Seed Saving

Everyone has questions about how to store seeds.  Well peppers are about the easiest seed to save for next season.  To do so follow these steps.  First, you must let the pepper fully mature.  If you pick it green the seeds will not do anything because they have not fully developed.  Next, pull out the seeds and place them in a container that holds water.  When you have all your desired seeds (keep varieties sepearte), fill the container with water.  It is said that all the seeds that float will have better germination rates and I have found this true (I did my own test last year between the floaters and sinkers).

When you determine what seeds you are going to use, place them on paper towels on a baking tray and place in a sunny windowsill for a few days.  This should dry them out nicely.  To determine if your seeds are dry enough, they should snap and break when you bend them not just bend.  When the seeds are dry, place them in a brown paper bag and label the bag because over the winter it's hard to remember what is what.  The bag provides a place that won't collect condensation and does not allow in light.

Now place the bag in a cool, dry, dark place and begin to look forward to next planting season!

Review of last year

So looking back at last year, I think of things different to do this year.  I caught the tomato blight last year and it killed every plant i had.  Something was also wrong with my peppers but I was never able to figure out what happened.  If you were unfortunate to catch the blight and it was late blight, then you are ok to plant in the same place.  The disease cannot hold through the winter.  Early blight will stick around and I suggest putting the tomatoes somewhere else.

So far I have decided to plant a few different tomato types, some different peppers, radishes, beets, carrots, and corn.  When planting, plant in short rows.  This will ensure proper pollination and save room by planting the similar rows closer together.  Corn I will plant in three rows the length of my garden.  Make sure you plant your corn east to west so when it grows to full height it won't block the sun from other crops.

I also decided I will get a load of manure (horse or cow) for organic fertilizer to start.  If needed, I will apply more during the season.  Make sure the manure is broken down and dirt like so it has the vital nutrients.  You can test the soil if you want.  Many plants like nitrogen or phosphorous.  Read the label to decide.  Let me know what you are going to plant!

I will be posting much more interesting posts when my seed stating begins.  If you have any questions then let me know and I will be glad to answer them!

Seed Starting

Everyone has those pesky little questions about how to begin your own seeds.  Step one is to build yourself a seed starting stand.  Yeah you can go buy one for 200 dollars but i built one for just about $70 including wood, lights, power strip, and timer.

I decided to make my stand 4 feet long by 2 feet wide.  This will fit up to 4 standard trays on each tier.  My stand is also 4 feet high with two tiers.  I took 2 x 4s and ripped them in half.  This is what I used for all my lumber (cost effective).

Here is the list of supplies I used:

5  -  2"x4"x8' ripped in half
4  -  Florecent light fixtures
1  -  Box of florecent light bulbs
1  -  Power strip
1  -  Wall timer

You can figure out quite easily how to build the stand and ill post a picture soon so you can take a look.  I have had great success with my stand and as a result my garden has grown leaps and bounds.  Not to mention it is very satisfying growing your garden from nothing but the seeds of every plant.

Please give me your questions and I will gladly answer them.  Keep checking back!

Can't Sleep

I recently was hired full time at the local fruit and vegetable farm as help and in the future hopefully to co-own the place.  I am so excited for the new growing season to arrive I just can't sleep.  With the farm work beginning and my own garden taking off, spring is a very busy time.  I will bring ideas and working methods from the farm to you through this blog as well as my own experiences.  I hope you can find my information useful!

Keep thinking about what you might want to plant.  Ill post my list soon!

Spring is Coming!

Hey everyone! Today is groundhog’s day and with that comes little hope for a short winter. This my friends did not happen. The good old gopher saw his shadow indicating we must all wait for the snow to melt and spring to come a bit longer.

It’s hard to do with the anticipation of warmer weather and the ground becoming soft enough to till. But for those dedicated gardeners out there, seed starting is approaching fast. Now is the time to plan. Figure out what you have room for and remember what worked last year. now is a good time to order seeds since they will keep dormant in a cool, dry place. It’s better to have them early than miss your transplant date.

You must also think of what you might want to do for preparation. Do you want to fertilize or are you going organic? Will you run soaker hoses or go water yourself. What about plastic? Plastic can do all sorts of wonders to a garden. Ill save that for another post.

Well leave comments and your own posts and come back often for more gardening information.


P.S. I do all my seed purchasing through Park Seed!