Summer plants in December

I decided to try an experiment this winter.  I decided that I wanted to grow a cucumber plant in my basement.  The idea sprang to life for me when I found a self pollinating variety of them with my local seed go to supplier.  I had the idea in the summer and it came to me again in late November.  As I relayed in my December 2nd post, I decided to test two other older cucumber seed packs to see if they were viable.  One packet was along with the new seeds as you can see below.  The third pack - not so good.  I'll plant them again by themselves as Spring arrives just to be sure they are dead seeds. 

So, now that I have seedlings and they seem pretty healthy, it was time to set up a support for the plant to grow on.  I will be thinning these down to one plant to grow through the winter.  So, I devised a string support system to allow the plant to grow vertically and enable me to supply enough light for it.  Here is a shot of the system from the perspective of the plants.   

I am supporting the plant with a roller system that I have that is identical to those used in greenhouses.  I strung wire from two eye hooks in the rafter and attached the roller system to it.  I then took the string and ran it down to the bucket and anchored it to into the soil with an earth staple/stake.  Once the plant grows a little more, I will then use clips that attach to the string and encircle the plants vine.  I used these with my tomatoes and I have to say, I didn't have a single issue that I recall.  Here is a picture which shows the roller and how it is supprted/attached to the wires I strung.

   

 

Its a little difficult to see but the clip basically has a loop at the top where you clip it onto the support wire.  And, as the plant grows, I let out the string at the top to allow me to wrap it loosely around the plant and support the vine via the support clips.  It works so easy.  I will be updating the progress on this periodically.  Hopefully, we'll be eating some cukes in teh not too distant future.

That's all I have at this time.  Hope you are doing well.  Until next time,Happy Gardening everyone. 

  

Leaf Mold progress

It has been roughly two weeks since I loaded the remaining leaves into my four composters and the garbage can composter. I decided it was time to check progress on them as I want to insure they are decomposing at a steady rate. This is going to be a major additive to my soils this spring.

So, I checked on the garbage cans' current status first. Despite the rains of the past weeks, the top layer looked dried out. This wasn't surprising as we have had many windy days here and it is uncovered. So, I decided to turn the leaves by using my compost turner. When turned, the leaves were putting off steam as it was 37 degrees at the time. They were moderately wet and looked as though the breakdown was in process. Here are pictures of the leaves before and after I turned them.
 
They will need to be moistened and turned several times before spring in order to speed up the breakdown needed.

I then checked the composter where I alternately layered ground wood chips and leaves. Upon opening, the leaves at the top were dried much like the other unit. So, I began to turn the front half of the pile to see if there was any difference between them and the untouched remainder of this pile. The leaves that I turned were moderately wet in comparison and also seemed to be breaking down. A good sign. Much like the other unt, they too will need more water and turnings to get them into a rapid state of decomposition.Below are before and after glimpses of the unit.
 

All in all, I am happy with the progress but do need to attend to them more frequently. I have a desired result that is time sensitive. A lot will depend on the weather as colder temps will impact these piles more than anything else. Only time will tell.
Well, that's all I have for now. I will be updating the greenhouse progress in my next post

Indoor gardening

Last week was a very busy one for me. During the week, I discovered an infestation of pesky gnats in my cucumber planter. I decided I had to take action as I certainly did not want it to spread and time was of the essence. Given that the cukes hadn't even started to peek through the soil as they were seeded in a few days prior, I decided to do another boiling water treatment. I took the water and poured it over the soil as I strirred the soil with my trowel. I did this to insure the water penetrated further than the 2" where the eggs may be. I got the water super boiling which resulted in it steaming for quite some time. I checked it the next day and there were no signs of the gnats. Thankfully!

I seeded in three varieties of cucumbers about two weeks ago.  My reasoning for this is I had two older packets of cuke seeds and wanted to run a test to see if they would still germinate. I put those on each side of a very recently purchased variety I really want to grow. Figured if I got a plant from either of those, I could always transplant it.  And, much to my amazement, all the seeds germinated.  Guess I don't need to buy any new seeds for this coming year.
Speaking of seeds, I have been watching several Youtube gardening and other similar types of channels. A recurrent theme recently has been that there more than likely will be a seed shortage next year accompanied by pretty steep price increases. Some suppliers have already annouced price increase of upwards of 100% for next year and some even more. Now, I certainly didn't think I needed any seeds but I decided to check my inventory. And, upon further analysis, it turned out I did need a few seed packets. So I went to the local seed supplier I buy from to check out if the rumors were true.

After shopping and deciding what I needed and wanted, it turned out I needed more than I was aware. Guess I got a gardening bug while I was there. They had a meager supply showing in the shop but they did have everything (and more) that I wanted in their warehouse storage area.
So, I bought 15 various seed packets for a total of $28.00. Not too bad considering I bought quarter pound bags of peas and corn at over $4.50 a bag each. I was quite happy that they have not - at this time - raised their prices. I asked about this upcoming years prices and availability. They have no plans for price increases and are still waiting to hear from their seed supplier on availability. They're assuming it's all good. Which, if it pans out, is good for our area.
So, when I came home, it dawned on me that I needed to organize my seeds in a better way. I decided to bite the bullet and organize the seeds alphabetically. I had them by season but it just wasn't working out. After about an hour or so, I had them all laid out ready to pack. Here is a picture of my seed packs.

I haven't counted them but I would imagine there are about 225-250 packets. I am going to count them and update my spreadsheet in the near future. After loading the seed packets into my container and putting the larger bags into ziplock bags, I put them into my dorm refrigerator for safe keeping. Here is the refrigerator as it now sits.

The top shelf has containers with single type seeds in them. The second shelf has the seeds combined by alphabet. And the bottom bag has Bean seeds and packets from last year. While not ideal, it does make finding a particulat variety a little easier at this time.
I was driving through my neighborhood recently when I came upon a bounty of leaves that were bagged in clear plastic bags. What were these people thinking about? They're gardeners no less. So, I stopped and very matter of factly threw 6 of the bigger bags in the back of my car. I drove to my house, dumped them on my driveway and looped back around. I again piled 5 bags into my car and repeated the unloading. I then thought about what I was going to do with these. Then it struck me.
I took the bags and put them on the ground around my greenhouse. This way, I thought, they would decompose with all the sun that area gets throughout winter. And, they would act as a wind barrier for my greenhouse. Two wins there. Below are pictures of the bags and the bags placed around my greenhouse.
 
I guess I am just a little different. Most people don't understand the value of them. I have 4 composters that are filled with leaves from my tree. I have a 32 gallon garbage can that I perforated with a ton of holes that is also filled with the leaves. And I have the 11 bags I just appropriated with little effort. True story - I used to stop on my way to and from work to snag bags of leaves along the curbs. My wife (and neighbors most likely) probably shook their heads when they saw me unloading those bags. The reason for all this effort is that leaf mold is perhaps as close to the most perfect soil addititve you can find. I am frugal for the most part. Not of out necessity but out of resourcefulness. I can't stand to buy processed soil from anywhere. Paying upwards of $10.00 for a 2 Cu. Ft. bag of soil when I can create my own seems like a waste of money. Last year I spent more on soil than I ever have. And, the reason was that I just retired last fall and lost focus on my composters due to other priorities. That was a lesson learned that will never be forgotten. Here are pictures of my composters and the one garbage can as they sit now. I will need to water them down if it doesn't rain soon to assist with their decompostion.
 
I have lots more to tell so I will be posting again in the near future.  Until then, Happy Gardening everyone.  

Quick Update

 We had our first Drs. appointment yesterday. Much to our delight, the results were very promising and quite frankly, a relief. She has no issue that this Dr. could see that would be a cause for alarm. Yeah! There are more Drs. visits in the near future but to hear good results at this time is wonderful.

Gardening wise, I have to say I am very pleased with the progression of the plants in my basement. Pictured in the left pic is a container with Mixed Colored Swiss Chard nearest the camera and Giant Ceasar in the foreground. The middle picture is the carrot conatainer and the right pic is of my Bibb lettuce plants. The Bibb plants are all putting on their true leaves so that is a very promising. All the plants are doing pretty well so far.
  

I went out to my greenhouse this morning and the few surviving plants seem to still be struggling. The whipsaw weather has not been kind to them so I keep the faith but recognize the reality. I have plenty of seedlings coming along so when they are ready, I will have to replant in the empty containers I have.
That's all I have for now. Thanks for the prayers for our situation, they are much appreciated. Still more hurdles to cross so we will continue to take it one day at a time. Until next time, Happy Gardening everyone!

Progress inside and out.

It certainly has been a little while since I last posted. In large part, it is because my wife (and I) have been confronted with a medical issue that requires our attention. While the process has begun, it is by no means complete. All I can ask is for your patience and prayers for a good resolution. One day at a time I always say.

As far as my gardening endeavors, when I have had a moment, I attended to my plants. I tried to get plants to grow from seed in the greenhouse but they roundly failed. Our weather for the past few weeks has been very unseasonably warm to a tune of avg. highs 20 degrees over normal resulting in highs of 70-77 degrees. This resulted in greenhouse temps n the upper 90's most days. I was able to get seedlings growing but once they got to a certain point, the heat in the greenhouse stunted and eventually killed most of the plants. I tried everything short of air conditioning.

So, I decided to attempt to start plants in my basement. It took a few days but it came together from a hardware perspective. I had three different grow lamp systems from previous years, plenty of pots and containers. All I needed was starter soil mixes. I looked around the various stores and not surprisingly, no one had any. So, I did some research and found a very useful video on DIY mixes. The three ingredients were vermiculite, compost and peat moss. I had two of those already so I found a store that had a few remaining bags of compost. I was in business. I took the formula of 1 part peat and compost and 1/2 part of vermiculite and added them together and repeated the process until I had enough to start. The next step never occured to me. I needed to boil water and wet the mix thoroughly. This was to kill any gnat larvae which apparently resides in the Peat Moss. Never knew of this but that does explain why I had gnats in my greenhouse this fall.

After letting the mix dry out a little, and before filling my seed starter cells, I added a quantity adjusted amount of slow release fertilizer to the mix. This is to jump start the seedlings before transplanting them. I filled the cells and added seeds for various lettuces. I then had to figure out how to keep the seed trays warm given my basement is not heated. So, I did what I had to and was able to devise a system with a small heat pad underneath the tray and the cover for the seed tray on top. I then went one more step and wrapped the whole tray and the supporting tray with left over plastic painters tarp. Here are two pictures - one of the seeded cells and one of the complete system.

 

I am using a National Gardening Association Growlab that my wife bought me probablly 8-10 years ago. It's still going strong. After about 3 weeks of care, watering and time under the lights, the plants are doing quite remarkable compared to the ones in the greenhouse.

You'll notice that the second row is gone. That is because the plants there were doing better than the others. So, I transplanted them into bigger pots and put them under annother growlamp. This one has blue and red led bulbs arrayed in long adjustable arms. It's one that I have had but haven'rt really used. I don't know why in all honesty. The plants seem to respond very well to them. So much so that when my son asked what I wanted for Christmas, I sent him an Amazon link for a 4 armature unit. Here are snaps of the plants and the grow light.

   

I have full spectrum flourescent tube lights in my grow labs and the plants do well under them. But with the blue/red light lamp, I can get the lights right up to the plants and it has 5 intensity settings and a timer. The plants just seem a little healthier.

While starting these plants, I decided to direct start seeds in planters. I currently have 4 Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach plants and 1 Bibb Lettuce plant under the lights of the growlab. Given its age, it does faulter once in a while as the locks on the poles at each end don't operate as well as they used to. That results in the over head falling. I've had a few instances where that damaged a plant or two. So, I installed a set of pulleys my wife gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago and connected them to each side of the unit. I have not had even a close call since doing that. Problem solved as they say. Pics of the plants and the pulleys are below.

  

And, never to be deterred, I planted a bowl of carrots and a planter of lettuce. I set up a 2 ft high landing that is usually used for painting projects as my base. Then, I used a set of the pulleys and attached a Jump Start grow lamp. The system fell apart a couple of years and I instinctively kept the overhead lamp. I put eyehooks in the rafters and then set up the pulleys and attached them to the lamp as can be seen below.

 

I have a planter (round) of about 15 carrots and a planter (rectangular) with Romaine and Multi-colored Swiss Chard coming up as can be seen below.

   

There is more to be said but I am going to stop at this point. I will post when I can. It depends on how things turn out with the various forthcoming doctors visits we have. Hopefully we will get good news. So, until next time, Happy Gardening everyone!

Pivot Time

 For almost all of last week, the weather forecasts had been predicting hghs in the low to mid 70"s for most of this week. Then, on Thursday, all that changed abruptly. We went from those highs to highs in the mid 60's early next week to 59 by Wednesday. So much for extended forecasts. So, instead of having another 7 days to work on several outdoor items, I was down to one or maybe two days. Time to get moving.
I cut my back lawn extra low Friday as my dog had a tick digging in on him Wednesday night. I was only able to partially pull it off so I had to take him to the vet just to be sure. He needed to have the wound cleaned out to make sure an infection didn't result. So, by cutting the grass as low as I could gave me alot more bulk for my composter.
So Saturday, I decided to work on getting the composters set up for winter given the impending weather. I came across a soil seminar Friday night on Youtube and decided to watch it. They pointed out that you should be making two types of composts. One with woodsy materials and one with kitchen wastes. I never had heard anything like this before.
So after reviewing the podcast, I decided to do just that with 2 of my composters. One point they made was to have an aerator in the compost pile. So, I looked around and found a heavy duty cardboard form used to create a concrete column in the gound. Figured it would fit the bill. But first, I had to drill holes in it to allow air to permeate the compost mix. This way, the materials didn't need to be turned so much if at all. I cut the form in half so that it would fit inside my unit.
Here is a picture of the form after cutting and drilling the holes and its placement in the composter.
  
I pulled the leaves and grass cuttings I had on my tarp over to my composter along with two bags of semi-composted woodchips that I had in black plastic bags.
 
Before loading the unit, I figured out that I would need to block the hole at the top of the tube so the compost wouldn't fill it in. I found a plastic bottle that covered it.

I then began loading the materials by alternately layering the pile with the leaves/grass and then the woodchips. I watered each layer so that they would be moist but not soaking. In order, here are pictures showing the first layer of each material, then one with the unit almost filled with two more layers of each and then one with the final layer with wood chips finishing it off. I watered the layers each time with water to insure micro organism growth.
  
At this point, I ran out of both materials so I covered it to let the process begin. It could take a year but that isn't an issue. As I have a still ample supply of leaves thanks to the warm weather we have had, I will add the leaves until the level reaches the top of the aerator. Any excess will be loaded into my leaf compost bin to overwinter and decompose.
My kitchen compost is beginning to take shape. I emptied its' contents out in Mid August as an amendent to the composted manure when I was beginning to plant my winter rye. So, after cleaning it and letting it sit for awhile, I began adding the various scraps to it. It will take some time as we have a house of 2 people. Not many scraps coming from that. I will look in the area to run down some coffee shops and locally owned deli's to see if I can get some scraps from them.

I also still have the floweres and such that my neighbor gave me. I am going to keep them in the wheelbarrow, cover it up somewhat and let it rot in place. With an occasional slicing and mixing, they may disentegrate in place. Here's how they stand as of Saturday.

And as a follow up, remember my onion experiment? Well, there's life and growth as you can see in this photo. I am surprised to tell you the truth. I have viewed many podcasts where they tell you this or that will grow if you bring it home from a grocery store and plant them appropriately. So perhaps, they aren't too far off the path.

Well, this is all at this time. I will be writing about my indoor growing on my next post unless there is a major change. So, until next time, Happy Gardening Everyone!

Current Status

There is so much to write about regarding my "winter" plantings. I will start with just an update of the greenhouse and garden area. I have several plants trying to grow despite the unseasonably warm weather. Yesterday, we hit a high of 75 which resulted in the greenhouse heating up even though I had the venting window and door pretty much wide open. The temps inside went into the 90's which is not good for the cool season crops I have growing. Here is the temp at 3 yesterday afternoon.

Despite that, the seedlings appear to be working hard to grow. Here are my spinach (round containers) and lettuce (rectangular) plants. The lettuce seedlings are quite small as they were delayed in sprouting. Not too bad as they struggled early due to our warm weather in the middle of October. I plan on working in some slow release fertilizer this week once the temps drop a bit. That should spur their growth as I water them.
 
I also have leaf lettuce growing well in the one of the grow boxes alog with carrots continuing to progress. I will need to cut the leaf lettuce soon. I will add them to the salad lettuce I recently bought. Then I plan on planting both of the grow boxes with lettuce as I now have a feel for how to manage them.

 
Additionally, I have Giant Ceasar and Swiss Chard growing along with a small planting of radishes. My wife mentioned she had a white onion with top growth that she was using in a roast. She cut off the top and gave it to me. After researching onions, it was apparent that you could plant that and there was a decent chance it would grow another onion. Always open to experimentation, I decided to give it a try as I had nothing to lose. Here are a couple snaps of the plantinng.
 
And heres how it looked this morning. Seems the plant has responded enough to give me hope. As I say, only time will tell.

Once the weather eventually turns, the plants should begin to grow in earnest and the greenhouse will become more productive. One thing I learned last year is that the plants grow at a much different rate than they normally do. But, grow they will.
Speaking of growth, the Winter Rye I planted in my garden beds is probably the best I have ever seen. It is not only taller for this time of year, but it is much thicker and more dense. I am truly excited as this will be a huge step for my garden soil health. Here are a couple pictures of the beds.
  
On another note, I have been collecting various compostable items to place in one or maybe two of my composters. Besides my neighbors contribution, I decided to strip the leaves off of a bunch of branches I was going to cut up. I piled them up on a tarp to begin drying them out. Then I collected my front lawns clippings when I cut the grass on Monday and piled them over the leaves. I did the same thing with the clippings from my back yard and added them to the pile. This is the result that followed all that work.

I also have been collecting cardboard from the various packages that we get. I cut them up and put them into my one cart. I'm letting them sit there to soak up the rain and my periodic watering from my rainbarrow I have to empty before it freezes. Here is the cardboard and a picture showing the current state of the cuttings as of this morning.
 
The weather here in the last few days has been wierd. Mornings have been misty/foggy then the sun breaks through in the afternoon and we have summer. Here are a few pictures to what we woke up to this morning.
 
It was warm with a light rain and pretty dense fog.
So, as can be seen, there has been alot going on in the greenhouse/gardens. I have also been trying to finish all the outside tasks that need to be completed before the cold weather sets in along with maintaining the growing. It's been a little hectic at times but progress is happening. From what I can tell, next week is going to be appreciably cooler than this week.
Well, that's all I have for now. I will write soon about my indoor gardening attempts that I am just setting up and all that entails. Until next time, Happy Gardening Everyone!