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.

Great Backyard Bird Count Results and Photos

Welcome back my fellow bird watchers and gardeners.

I hope you had a chance to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) last weekend.  It is a very worthwhile citizen science project which this year again saw a record number of participants. If you did count birds and haven't had time to enter your counts, not to worry,  You still have up until March 1st to do so.  For details, see the GBBC site.

In this post I will share my GBBC results, some overall GBBC stats, and some recent bird photos that I captured.

Black-Capped Chickadee

Following is my results from the 3 days that I participated in the count:

Saturday 2/13/16: 7 Species Total

6   Mourning Dove
2   Blue Jay
2   Black-capped Chickadee
2   Dark-eyed Junco
1   White-throated Sparrow
1   Northern Cardinal
7   House Sparrow

Sunday 2/14/16:  10 species Total

6  Mourning Dove
1  Downy Woodpecker
4  Blue Jay
2  Black-capped Chickadee
4  European Starling
4  Dark-eyed Junco
2  Northern Cardinal
1  Red-winged Blackbird
4  Brown-headed Cowbird
4  House Sparrow


Monday 2/15/16:  11 Species Total

4  Mourning Dove
1  Downy Woodpecker
1  Hairy Woodpecker
4  Blue Jay
2  Black-capped Chickadee
1  White-breasted Nuthatch
4  European Starling
6  Dark-eyed Junco
2  Northern Cardinal
1  Red-winged Blackbird
8  House Sparrow

Northern Cardinal

Now some worldwide overall GBBC results:

Statistics from 2016

• Checklists Submitted:
• 153795

• Total Species Observed:
• 5387

• Total Individual Birds Counted:
• 17313521

Country	Number of Species	Number of Checklists
United States	657	123,004
Canada	244	12,741
India	728	6,483
Australia	528	1,688
Mexico	684	912
Costa Rica	602	351
Taiwan	254	323
Portugal	201	284
New Zealand	138	267
United Kingdom	159	219

Downy Woodpecker

House Sparrow

In my next post, I will take a look at hydroponic gardening, which I am currently experimenting with myself.

Thanks for reading.

The Great Backyard Bird Count Starts Tomorrow/Winter Sowing

Welcome back.  Time is flying by as always and we find ourselves just a day away from the start of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC).

Winter is finally settling in as this weekend will bring the coldest air since last February.  So far, this winter has brought only brief cold snaps, unlike last winter's long lasting brutal cold.

Later in this post, I will discuss winter sowing,  For those of you unfamiliar to this technique, certain vegetables can be sowed outside now in the cold and they will sprout in the Spring!  Don't believe me? See below for more details.

First, a couple of recent bird photos for your enjoyment:

House Sparrows

Northern Cardinal and House sparrow

I recently posted information about the GBBC in my post on January 29, 2016.


Below is some simple steps to follow in order to participate:


Are You Ready?

If you have not participated in the GBBC since before the 2013 merger with eBird, create a free account to enter your data.  Save your username and password in a safe place.

Can't remember your username or password? look for the links on the sign-in page (under the blue button) to re-set your username or password.

Have questions about how to count the birds you see? Please print and review the GBBC Downloadable instructions.

If you want to enter your GBBC observations from the field, download the free eBird Mobile app for either IOS or Android devices.


So sign up today, sharpen your pencils and dust off the binoculars.  And remember, this is a great family activity.


To show just how popular this project is, below is some stats from last year's count:

Top 10 countries by checklists submitted

Country	Number of Species	Number of Checklists
United States	671	108,396
Canada	241	10,491
India	717	6,810
Australia	524	812
Mexico	653	425
Costa Rica	559	303
Portugal	197	193
New Zealand	126	161
Ecuador	784	138
Honduras	353	133

Can I Plant Seeds Outdoors Now?  In The Cold?  Really?  The Answer Is Yes!

Believe it or not, it is possible to plant seeds in containers now, place outdoors in the snow, and they will germinate in the Spring.  The technique is called winter sowing.

The best results will be with cold hardy, short season vegetables such as kale, lettuce, spinach, onions, leeks, radishes, and Brussels sprouts.  Tomatoes and peppers will also germinate, but will be delayed compared to those started indoors and will mature much later.  The nice thing is that seeds sown this way require absolutely no care once planted until they germinate.

The technique is simple, start with a one gallon milk or water jug that is clean.  Cut the jug in half except to leave one area to act as a hinge,  Drain holes should be drilled in the bottom also.

Fill the container with a good seed starting mix or potting soil and wet thoroughly.  Potting soil actually works better since it tends to absorb and retain more moisture, whereas seed starting mix (usually just peat moss) tends to dry out very quickly.

The excess water will drain via the drain holes.  Never use your garden soil for starting plants, since the microorganisms (bacteria, fungus, mold) can hamper the germination process and even kill seedlings.

Plant the seeds and cover with the appropriate amount of soil as per directions on the seed packet. Water again lightly.  I use a spray bottle for this since a mist doesn't disturb the seeds during the watering process.

The final step is to seal the containers with duct tape and place outside.   That's right, place them out in the snow with caps removed.  The opening in the top will allow moisture to enter and also prevent the containers from overheating once spring arrives.

I planted Siberian Improved Dwarf kale, White Lisbon onions (scallions), Baby Romaine lettuce, and Long Island Improved Brussels sprouts.

In future posts I will follow the progress of the winter sowing.  With wind chills expected to be in the minus 30 Fahrenheit range this weekend,, the seeds won't be germinating any time soon.

Until next time.

Bird Photos/Great Backyard Bird Count is Coming!

Welcome back and as always thank you for visiting my blog.

It's hard to believe, but the Project FeederWatch season, which runs from mid-November to mid-April, is nearing the half way point.  For those of you unfamiliar with Project FeederWatch, refer to my post of November 4, 2015 (http://dansgardening.blogspot.com/2015/11/its-time-for-project-feederwatch.html).  There is still time to sign up and participate in this very worthwhile citizen science project.  I will discuss the Great Backyard Bird Count, which begins on February 12th, later in this post.

So far during this bird watching season, I have captured some nice bird photos.  I posted some of the photos in my post of January 3, 2015 (http://dansgardening.blogspot.com/2016/01/bird-photoshappy-new-year.html).  Below are some more for your enjoyment:

Northern Cardinal

Mourning Doves

Blue Jay

The Great Backyard Bird Count is Only Two Week Away!

This bird count is fun to participate in and is a great family activity.  Unlike Project FeederWatch, it only lasts for four days.   I have been participating for four or five years.  It's very simple to get started, the following is taken from the website (http://gbbc.birdcount.org).

Join Us for the Next Count, February 12-15, 2016

 It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Register for the count or use your existing login name and password. If you have never participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count or any other Cornell Lab citizen-science project, you’ll need to create a new account. If you already created an account for last year’s GBBC, or if you’re already registered with eBird or another Cornell Lab citizen-science project, you can use your existing login information.

2. Count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the GBBC. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day, for each new location, or for the same location if you counted at a different time of day. Estimate the number of individuals of each species you saw during your count period.

3. Enter your results on the GBBC website by clicking “Submit Observations” on the home page. Or download the free eBird Mobile app to enter data on a mobile device. If you already participate in the eBird citizen-science project, please use eBird to submit your sightings during the GBBC. Your checklists will count toward the GBBC.

Until next time.  Still to come in future posts, blight resistant tomato strains, winter sowing, seed selection for 2016,  hydroponic gardening, and much more.

Try an Heirloom Hybrid Tomato/2016 Seed Catalogs

Welcome back, and as always thanks for reading.

It's that time of the year again, the new seed catalogs are arriving daily,  It reminds us of the growing season to come, even though at this point it seems so far away.

If you notice, many of the catalogs feature tomatoes on the cover.  Usually the seed companies will showcase a new variety, as an attention grabber.  It just goes to show how popular tomatoes are among gardeners.

In the past few years, I have focused mostly on heirloom tomatoes, since I have come to love the taste and beauty of these gems.  For example, I talked about heirloom tomatoes in my post on January 24, 2015 (http://dansgardening.blogspot.com/2015/01/talking-heirloom-vegetablestomatoes-and.html.

However, there are many good hybrid varieties also.  In this post, I will showcase some new hybrids along with a relatively new concept in tomatoes, heirloom hybrids.  Yes, heirloom hybrids.

So what exactly is an heirloom hybrid?  Growers have discovered that by hybridizing heirloom tomatoes, the best of two worlds can be achieved.  Since they are hybrids, they will tend to produce more uniform and numerous fruits, while being more resistant to diseases.  However, they will retain the wonderful heirloom flavor.

For a great article regarding the development of better tomato varieties, see this article from the Washington Post :  (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/the-perfect-tomato-is-just-around-the-corner/2015/09/15/70909c22-57d4-11e5-b8c9-944725fcd3b9_story.html),

First from Burpee (www.burpee.com), the Madame Marmande hybrid, which is an heirloom hybrid:

Madame Marmande Hybrid -72 Days

From the Burpee catalog:

Gourmet tomato with a French accent. Juicy. Succulent. Extraordinaire! A culinary star in France, where a favorite instant feast is a scooped-out Marmande brimming with a mild cheese. Hefty, broad-shouldered, scarlet and light-ruby,  Madame Marmande’s 10 oz. fruits are loaded with rich flavor. Fruits won’t crack like other Marmande varieties. Indeterminate.
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From Park Seed (www.parkseed.com), the Sugar Rush hybrid, a new grape variety:

Sugar Rush Hybrid -53 days 

From the Park Seed catalog:


Though classified as a grape tomato, Sugar Rush actually looks like a cherry and grape combination, with plump, rounded fruit in long, elegant trusses all over very vigorous plants.  It is indeterminate, so it keeps going all season long, but the plant is more stocky than vining, reaching 5 to 7 feet high and perhaps 3 to 4 feet wide. You will be astonished at its productivity over a long summer!

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From Burgess Seed (www.eburgess.com), the Amish Paste heirloom tomato:          

 From the Burgess catalog:

The ultimate paste tomato with world class flavor! A large, meaty, great tasting paste tomato. Long, pear shaped paste variety, produces 10 oz. red fruits on a vigorous indeterminate plant. One of the few paste tomatoes that also tastes great fresh. Excellent for use in canning, pastes, or sauces.

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From Johnny's Selected Seeds(www.johnnyseeds.com), the Cherry Bomb cherry tomato:

Cherry Bomb Hybrid - 64 Days

From the Johnny's catalog:

Cherry Bomb is perfect for the organic grower who needs strong late blight protection. Vigorous plants produce high yields of uniform, vivid red fruits with ideal cherry size (15-20 gm.) for harvest and snacking. Classic cherry tomato flavor - firm, sweet, and well-balanced. Unique calyx makes an attractive display when left attached to fruit. High resistance to late blight. Indeterminate.
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Finally, from Jung Seed (www.jungseed.com), the Cherokee Carbon heirloom hybrid.  This is another example of the new heirloom hybrids:

Cherokee Carbon Heirloom Hybrid - 76 Days

From the Jung catalog:


Large, 10 to 12 ounce beefsteak-type fruits deliver a rich, robust flavor perfect for sandwiches, salsa, sauces and more. A cross of Cherokee Purple and Carbon.

Thanks for reading my blog.  In future posts, I will research blight resistant tomato varieties.

Bird Photos/Happy New Year!

Welcome back.  I hope everyone had a great Holiday Season.  After a warm December and Christmas, the weather is finally coming back into the normal range for this time of the year.  The colder temperatures and light snow have also brought back the birds in larger numbers.

After a busy year of working on my blog, this week I will take a break and just let you enjoy some bird photos I have recently taken.

I look forward to another busy winter of bird watching and also preparing for the upcoming growing season.  I already have received seeds catalogs in the mail.

There is much more to come in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned.

Mourning Dove in the Snow

House Finch

Majestic Blue Jays

White-Breasted Nuthatch 

Downy Woodpecker

Dark-Eyed Junco

House Sparrow

As always, thanks for reading and Happy New Year.