[AG-EQ] How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors

Tue Mar 31 18:31:33 UTC 2020

Tracy

With all that is going on and still ever changing, being self
afficient as much as possible, may become the new norm.  A bit of
neighborhood networking doesn't hurt either.  We only allow two
people, a father and daughter, to hunt on our 30 achers.  In return,
they keep us well supplied with venison year round.  They just sent
over a neck roast, 2 steaks and several packages of venison saucage,
along with 2 dozen eggs.  In exchange, my husband gives them homemade
bread.  A coworker of my husband's hunts in Pensylvania and has the
meat professionally butchered and packaged.  He gives us 1 pound
packages of ground venison.  I can't tell you the last time I had to
buy ground beef.  We grind our own chicken and turkey we get from the
store.

I don't know if we will have much of a garden yet, because we get
overflow vegetables from other family members and we have a local
produce stand that gives us fruit and vegetables when they have
overflow before they reach their unsellable stage.

During the fall of 2018, things here around the farm took a drastic
halt when I was diagnosed with cancer.  2019 focused on nothing but my
surgery and treatments.  Now that I am slowly back on my feet and my
husband can focus on what's going on outside, we are focusing on
bringing the farm around to its new norm.  I want to bring my chickens
back.  We are also getting a Dwarf Neubian female dairy goat.  For
now, she will be a companion for our older weather toggenburg, Homer.
Eventually, we will have her bred next year.

A lot of things to look forward to, clearing, cleaning, planting and
nurtureing to say the least.  One step at a time.  The "stay at home"
requirements should be the best time to self-reflect and decide on how
we can get ourselves through our own day to day living.

Hugs,
Susan
dogwoodfarm62 at gmail.com

On 3/31/20, Tracy Carcione via AG-EQ <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> These are good hints.
> I bought self-watering kits years ago, and they still work great.  I don't
> have a fan blowing on my seedlings, though.
> The spinach and lettuce I started a few weeks ago are ready to go in the
> ground inside my greenhouse tent.  My tomatoes are starting to come up, and
> I'm getting ready to start my summer flowers.
> I usually get some stuff at my local garden club's spring sale, but I doubt
> that will happen this year, so I have to be organized about starting my own.
> Hope you are all safe and well.
> Tracy
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AG-EQ [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of dogwood farm via
> AG-EQ
> Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 12:44 PM
> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> Cc: dogwood farm
> Subject: [AG-EQ] How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors
>
> How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors
> Written by Kerry Michaels
>
> Starting seeds indoors can be frustrating, exhilarating, or sometimes
> a little of both. You can improve your success rate dramatically if
> you focus on what seeds need to germinate and what seedlings need to
> grow strong. It's not as easy as setting a pot in a window and keeping
> it wet, but you don't need to buy a fancy greenhouse to make them grow
> either. Some lights, some shelves, some sterile pots and mix, a little
> diluted fertilizer, and a fan are the core of the indoor garden, and
> following the directions on the seed packet will help too.
>
> Let There Be Light
> For seedlings to grow properly, they need light. Lots of it. Even if
> you have a south-facing window, chances are that you don't have enough
> natural light to grow healthy, robust seedlings. If seedlings don't
> get enough light, they will be spindly and won't make it to adulthood.
> Setting up an artificial light system isn't tough and doesn't have to
> be expensive.
>
> You want full-spectrum bulbs in lights that you can attach to shelving
> above your seed flats or trays of pots. Cooler lights, such as
> fluorescents, can be closer to your seedlings (2 to 6 inches) than
> incandescents, which will dry them out. A power strip with a timer can
> keep the lights on your plants for 12 to 16 hours per day, error-free.
>
> Use Self-Watering Seed Starting Systems
> Never start a seed in a small peat pot. They just dry out too fast.
> Self-watering seed-starting systems are increasingly available on the
> market, but you also can make a self-watering seed starter from a
> plastic supermarket pie plate (one with a clear top), a container to
> serve as a reservoir, and some string. Poke a few holes through the
> pie plate and attach the strings. The strings wick water up from the
> reservoir to keep the planting medium moist but not wet enough to rot
> the seeds. While you're waiting for germination, the clear cover will
> keep the environment humid.
>
> Use a Sterile Seed-Starting Medium
> Just because seeds grow fine in the ground outdoors doesn't mean that
> you can grow indoor seeds in garden soil. Bad idea. Young seedlings
> are susceptible to a dreaded fungus that causes what's called “damping
> off.” You know you have it when all your seedlings are fine one minute
> and the next they have all keeled over. With all the time starting
> seeds requires, it makes sense to give them the best chance for
> survival by using a sterile planting mix, which doesn't have soil in
> it but is mostly sphagnum peat moss.
>
> Sterilize Your Pots
> It makes no sense to put the sterile mix into dirty pots—especially if
> any of your seedlings have succumbed to damping off in the past. Scrub
> off any old dirt or debris in warm water, then submerge the pots in a
> mild bleach solution (1 part bleach: 9 parts water) for at least 10
> minutes to kill any fungus, bacteria, or parasites. After rinsing, you
> can air-dry them or keep them soaking in clean water until you're
> ready to use them.
>
> Feed Your Seedlings
> Most sterile planting mixes don't have any built-in nutrients. During
> germination, seedlings get all the nutrition they need from the seed
> itself, but after you start seeing true leaves (which come after the
> ground-breaking variety), you’ll want to feed your seedlings with a
> diluted solution of liquid fertilizer.
>
> Ventilation and Wind
> Seeds are really meant to be planted outside in the sun, rain, and
> wind. By planting indoors you are attempting to fool Mother Nature.
> Many of us even plant our seeds in our basements, the part of the
> house that is probably least like the natural world, with air that
> doesn’t move at all.
>
> Moving air, though, is an important factor in helping seedlings to
> develop a robust root system and strong stems. To approximate wind,
> set a fan on low near your seedlings. You don't have to subject them
> to the equivalent of a 24-hour tornado for their size, but having them
> move around as they grow creates sturdier plants. If you have the fan
> on the same timer as your lights, you won't even have to think about
> it.
>
> Read the Seed Packet
> Most seed packets have a wealth of information, including whether you
> should even start those particular plants indoors—some plants just
> flat out don't like to be transplanted and are better off started in
> the garden in which they will live. The packet will also tell you how
> deep to plant your seeds—a critical piece of information. It will list
> how long it should take for the seed to germinate and whether you need
> to scarify them (nick or rub with sandpaper) to increase their chances
> of germination. The packet will say how many weeks before your last
> frost date you should start the seeds and when to transplant.
>
> Keep the seed packet for the life of the plants. Chances are there
> will be information that you will need at some point (particularly if
> you've thrown the packet away), and you can always use it as a row
> marker in the garden for your seedlings until they graduate to become
> thriving flowers, herbs, or vegetables.
>
> Track your successes and issues in a journal, and next winter, look at
> those seed packets and get the calendar ready all over again.
>
> Susan
> dogwoodfarm62 at gmail.com
>
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