End of January Seedlings

Wood on the wood stove and temperatures below freezing tonight but our area has been spared from the heaviest snowfalls and lowest temperatures of the Eastern Seaboard.  Planted just two weeks ago, all of our seedlings are doing well, except for our heirloom mustard greens.  The mustard greens were vintage 2012 seeds, and only three came up from probably more than a hundred seeds planted.

Iceburg lettuce, bock-choi, spinach, and Arugula lettuce seedlings.

More Seeds Arrived

Winter can be so much fun for the gardener.  No beds to weed, no soil to haul, no rows to water.  Just contemplating the upcoming spring and planning our garden layout.  Today our latest seed order arrived.  We typically place a seed order in the winter to use in the following year's garden, which means that these new seeds may be planted 12 to 18 months from now.  I know some people have trouble storing seeds that long, but we haven't ever had much of a problem storing seeds at room temperature for a year.  We keep them in a drawer that is dark and safe from rodents.  My reason for ordering seeds a year in advance is so we are less affected in the unlikely event that seeds become unavailable.

We like the catalog and selection of

heirloom seeds from Johnny's Seeds.

First Seedings 2015...Are Up!!!

I cannot recall a year when our seedlings came up more quickly than this time around.  In just two days, the Romaine, Arugula, and Iceberg lettuce seeds have all sprouted.  Hopefully it is because we lowered the grow lights to just above the seed tray covers, and not because we planted the seeds too shallow.  Either way, they look great.  The Bok Choi which we put on a heating pad is up too. The grow lights are on for ten hours a day, from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.  In addition, large windows in the room provide generous ambient light beginning at sunrise.

Arugula lettuce sprouts.

Winter as a Time to Grow

One way to enjoy gardening during the winter is to invest in some auto-didacting, or self-learning, about how to become a better grower and gardener.  Recall what worked in last year's garden and what didn't.  Ask yourself what vegetable would you like to try to grow for the first time, what tool would have made a job easier, and what pests would you like to better control.  The Internet offers an endless supply of articles, blogs, podcasts, and free books on gardening and homesteading.

Ron Finley is a self-described guerrilla gardener who

promotes growing food in urban Los Angeles as a way

of educating and inspiring community.

His presentation has inspired me.

First Seedlings 2015

Our location in Maryland is part of hardiness zone 7a, meaning that normal winter low temperatures fall somewhere between 0 and 5 degrees F.  Starting seedlings indoors last year in February left us feeling as though we should have started earlier.  So, to get a jump on this year's growing season we started today, a moderate mid-January day with temperatures hovering above freezing.  Using the rack we built this time last year, we assembled 13 trays of spinach, lettuce, kale, Asian greens, mustard greens, Swiss chard, bok choi, and peas.  Once these plants are established we will move them into the hoop house or plant them directly in the garden under plastic row covers.  As space is freed on the rack we will start a round of cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, and the like.

The grow lights  have been improved by replacing

 their fixed hanging wires with chains.  This allows

 us to adjust the lights closer to the trays.