In my last post, I talked about what to start first & when. I’d like to give an update on what’s going on with the seedlings started, what’s been started since and what to plan for next.
I’ve since re-potted the Italian parsley, sage, onion & cilantro into bigger containers. I used the 4-packs and large celled 6-packs collected over the years (from nursery purchases). Note, it’s important to clean these thoroughly from season to season because soil born pathogens can infect newly planted specimens. They can be cleaned easily in the top rack of the dishwasher, or with warm soapy water followed by spray/soak of a bleach solution. I also clean the original seed starting trays in the same manner to make ready for the next batch of seeds.
So how are these herbs doing? Well after planting in organic potting soil and putting them in my south facing window, I started seeing my friends, the fungus gnats! To combat them and to strengthen the seedlings I have a fan running over them all on medium speed. The fan emulates outside wind and causes the seedlings to get stronger. And of course the gnats can’t fly! I also use the organic biological larvide, Gnatrol (Bacillus thurigeniensis subspecies Israelensis (BTI)). Unfortunately I can’t get this particular brand any more and will have to find an alternative when I run out (I’ve found http://www.repotme.com/pest-control/Fungus-Gnat-Control.html this which might work. I have heard that beneficial nematodes might also work; sometimes they can be found at your local garden center, but you can also find them on-line. For the time being, I have them under control.
So the parsley and sage is doing well (though I lost one sage). The cilantro is growing, but not as vigorously as the parsley. I’m not sure why, but I’m hoping that time plus the fan will help. I left the basil in the 2×2 inch cells until they’re bigger; they’re going well too. The eggplant and peppers are also still in their original cells since they also take more time. I didn’t get the full yield of 18 peppers, so I started another batch of green peppers, jalapeño peppers and some eggplant. The eggplant came up quickly, and I only got about 5 out of 12 green peppers, though it should be enough when combined with the earlier set. The jalapeño, though, didn’t come up until this week! Very slow, but thankfully I’ll have about 5 plants if they all survive. I want to make stuffed jalapeños with most of them.
Most of the larkspur didn’t come up (probably because the seeds were from last year an may not have all been viable), so I took the rest of the seeds and sowed them directly in my pool garden – we’ll see how that goes. The salvia all came up and is growing slowly. Everything but the 2nd set of eggplant/peppers are on the window with the fan.
Remember – we learn more from mistakes then successes, so there your are!
Finally, I started snow peas and snap peas. They are doing wonderfully and being hardened off outside (along with a pack of romaine and 2 packs of broccoli that I purchased to supplement my early spring crop). I will be planting these in the garden this weekend (1st weekend in April) and will cover them with a row cover (like can be found here) to protect against potential cold over the coming month. These crops do well in the cool weather. When planting the peas, I’ll be planting seeds in the ground directly along with the seedlings. I’ll then plant new seeds every 1-2 weeks until July. This way I can extend the season. I’ll do the same with the lettuce and onions. I plan to intermix the onions and lettuce in the same patch.
So what’s next? Well it’s the end of March, so starting those flowers like amaranthus is a good idea (which I did today; they’re under the grow lights with the last batch of peppers & eggplant). And as I said, I’ll be direct seeding more peas, lettuce & onions in the garden. In 2 weeks it will be time to start the warm weather crops (and flowers) from seed, which includes: tomatoes, marigolds, nasturtium & cosmos. The the end of April/early May, is the time to start the squash and melons. This year I’m planning zucchini, butternut squash and a small cantelope type melon (that one is new for me). Squash can succumb to the squash vine bora, so I’m going to plant them with nasturtium, dill (which I’ll start when I start the tomatoes); then I’ll use a combination of garlic spray, neem and Rotenone/Pyrethrin. We’ll see! You may ask why plant dill and nasturtium? Well these produce flowers that attract beneficial insects which feed on the squash vine bora.
To make ready for the spring crops, the garden beds need to be refreshed with compost and fertilizer. This was done this past weekend along with refreshing the herb barrels and my flower barrels. So things are getting ready and the busy season is about upon us. I think April and May are the busiest of the gardening season.
In a future post, I’ll give an update on the seed starting, along with what can be done in the garden and lawn. All organic and natural of course.
Happy Gardening!
– Susan Macchia