I just love to watch it grow.

[greeneyes]

LOL. Glad to bring a little joy into a gloomy winter day.

[greeneyes]

Thanks for all the pictures. I really can’t feel the love for wasps. I appreciate the insect control, but hate the buzzing around my head.

It sends me back to my childhood, and the fear of being stung. The wasps used to love our pear tree. After being stung, I stayed away from that tree forever.