Chance of frost

It is mid-May and well past the time for the last chance of frost for my area. But, this morning I woke up to hear the bad news on the radio: "frost advisory for tonight...temperatures in the low 30's". ARGH! Not the weather I want to hear, especially after just giving away all my extra plants. 

Nonetheless, there is a lesson to be learned here...

In the spring and fall, it pays to keep any eye on the nighttime temperature forecast. By monitoring temperatures at the beginning and end of the gardening season, you will have a chance to protect temperature sensitive plants and vegetables from frost.

Plants are classified according to the minimum temperature they can tolerate:

• Hardy - plants that can withstand a hard frost
• Examples: broccoli, cabbage, garlic, peas, radish, turnips 

• Semi-hardy - plants that can withstand a light frost
• Examples: beets, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, parsley, potatoes

• Tender - plants that can be killed or injured by a light frost
• Examples: beans, corn, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes

• Very tender - plants that cannot tolerate cold weather or soil
• Examples: eggplant, peppers, watermelon

A light frost occurs at temperatures between 28-32oF. A hard frost occurs at temperatures below 28oF. 

Luckily the temperatures for tonight are not expected to dip below 32oF, so a "light frost" is probably the worst that can happen. 

Tomato plants all warm and cozy (hopefully)

I have taken a couple of measures to help prevent frost damage. This evening, I watered the soil thoroughly to help insulate the hardy and semi-hardy vegetables from frost. Wet soil holds heat better than dry soil, thereby protecting roots and warming air near the soil. 

For the tender vegetables, I covered the plants with a lightweight garden fabric. The idea is to create a tunnel to trap heat that is radiating from the ground. It is important to remember to remove the covers the next day to allow the sun to warm the soil and to prevent the temperatures under the "blanket" from getting too hot.

Luckily I haven't planted the very tender vegetables in the garden yet. I would have covered very tender plants with a double layer of a lightweight garden fabric (or a single layer of medium-weight fabric) or used plastic sheeting to create a mini-greenhouse.  

Alas, we are at the mercy of the mother nature. Whatever happens, happens.

Tonight I will also cover up to keep warm and cross my fingers and toes that the weatherman got the weather all wrong...again.  

Cut and come again lettuce

Lettuce is a cool weather vegetable that thrives when the average daily temperature is between 55-75oF. Since lettuce will "bolt" at high temperatures, it is best to plant lettuce in the spring and fall planting in the mid-atlantic region. 

In my garden, I only grow leaf lettuce. Not only is leaf lettuce is easier to grow than head-lettuce, I find the taste, texture, and variety of colors to be superior for making salads. 

Since leaf lettuce grows as individual leaves from the crown, leaf lettuce is said to be "cut and come again" lettuce. Although leaf lettuce can be harvest at any time, I tend to wait until a large mound of leaves have formed before making my first harvest. 

Lettuce interplanted between garlic

When it is time, I harvest the whole plant by cutting the leaves 1-2 inches above the crown. Harvesting in this manner encourages a flush of new growth. I can usually get two harvests from each lettuce plant before the heat of summer arrives. It is sort of like a buy one, get one free sale. I love the bonus! 

I select every other plant for harvest to give the remaining plants more space for growth.  

I started leaf lettuce (Black Seeded Simpson, Lolla Rossa, and Arugula) from seeds in early March and transplanted the seedlings outdoors in mid-April. I planted the lettuce seedlings in between the garlic that I planted in the fall. This worked out well to help shade out the weeds and conserve precious garden real-estate.

In my garden, lettuce is ready (shhhh, don't tell the rabbits)! Today, I harvested enough lettuce to use for the next 3 days for lunch and dinner. I then spent the afternoon (slight exaggeration) washing, rewashing, and washing again the lettuce. This is by far the worst part about growing lettuce in a home garden. Thank goodness for salad spinners!

Having to wash the lettuce 5-6 times to remove all the dirt, sand, and "extra" protein (slugs and bugs) from the crinkly leaves is the small price to pay for fresh produce.

Addicted to gardening

Cherry Belle radishes
1st harvest of 2013 gardening season

It was a gorgeous weekend. Temperatures were in the upper 60's, there was a light breeze, and SUNSHINE! I am loving it. 

To celebrate, I just about spent the entire weekend gardening (6 hours on Saturday and 8 hours on Sunday). I bounced from vegetable gardening to flower gardening throughout the weekend. Ryan thinks I am addicted to gardening....maybe I am. 

I do enjoy gardening, especially when the weather is nice. I am trying to get the gardens in shape before it gets too hot outside and the weeds take over. We made lots of progress in the garden this weekend. Here is what I did in the vegetable beds:  

I transplanted the remaining tomato plants, including four varieties of cherry tomatoes (Sun Gold, Sweet 100, Yellow Pear, and White Cherry). Learning from last year, I reduced the number of plants in each bed (two per variety) and centered each tomato in a support cage at the time of transplanting. No more lost fruits from struggling to place the cages around a large plant. By reducing the number of tomato plants I am growing this year, I am able to give away a number of "extra" plants to friends, neighbors, and co-workers. This makes me happy to share what I have, but it is sad to let them go. Call me selfish if you will, but I did pick the "best" of the bunch.  ;)

This year, I am trying a different transplanting technique on the tomatoes - trenching. 

 

Trenched tomato plant

The majority of the tomatoes I am growing this year are indeterminate. Meaning they will continue to grow and produce fruits until they are killed by frost in the fall. These plants will get HUGE! While the plants are staked and caged to help contain the monstrosity they will become, a few strong gusts of wind can pull the entire plant (roots and all) out of the ground. 

To help prevent that from happening, this year, I decided to try planting the tomatoes sideways instead of upright. To do this, I snapped off all but the upper leaves of the tomato plant. I then made a trench in the soil and added a handful of medium-to-fine crushed eggshells prior to laying the tomato plant in the trench on its side. I gently bent the plant stem up and then buried the roots and the majority of the stem with soil. Just the upper leaves remained above the soil. Roots will form all along the stems of the tomato plant, thereby developing a stronger root system (and hopefully preventing the wind from pull the plants out of the ground). Let's see if this works. 

Now that the tomato plants are off the deck, I have room for the pepper plants. Today I started the hardening off process for the pepper plants. First, I potted up the pepper plants into larger containers, added some fresh potting soil, and then gave them a good watering. I set the pepper plants in the sun for 20 minutes before moving them to the shade. It is still too cold at night for the pepper plants, so I will bring them in at night and set them back out in the morning. When I am at work, I will keep the peppers in the shade to get filtered sunlight and in the evening, I will place the plants in the sun for about an hour before bringing them back in the house for the night. I will probably transplant the peppers into the garden in 2-3 weeks, when the nighttime temperatures are in mid-50's.

This is going to be a good year for gardening.  

:)

Busy in the garden

I have been busy in the garden trying to get ready for this year's bounty. The majority of April has been spent weeding, prepping, and building. 

Ryan all smiles as he see the end is near
for completing another raised bed.

We removed two small raised beds that were rotted and falling apart. In their place, we built two 5X12 foot raised beds. We certainly got our exercise digging out the turf to make room for these beds, but in the end, it was worth it. I now have four 5X12 foot raised beds for growing vegetables this year - approximately 10% more space than what I had the last two years.

For each bed, I first rototilled leaf compost (~ 3 cu feet) into the existing soil, then added peat moss (~ 1.5 cu feet), medium grade vermiculite (2 cu feet), Miracle Grow vegetable and flower garden soil (~ 16 cu feet), and greensand (~ 2 lbs). The plants should be happy!

Spring has arrived

I took the day off yesterday (Friday) so I could have three whole days dedicated to gardening. I know, sometimes you just got to have your priorities straight. I planned this day off over a month ago in anticipation of warmer weather. Boy did I get lucky! The temperature was 65oF yesterday, 55oF today, and tomorrow is supposed to be nearly 70oF. The weather outlook for the next ten days is looking equally good. Woohoo. Spring has arrived! 

Yesterday I spent several hours removing weeds and tilling two of the vegetable gardens. Of course this did not happen without incident. I am sadden to report that I killed a baby bunny while tilling one of the raised beds. What a horrible accident! The lesson here: first check for rabbit holes before using any mechanized equipment in the garden. RIP little bunny.

Garlic growing in raised bed (foreground);
"greenhouse" (background)

Thankfully, today was far less traumatic. I transplanted broccoli, napa cabbage, and onion seedlings outside. These are cool weather vegetables that are hardy enough to withstand a light frost should the temperatures dip. As an added precaution, I covered these plants with plastic tunnel. This tunnel works like a greenhouse to block the wind, raise the daytime temperature, and to hold in heat at night to prevent frost from damaging the leaves. In addition, I directly sowed carrot, turnip, radish, scallion, and snap pea seeds into the ground. These too are cool weather vegetables that can be seeded prior to the last frost. Since there are no leaves yet, I am not worried about frost damage. Hopefully the weather cooperates and these seeds can get a good start. 

Veggies and garden plan - 2013

Every year I challenge myself to grow something new in the garden – herbs, vegetables, or fruits.  This year is no different then years past.  

After scouring my favorite seed catalogs, conducting [way to] many internet searches, and talking with my gardening friends, I am ready to debut my 2013 edible garden!  

Below is a list of vegetables I am planning to "squeeze" into my garden for the 2013 growing season. My plan is to track the growth of the seedlings for better planning for next year. Check back often for updates as my garden grows.

KEY
TBD = To be determined
N/A = Not applicable
(I) = Indeterminate
(D) = Determinate

Vegetable	Variety	Days to Maturity	Start Inside	Start Outside	Emerge	Cotyledon	1st True Leaves	Step-up	Transplant Out
Broccoli	Marathon	68	3/4/13	N/A	3/6/13	3/7/13	TBD	3/16/13	4/6/13
Cabbage	Napa Minuet	48	3/4/13	N/A	3/5/13	3/6/13	3/12/13	3/16/13	4/6/13
Carrot	Sweet Treat	70	N/A	4/6/13	4/25/13	4/25/13	5/5/13	N/A	N/A
Cucumber (pickle)	Spacemaster	62	TBD	6/2/13	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
Cucumber (standard)	Bush Champion	55	TBD	6/2/13	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
Green Beans (bush)	Provider	50	N/A	4/14/13 5/17/13	4/25/13	4/25/13	4/27/13	N/A	N/A
Green Beans (pole)	Fortex	60	N/A	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
Herb	Cilantro	N/A	3/16/13	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4/6/13	N/A
Herb	Parsley	N/A	3/16/13	N/A	N/A	4/1/13	N/A	4/6/13	5/12/13
Herb	Sweet Basil	N/A	3/16/13	N/A	3/23/13	3/23/13	N/A	4/6/13	5/12/13
Kohlrabi	Purple & White Vienna	55	3/4/13	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4/6/13	4/25/13
Lettuce	Lollo Rossa	55	3/4/13 3/16/13	N/A	3/6/13 3/18/13	3/7/13	N/A	3/16/13	4/13/13
Lettuce	Black Seeded Simpson	45	3/4/13	N/A	3/6/13	3/7/13	3/11/13	3/16/13	4/13/13
Lettuce	Arugula (wild)	30-45	3/4/13	N/A	3/6/13	3/7/13	N/A	3/16/13	4/13/13
Onion (red)	Ruby Ring	112	1/20/13	N/A	1/25/13	2/2/13	2/8/13	2/12/13	4/6/13
Onion (sweet)	Walla Walla	125	1/20/13	N/A	1/24/13	1/27/13	2/2/13	2/12/13	4/6/13
Onion (yellow)	Patterson Candy	104 110	1/20/13	N/A	1/23/13	1/27/13	2/4/13	2/12/13	4/6/13 4/14/13
Peas (snap)	Sugar Ann	52	N/A	4/6/13	4/13/13	4/13/13	4/19/13	N/A	N/A
Pepper (hot)	Habanero	95	3/4/13	N/A	N/A	3/23/13	N/A	4/6/13	5/20/13
Pepper (hot)	Jalapeno Gigante	70	3/4/13	N/A	N/A	3/23/13	N/A	4/6/13	5/20/13
Pepper (hot)	Serrano	55	3/4/13	N/A	3/10/13	3/12/13	3/18/13	3/23/13	5/20/13
Pepper (hot)	Pasilla Bajio	80	3/4/13	N/A	3/10/13	3/12/13	3/30/13	3/23/13	5/20/13
Pepper (hot)	Mystery	70-80	3/4/13	N/A	3/10/13	3/12/13	3/30/13	3/23/13	5/20/13
Pepper (sweet)	CA Wonder (Red)	75	3/4/13	N/A	3/16/13	3/18/13	N/A	3/23/13	5/20/13
Pepper (sweet)	CA Wonder (Orange)	75	3/4/13	N/A	3/16/13	3/18/13	N/A	3/23/13	5/20/13
Pepper (sweet)	CA Wonder (Canary Bell)	72	3/4/13	N/A	3/16/13	3/18/13	N/A	N/A	N/A
Pepper (sweet)	Italian Marconi Golden	90	3/4/13	N/A	3/10/13	3/12/13	N/A	3/23/13	5/20/13
Radish	Cherry Belle	24	N/A	4/6/13	4/10/13	4/10/13	4/15/13	N/A	N/A
Scallion	Tokyo Long White	65	N/A	4/6/13	4/19/13	4/23/13	5/10/13	N/A	N/A
Squash	Scallop Blend	55	N/A	5/25/13 6/2/13	6/6/13	6/6/13	6/12/13	N/A	6/30/13
Tomato (cherry)	Sun Gold (I)	57	3/4/13	N/A	3/9/13	3/12/13	3/14/13	3/23/13	5/5/13
Tomato (cherry)	Supersweet 100 (I)	65	3/4/13	N/A	3/11/13	3/12/13	3/18/13	3/23/13	5/5/13
Tomato (cherry)	Snow White (I)	74	3/4/13	N/A	3/9/13	3/12/13	3/15/13	3/23/13	5/5/13
Tomato (cherry)	Yellow Pear (I)	75	3/4/13	N/A	3/10/13	3/11/13	3/14/13	3/23/13	5/5/13
Tomato (paste)	San Marzano (I)	80	3/4/13	N/A	3/10/13	3/11/13	3/18/13	3/23/13	4/27/13
Tomato (slicer)	Big Rainbow (I)	85	3/4/13	N/A	3/12/13	3/14/13	3/19/13	3/23/13	4/27/13
Tomato (slicer)	Green Zebra (I)	80	3/4/13	N/A	N/A	3/11/13	3/18/13	3/23/13	4/27/13
Tomato (slicer)	Indigo Rose (I)	80	3/4/13	N/A	3/8/13	3/9/13	3/15/13	3/23/13	4/27/13
Tomato (slicer)	Japanese Trifele (I)	80	3/4/13	N/A	3/10/13	3/11/13	3/16/13	3/23/13	4/27/13
Tomato (paste)	Italian Roma (D)	80	3/4/13	N/A	3/8/13	3/9/13	3/15/13	3/23/13	4/27/13
Turnip	Hakueri	38	N/A	4/6/13	4/14/13	4/14/13	4/24/13	N/A	N/A
Watermelon	Sugar Baby	80	N/A	5/25/13 6/2/13	6/6/13	6/6/13	6/12/13	6/19/13	6/23/13
Zucchini	Fordhook	57	N/A	6/2/13	6/15/13	TBD	TBD	N/A	TBD
Zucchini	Baby Round	45	N/A	5/25/13 6/2/13	6/10/13	6/10/13	TBD	N/A	TBD

Raised Bed Plans

Let there be light

Plants need full-spectrum light from the sun to undergo photosynthesis – the process a plant uses to convert energy from sunlight to chemical energy. When starting plants indoors, it is important to replicate the light that the plants would be receiving if grown outdoors.

The least expensive lighting method is to place seedlings in a south-facing window (most sun exposure). However, this is not a sufficient amount of light to support the growth of strong plants since seasonal changes, cloud cover, and window treatments can affect the amount of sunlight that enters the window. This indirect light results in weak and spindly looking seedlings that reach and bend for light.

Many gardeners use artificial lights to promote plant growth. Garden catalogs display several different grow stands with a wide range of costs, depending on capacity and complexity. However, the average home gardener can make their own effective grow stand using shop lights, fluorescent bulbs, and a shelf. 

Factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis are the type (quality) of light, intensity of light, and duration of light. It is important to understand how to regulate these factors when growing transplants indoors under artificial light.

Seed starting

The main reasons for starting seeds indoors are to get a jumpstart on the growing season and to grow a greater variety of vegetables than would be available at the nursery. Before selecting vegetable varieties, check the seed packets to determine the number of days until harvest to make sure you select varieties that will ripen before the first frost in the fall. Transplants require several weeks to grow, so consult the seed packet to find out how many weeks each variety will need before being transplanted out. Using the average last spring frost, determine the best time to start seedlings indoors by counting back the number of weeks needed to grow seedlings that can withstand the various spring soil temperatures.

Once the seed starting date has arrived, gather all your seed starting supplies:

• Seeds to be started
• Containers to sow the seeds in (2-3” wide)
• Germination mix or peat pellets
• Water (preferably warm)
• Plant tags to keep track of what was planted in each container (I like plastic tags the best)
• Black sharpie marker (other colors fade quickly) to write on the plant tags

When to start seeds

Transplants require several weeks to grow, so it is important to get your seeds started early, but not too early. Starting seeds too early results in large plants that need to be potted up multiple times before being transplanted outdoors. This not only takes up a lot of space, it is a waste of time and money. 

US Hardiness Zones (courtesy of the USDA)

Starting plants from seed requires careful planning and knowledge of ones growing season. To determine your growing season (last and first frost), find your location on the US Climate Chart and refer to the USDA Hardiness Map to identify your hardiness zone. 

The last frost refers to the average date on which a particular area no longer experiences freezing temperatures in the spring.  

The first frost refers to the average date on which a particular area experiences its first freezing temperatures in the fall.

In the spring, I use the date after which there is only a 10% chance of frost to determine when to start seeds. In my region, the average last frost is April 19^th. The chance of frost after this date is approximately 10%. This does not mean that there is no chance of frost, but based on previous years, it is unlikely that there will be a frost after April 19^th.  From this date, I count back the number of weeks needed to grow strong transplants based on the information that is on the seed packets.  

This year, I am paying extra close attention to the recommended dates for starting seeds in relation to my growing season to minimize the number of times I have to pot up before transplanting outdoors.  Will I succeed?  Stay tuned to find out.

“Soil” for seed-starting (and beyond)

Top: Potting Mix
Bottom: Germination Mixes
from different companies

“Soil” has three main functions: 1) provide physical support for the plants, 2) supply roots with nutrients, air, and water, and 3) allow maximum root growth. There are different formulations of this medium that are designed for starting seeds, potting up seedlings, and transplanting plants. Selecting the right mix (at the right time) is essential for raising healthy transplants.  

The best growth medium used for starting seeds is not actually soil. It is usually a blend of sphagnum peat, vermiculite, perlite, and lime, but may also include coir, sand, and other ingredients. This soil-less seed-starting mix (also called “germination mix”) can be purchased from any garden center or online retailer. You can also prepare your own germination mix at home. A simple recipe is 1 part Sphagnum peat moss, 1 part vermiculite, and 1 part perlite.