Sparse Posts but Lots of Garden Activity

Event though it's been a week since the last post, activity in the garden has not slowed in the least. I've been busy starting just a few seeds each week and then, after a couple of weeks indoors, planting them into the coldframes.

One of the casulties of starting very small seeds (like lettuce) is that, due to germination rates, more seeds have to be started than what one actually needs. Often, 2 or three seeds are started in the same pot knowing all the while that only one will actually take.

Sometimes, though, more than one seed makes it!



Typically, the the strongest seedling is saved and the other, weaker plants are pulled out and discarded (known as pricking out).

There is, however, another way...

Enter the widger


This is an age-old and brilliantly simple tool that allows a grower to carefully transfer tiny seedlings from one pot to another. Here's how it works:

Use the tool to open a small hole in a transplant pot


Carefully work the tool around the seedling being sure to leave a little dirt around the roots


While applying light pressure with the tool and a finger, lift the seedling with a little dirt out of the first pot...


...and place it into the hole in the transplant pot



And then there were two!



Be sure to sprinkle a little dirt around the newly transplanted seedling as well as in the hole that it left in the original pot.

Know that movina seedling in this way, if done carefully, will not hurt it. It will feel some shock for a bit, though, so water it carefully and give it a little adjustment time before planting it outside.

This process, while not terribly time consuming for the home gardener, would not be practical for a commercial grower (hence resorting to pulling extra seedlings out). When the home grower is only seeding a few plants at a time, however, this can be a wonderful way to save seeds!

2 weeks past...

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I last put something up. I have really been noticing the changes as spring approaches:

A few days ago, a weather reporter mentioned that the average temperature was now 35 degrees!

I can really tell that the days are getting longer. All of the pics in this post were taken at 5:30pm. 6 weeks ago, it was completely dark out at 5:30!

As far as new is concerned, the past two weeks have been filled with both hope and let-down. During a warm spell (almost 50), almost all of the snow melted and I planted one of the coldframes. Then...winter returned :( Here it is outside


but here it is through the coldframe glass



It's hard to see but here are the plants that have been in there for just 2 weeks. They're doing pretty good!



And here are the salad greens that were over-wintered. These were planted last September!



I've been seeding a few plants each week so that I can be sure that the harvest is staggered. Here is three weeks worth



These have been growing for 2 weeks...



They'll go out in a second coldframe next weekend

These have been in for just 1 week and have 2 more weeks to go



It's amazing how little time gardening this way actually uses. Just a few plants at a time really spreads out the work!

Risky Business

Well...I can actually say it (as crazy as it sounds)...

I, on February 12th, here in the northern tundra, have started planting my garden!!!!!!!!

How can it be?

3 weeks ago I started seeds for pea and lettuce plants. Now, I've moved them into the coldframes. That's right - they're outside. In February. In Wisconsin.


THANK YOU ELIOT COLEMAN!!!

First I had to clean out the last of the lettuces out of the frame


Pretty warm in there

Here is the layout. Notice the little white dots at the bottom of the picture - they're more peas


And here are all of the little plantlings on the ground ready to start getting big!!


The reason that I call this risky business is because the thought of planting in February in Wisconsin is just ludicrous.

The weather has warmed up though (yesterday was 49 degrees) and as long as it doesn't drop below about 18 degrees at night, the coldframes will keep the plants safe.

Keep your fingers crossed - this planting is 2 weeks earlier than last year!

And They're Up

As promised, some pics of the peas and lettuce that I started 12 days ago:

Frame Peas


Romaine Lettuce


Second Round of Peas

Still Winter :( But thinking of Spring!!!

We had a snowstorm.

A big one.

Here's the pile that I had at the end of the driveway


That is the 4-foot mark that you're seeing on the tape measure!!

Like I said - big storm :)

After I dug out, though, I had to snap a picture of the wonderbox (i.e.the coldframe). It's a bit blurry 'cuz I didn't want to open it and let the heat out but It does indeed say 60 degrees!!!


This warm 'weather' in the frame helps me to think of spring. So does the latest post by the Dervaes family. They have a small photo shoot of their urban homestead here. Here's a teaser


To be lucky enough to have spring in February...I'm so jealous!!

I've got some pics of the peas and lettuce that I started 11 days ago. More on that tomorrow...