Well, it's been a few hectic days around here, and unfortunately not much gardening has happened. Such is the state of the economy. However, the one bright spot in an otherwise very dark economic situation, is that countless folks are getting into gardening for the first time! It seems folks want to take a bite out of their budget and so they're wanting to grow their own vegetables. To that, I wish them the best of luck and enjoyment from their gardens. And I sincerely hope that taste alone convinces them to continue to garden, even after the economy rebounds. If that happens, then we'll be well on our way to creating a more sustainable future for our kids!
It's Friday. I expect I've got a very full weekend ahead of me. However, I do have some things I'd love to accomplish. For instance, my cole crop seeds have germinated. They may have done so yesterday but I haven't checked them for two days. So tomorrow I want to mix up some wet Mel's Mix and use John's soil block maker to plant my broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and the direct sowing of some spring lettuce. I can't wait, it sounds like so much fun! I just hope I can make up a mix that sticks together. Of course I could add some bloodmeal like John suggested, or maybe some wheat flour to create paper marche. First I'll try it with just Mel's mix.
I hope I have it right that it is the stem that grows out of the seed, not a root. Meaning that I should plant it up or even sticking out of the soil block rather than poking it into the soil. With my corn I just planted it sideways to let it do it's own thing. Maybe a reader will let me know.
Anway, I have to remember to start early because I'm sure my father wants my help tomorrow. That and I have a party to go to tomorrow night, and likely more work on Sunday. Boggles the mind.
I'd also like to mention that my light system is kinda on the fritz. I found this morning that the lights weren't on when I went up to check why the temperature was so low. It took some tinkering with the bulbs to get it working. Grrr. So much for an automated system. Ah well, I was going up there every other day to check on the spacing and moisture. Now I'll just do it every morning (I can't do it at night because I'm never home by then, hehe).
Lastly, the more I think of it, the more I'd like to do garden tours with my kids' preschool classes this year. It's my eldest's last year and I'd love for him to show off "his" garden. Depending on how well it grows, I'll have to ask my wife to mention it at school.
Enjoy your garden!
sinfonian - as you stated, there sure are alot of people buying into this gardening thing this year in my area, too. I think it's great! If the economy continues to slide, my wife may finally understand why this gardening obsession is so important to me. Being the main provider, I feel that it's my duty to always be ready for any type of financial problem. You can bet that EG's family will eat very well!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the cole seedlings go, I always just cover the tiny things completely with soil, and let the seedling do it's thing. It knows which way to grow. Ha!
About your lighting setup...sorry for your problems. I'm always here if you need help with it. Hopefully, you already know that. Being an industrial electrician for over 20 years, I've repaired thousands of various lights, as you can imagine. I sure do wish you were my neighbor....You could teach me how to invest money wisely, and I could show you how to do all kinds of mechanical/electrical/plumbing/refrigeratrion/carpentry things. That would be cool!
I think the garden tours would be great for the little ones! They need to know where food comes from, and also how to grow their own later. Keep us posted!
EG
I'm pretty sure most seeds put out roots before stems. :) Otherwise they'd blow away!
ReplyDeleteEither way, it's easiest to plant them sideways, they'll figure it out.