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.  

Weather issues

It's been awhile since I last posted.  That is because I have been fighting a very tenacious cold that just won't go away.  Just seems to have the ability to linger on - mostly through a cough.  But I figured it was time to check in so here we go.
Lots going on actually around the area.  Spring has taken leave so Winter has been the dominant feature of the weather.  We had temps hit lows in the teens and actually had a "snow" event this past week.  Today, Sunday the 10th, was probably the mildest day we have had in awhile.  Temps have been in the 50"s today and we're supposed to see a general trend of warming for the coming week.  All good news indeed as I need to get the garden rolling.
I have recently been adding vegetable scraps to my composters(pictured below) to try to get them reignited with micro biological activity.  Each of them have had about two sets of scraps put in them.  I will wait until we get more consistent weather then I will begin adding more mass to them.

They are about 1/2 full each with seasoned compost ready to use once the temps moderate. I will have to prepare my three beds first by cutting and working in the winter rye that is currently growing in them.  Here is one of the beds I have.  The Rye grew well despite the colder temps we have had.

I will wait for about a week or more before I begin the process of cutting the rye down to begin working it into the soil.  The reason I am waiting is that we are possibly going to have yet another set of colder days around the 21st through the 23rd.  I am trying to let the Rye grow as much as possible in order to maximize the input into the soils.  One week of good temps has often added and inch or more in the past.  

Well, next week, weather and health permitting, I will begin diving in big time into the gardens.  Till then, have a great gardening week!

Early Spring?

In what one can only describe as an early spring here, we had unseasonably warm and wet weather here over this past weekend.  It was in the mid to upper 40's here on Saturday.  It began to rain mid day Saturday and really didn't stop from there on.  Sunday was even warmer as the temps went up the the low 60's.
Given this rain was predicted, I went out to my rain barrels and composters on Sunday morning in between downpours to set them up.  I took the lids off of three of my composters to allow the rains to soak the leaves and compost to get them active again.  I then hooked up two rain barrels to give me water to clean them out.  I did this so I wouldn't have to drag hoses out given they are put away for the winter.  Every drop counts as they say!
Not much has been going on with the actual garden as it is still very much winter here.  When I went out to my garden on Sunday morning, my shoes were sinking into the muddy ground.  I wont be venturing out there over the next couple of days to allow the ground to dry out some.  But one certainly can't tell it is winter by the weather we are having.  The long term forecast is for our temps to be about 10-15 degrees warmer than normal for the next 15 days.  This is the same pattern we had last year, and just like last year, I am chomping at the bits to plant some early season crops.  I am on the fence this year as I remember my remorse for not planting aggressively last year.  I still have a little time to ponder that - but not much.
And, speaking of time, I will be starting the construction of my new greenhouse soon enough.  It won't be this weekend as the weather forecast is for rain to start on Friday and probably not end until the following Monday.  Looks like it will be another indoors weekend.
I will most likely begin planting root crops in my hydroponic system sometime this week.  It is located inside a poly greenhouse that I have in my backyard.  It's next to my shed so it is not affected by winds and actually keeps the low temps about 6-10 degrees higher than the actual lows.  The nightime projected temps here are supposed to be in the mid to upper 30's according to the National Weather Service so I should be fine. 
I hope you are beginning to get excited about gardening for another season.  It certainly is time here in the mid-atlantic for it.  Until next time, Happy Gardening everyone!