First Seeds of 2014 Season

Hi all! It may seem like an odd time to get garden seeds, but we have acquired our first seeds of the season. We have 59 days until the first day of Spring, and I am pumped! The seeds we purchased will need to be started soon so that we can grow them in our zone. (Zone 6A)

I purchased these seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, one of my favorite places! Baker Creek always includes some free seeds so, that's why the melons are included. 

We'll be starting seeds soon, so check back for seed starting extravaganza! Thanks for reading!

I'm Spring-ing Forward...How About You?

Hi all! We had a beautiful weekend here in Southern Ohio and we changed the clocks for Daylight Savings Time.  I can't even begin to tell you how giddy it makes me to know that spring is knocking on our door!  There is so much to do, but I'm so excited!

I decided to share some of the things we had going on during the lovely weekend. I had to work all weekend,  but Mitch and Toby enjoyed the weather for me. They had plenty of 4 wheeler riding, we grilled out and ate outside.  Mitch also managed to do some productive things for me. He made our chickens their first set of nest boxes out of some scrap lumber. I just love how rustic they look.  Take a peek:

He also got my early veggie garden tilled up so we can plant soon. We put this one up close to the house since our big back garden was too soggy and sloppy to work yet. I am hoping for a nice calm day so I can plant some seeds. My transplants aren't big enough yet, as they are just now beginning to get their first true leaves. We have begun to get a few peppers and tomatoes to sprout, but they won't be ready to go out until sometime in April! Here is the garden pre-planting:

We have some daffodils (at least that's what I think they are) popping up all over our yard. I've never seen daffodils in such odd ball places, but we've got them here. They are getting little buds all over them, which means....we'll have pretty little yellow flowers very soon!

Tractor Supply has got their chick days and garden event going on right now. We walked in there and I was in heaven! If you'd like to see or show your kids some cute little chicks and ducklings, they've got them there.  Cheap entertainment!  And, if you needed another reason to plant SOMETHING this year (as if) they've got some good prices and great stuff...just sayin'.

And finally, I would like to close with a link to my friend's blog Homegrown on the Hill. She has a post about how It's not too late! to still get a start on spring growing!

Thanks for reading! Come back soon for some ideas on small gardens and container gardening.

Legginess

Hi all! I promised a post on legginess and I'm here to deliver!

Now when I say leggy, I don't mean a great pair of gams. Leggy, as in leggy plants, means the stems of the plants become very thin and tall. Seeds are packed only with enough energy to germinate. Once the seed heads begin to poke out of the soil, the seed has pretty much used up it's energy stores and begins looking for light to provide the much needed energy. Developing seedlings require a lot of energy which means a lot of light.

Growing seedlings actually require a bit more light than comes through most south or east facing windows. Many hardcore gardeners (you know, the ones with leather jackets that keep gardening spades in the pockets...hehe) use complex set-ups and systems for providing light. But...folks like myself who are just starting out or can't afford such things, there's still hope for those spindly little suckers.

Brassicas like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and cabbage tend to be more prone to legginess. I'm not sure why, but it's true.

What can you do about legginess?

Provide more light. This is the root of the problem and this should be addressed above all else.  You can use the windows, but when you can try to use greenhouses, cold frames, etc. Even if you can only get them out now and then it will help! I put mine out today during some decent weather and though they weren't fixed in an hour, they definitely seemed to perk up.

Pot up and/or bury those wimpy stems. If you had room in your pots like I did, you can add more soil to either fill up your pot (if the leaves extend above the pot) or add enough soil to bury the stem up to the first set of leaves. If you don't have room or would prefer to go ahead and move them to a larger container, this will work as well as long as you bury the stems up to the leaves. The stems will put out roots eventually to help anchor the plant.
 You can also just bury the stems when you transplant. This is fine too.

Before burying the stem

After burying the stems. (The discolored paper is from the inks in it)

Good luck and happy growing!

New Greenhouse and Homemade Seed Trays

We decided to splurge a bit on a greenhouse so I can use it on the occasional warm day now, and then everyday when it warms up a lot. In fact, we had a nice day in the beginning of the week and I got to use it to provide my seedlings with more light. It only took about 10 minutes to put together! We got it at TSC for $30, though it looks like it might be on sale now for only $20 (go figure!) So far I really like it. If you're thinking of starting seeds this year, this is a really affordable and useful option.  Check it out here.

Since I'm using my own pots this year I had to have some trays to put them in. I've been using a recylced cat box to start a few seeds in, but if we're going to grow enough stuff to freeze, can, and/or dry the food, we need to grow more. I was going to buy some disposable cake or lasagna pans, but we haven't made it to the store yet. So, we just built a few trays out of scrap wood. So far we have 3 of them but are making more soon. I also used a tin cake pan. Anyway, enough blabbing. Here's a picture for your viewing pleasure. I present a homemade tray full of cute little brassica sprouts!

I'm pretty proud of these guys. I can't wait until spring! (Are you sick of me saying that yet?)

Thanks for reading!

More Chick Pics and Got Some Seeds in the Mail!

We ordered some early spring veggies from a couple of heirloom seed companies. I got some in the mail today from Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. We got bunching onions, cabbage, cauliflower (purple I might add...hehe), broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, peas, arugula, swiss chard, and 2 lettuce varieties. I'm attempting to start some seeds this year with our handmade newspaper pots. I'm hoping I can get them to germinate! I'm only filling my pots halfway with soil in case the brassicas I started get leggy. Wish me luck!

Here are some more chick pics. I lost one this morning but the rest are doing well and thriving. They are so comical to watch!

I took the liberty of posing a few with one of Toby's barn toys. Lol. How cute is it?

I forgot to add that Baker's Creek sends a free packet of seeds of their choice with each order. I got a free melon! 

Thanks for reading. Ya'll come back now!

How to Make Newspaper Pots

One of the most important things we're doing this year is starting a garden. We'll be growing lots of heirloom veggie since they are non-GMO, among other things. We're also growing veggies for our chickens.

I've got major spring fever so I found something to do to help combat my eagerness. Since we're starting some seeds this year we need some pots. So instead of buying a bunch of pots I made some for free!

HowTo Make Newspaper Plant Pots

Materials
Newspapers
Mason Jar (or any straight sided glass)

First get a whole sheet of newspaper and rip it in half on the crease in the middle.

Fold one sheet in half lengthwise

Using a jar, start at the end of the sheet. Place the jar in the middle so that half of the paper is on the jar and half is above the mouth.

Begin rolling up the paper tightly around the jar. I find it's best to roll the paper on the desk in order to get it good and tight. Don't worry about the paper above the mouth. It should be that way!

Once you've rolled up the paper you need to just start cramming the end into the mouth. There is no technique, just cram away!

Gently twist the cup off and push the bottom down to form the pot. The bottom of the jar can be really useful fot this. That's it!

I'm testing it now and so far so good. It withstands watering well. You probably could plant this directly in the ground but I would peel back or rip off the bottom. I make several each week. I can make about 13 from one paper. Imagine that, 13 plant pots delivered free of charge to your door each week! With practice you can churn these things out in no time. Good luck! Be on the lookout for my seedlings featured in these fun little pots! 

Just a quick side note, making these can be messy but it is easy enough to clean it up with a bit of soap and water. 

Thanks for reading!