The deed is finally done. Although it was a long time coming, we finally have our seeds in the ground, uh starter soil. And not a moment too soon. Our last frost date is around April 28th (and I pray we won’t actually have any more frost until the end of the year but you never know around here) so it’s crucial that we get our seeds started 6-8 weeks early. I’m in that all important timing phase where it’s now or never, so hopefully everything will grow enough to be put in the ground at the beginning of May.
This year, instead of doing little starter cups or making newspaper pots (which I simply just didn’t have the time to make tons of, although I find them quite ideal for starting seeds) we’re trying something new. Last weekend at the home improvement store, we picked up a couple of fairly flat plastic bins and a few bags of seed starting soil.
My two biggest helpers in the world (Stefan & Mackenzie) lined the plastic bins with several sheets of newspaper because the bins actually have holes in the side. Normally that wouldn’t be ideal, but they are a great size to move around once it’s time to harden up the seedlings, the bins are really stable and they just look great. Plus they didn’t really have any other options. We have larger bins like this for Mack’s toys and the quality is awesome. So I think this should work really well in the long run. Plus they should last roughly forever and have other uses too.
I’ve put seeds for 70 plants in the ground…and actually know where all of these will be located. I actually sort of divided up the bins similar to square foot gardening, giving each seedling about a 3×3 inch space to grow. The plan is that once they start to outgrow the box, I will cut the soil into sections (they do this with lettuce seedlings in our local market too) and those will go into the ground. Since I’ve never done this before, I hope it all goes according to plan. But if we should need to move some bigger plants like squash out first, I also have little pots ready for them if they’re not big enough for the garden yet…
And since I’ve got holes in here, I’m misting everything instead of pouring water on them…which is generally a better way to water your seedlings anyway. A lot of water at once can over-saturate the dirt and cause mold, as well as wash the seeds out of place. I’m just full of new ideas and ways of doing my seedlings this year!
My planting list includes 8 kinds of tomatoes, 4 kinds of cucumbers, 7 kinds of hot peppers and 2 bell peppers, squash, pumpkins, melons and OKRA! I really hope we can make something of the okra because we are big fans of it in this house — and okra can be hard to come by in Germany (unless you go to a Turkish store which usually has it).
Starting seeds is one of my favorite times of the years — probably because I just LOVE it when the seeds open and the little green shoots and leaves start to pop through the dirt. I am trying yet another new thing with all of this, and that is using Evernote as my gardening journal. As I get a feel for it, I’ll be sure to let you know more. But since it’s been such a huge help in organizing all other aspects of our lives, I think it will rock for this purpose too. I’m also using the GrowVeg garden planner to mark where I’m planting things and it helps you with crop rotation, planting dates & harvest dates too, so I’m really loving that so far!
By the way, this is the 34th (!!!) Garden Life post since I started hosting this Friday linky. I’ve really been enjoying creating these posts and it certainly gives me a lot of motivation to stay focused on my garden. So thanks for all the support and encouragement over the last few months.
Last week, you gals & guys set a new record — with 7 posts being linked up! I’m so thrilled to have you all here & I’m really enjoying reading all of your posts!
This post is linked to Farmgirl Friday and I’d also like to send a big thanks to White Wolf Summit Farmgirl who hosts the Country Garden Showcase which takes place on Mondays for the linky love & support. While you’re over on her blog linking up, be sure to check out what their super cute new greenhouse that they MOVED in pieces! Love it 🙂
Want to join in the garden fun and link to your own blog or images online? You can share about anything related to gardening, old or new posts, from recipes to harvesting to grow reports to DIY projects or inspiration.
Here’s how this works:
PLEASE READ THESE GUIDELINES, especially if you have never linked up before!
|
That’s it! Share your garden with us by linking up below!
Looks like you have a winner! I have started my seeds in soil blocks and I’m not looking back. The block makers were birthday gifts or I might not have started doing this. It is a little pricy to get started. I have also done newspaper pots and was happy with the results but it is a lot of work. Still using a bin method for winter sowing, but a girl has to keep her skills fresh somehow.
I’ve heard of/seen those around a few times. The concept is very cool. I guess that’s really what some of the more commercial places use for their seedlings, since I’ve always kind wondered how they get the soil so compact. Going to have to research that more 🙂
Well, I got sucked in by the plants at our local Lowe’s store, and I came home on Tuesday with two tomato plants, three strawberry plants {happy dance}, and a pack of nine Brussels Sprouts plants! {gasp} Plus basil and some new cilantro to replace the stuff that I managed to kill already. {sigh} Now I’m just wondering what came over me because I know that we’re not supposed to plant until after May 1st (or Mother’s Day – depends on who you ask), but I got totally suckered by those lovely plants and even Peter didn’t roll his eyes at me like I thought he would. 😉 Yes, in the end, we’re both suckers for little, green, growing things. 🙂 I’ll try to get a post up to share next week.
Gettin’ a big ol’ Linky error. Linky must be down right now. 🙁 I’ll try linking up tomrrow, but just wanted you to know in case you were wondering where we were.
Looks like you are all organised! I love when those little shoots pop out of the ground too – it’s such an exciting time! 🙂
Hello Tiffany,
Thanks for the kind words about the greenhouse. Your seed starting experiment looks like fun. What an adorable helper you have. I look forward to watching your progress. We are crossing our fingers over here too. I live at 4000′ and last year our last snow/freeze hit on May 21st. I can appreciate your need to get things going indoors early. I do it too otherwise I’d not get much of a harvest from tomatoes… I hope you have a productive week ahead and thank you for linking up.
This is so great! What a creative and cheap way to plant seeds. Plus it looks nicer having a flat of dirt than individual pellets. I love this 🙂