Starting Vegetables/Winter Sowing Update

In this post I will discuss starting vegetables indoors.  Spring is arriving early hear in the Northeast. The weather over the last few weeks has felt like April.  Spring is officially here, having arrived yesterday, March 20th.  However, this week is starting with a little cold spell with snow showers and strong winds today, reminding us that it still is March.

A few weeks ago, I started some onions and leeks.  These are relatively easy plants to start, mainly since they can be transplanted directly into the garden from the original container they are planted in. When I start tomatoes in a few weeks, they will have to be transplanted into peat pots first before finally be moved to the garden in late May,

As you can see, I use a plastic tray (dome not shown here) with a good quality seed starting soil such as Miracle-Gro.  The trays I used originally came with peat pellets, holding 25 pellets.  In this case, just adding soil works much better when starting onions.  I don't recommend using the very light soils that contain mostly peat moss and vermiculite, which are normally advertised as seed starting mixes. Potting mixes work better in my experience since they are a little heavier which allows them to both absorb and retain moisture better.  Most also already come pre-mixed with plant food.

As you can see, I planted 3 types of onions, sweet Spanish (a large sweet onion), scallions, and an Italian red flat sweet onion, which I have never tried before.

Skipping forward to this week, all the seeds have sprouted and are progressing nicely.  Below are some current photos:

Rossa Di Bassano Onions

Sweet Spanish Onions

Scallions (Front) and American Flag Leeks (Back)

Finally, as promised, an update on winter sowing.  In my post on February 11, 2016, I explained in detail this technique.  Some of the seeds have sprouted, as shown below.  Some also have not, and hopefully will soon once the weather warms up again.  The containers shown below sprouted nicely despite being outside during the brutally cold Valentines Day weekend, when temperatures reach minus 25 degrees, with wind chills as low as minus 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

Romaine Lettuce

Russian Red Kale

As always, thanks for reading.  In my next post, I will talk about starting Heirloom tomatoes indoors, and also Project FeederWatch, which ends in a few weeks.

Hydroponic Gardening/Bird Photos

Welcome back.

In this post I will take a look at hydroponic gardening.

For those of you who may not know, hydroponic gardening involves growing plants without soil, by just using water and nutrients.  This technique has been around for thousands of years, a few examples being the hanging gardens of Babylon and floating gardens of China.

In the United States, research involving hydroponic gardening started around 1950.  Today, hydroponically grown vegetables are available in most supermarkets.  Although they are considered healthy, most hydroponic vegetables re not considered organic since the nutrients uses are chemically refined.

So what are the advantages of this technique?  The main advantage is that the growth rate is 30% to 50% higher than plants grown in soil under the same conditions.  Also, yields are higher.   Why? Simpy put, the nutrients are easier for the plant to absorb.  Also, much less water is used compared to soil gardening, and usually fewer pesticides are needed if any.

Even though no soil is used, this techniques involves using a growing medium to aerate and support the roots.  Various types of mediums are used including hydrocorn and rockwool,  Others include perlite, vermiculite, and sand.

Recently, a small hydroponic system from Miracle-Gro caught my attention, so I decided to give it a try.

Miracle-Gro 3 Cell AeroGarden - Seed Pod Shown

Miracle Gro 3 Cell Aerogarden

This system uses pre-seeded pods that absorb water and nutrients from the reservoir.  It uses a CFL gro light and the height of the light is adjustable up to 10 inches  The growing medium used in the pods is called a "grow sponge".

The model I am using has built in light timer that keeps the light on for 16 hours.  It also has an indicator light to remind you when to add nutrients (every two weeks).  The kit includes a bottle of liquid nutrients.

A selection of pre-seeded pods are available from Miracle-Gro, along with seed pods that allow you to plant your favorite seeds.  The pre-seeded pods include herbs, salad greens, tomatoes, peppers, herbal teas, and even flowers.
  
This is an interesting idea, and will keep you up date on the progress of the Aerogarden.  Below are some photos thus far.  I planted Genovese basil, curley parsley, and a Mighty Mini cherry tomato.  I started the garden on January 30, 2016.

From Left to Right, Basil, Parsley, Cherry Tomato, 2/20/16

Progress a of 3/5/16

As you can see, the growth rate of the plants is impressive.  Not only are they growing fast, they appear very healthy.  The tomato is starting to get buds already.

Stay tuned for further updates.

Finally, a recent bird photo for your enjoyment.

House Finch (Male)

In my next post, I talk about starting onions and leeks indoors.