[AG-EQ] How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors

Tue Mar 31 20:04:48 UTC 2020

Tracy,

I live in central Virginia, east of Richmond.  It is sometimes an eye
opener to see what social niceties are different in other regions.  I
have always admired my husband for his please and thank you frame of
mind.  He goes out of his way to hold doors open for people and assist
others when he sees someone, anyone, needs a helpful hand.  Several of
our local seniors think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
lol

He was raised in Arizona and Navada and has a large number of his
family in South Dakota and Nebraska.

Susan
dogwoodfarm62 at gmail.com

On 3/31/20, Tracy Carcione via AG-EQ <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Susan.
> That sounds great, to be part of a real community like that.  We've lived in
> our neighborhood for 27 years, but are still newcomers, I guess.  And it's
> not the Northeast culture to say Hi or whatever as you walk by, like it is
> in the Midwest and Northwest where I grew up.  It's always nice to go home
> and have people actually say Good morning.
> 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 3:28 PM
> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> Cc: dogwood farm
> Subject: Re: [AG-EQ] How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors
>
> Tracy,
>
> The reason I have such good neighbors is my family has been here just
> over 100 years.  So, I have grown up with many adults still living
> here.  There are still those living here that knew my parents and
> grandparents and so, they are like extended family and a great number
> of my own family live within 5 to 10 miles from us.
>
> My husband is a mechanic supervisor at the airport, even though
> flights have slowed, they are still having to keep up standard
> maintanence practices.  He works day shift, 7:00 to 7:00 and stays
> quite busy.  Also, they have to keep all working surfaces wiped down
> at the start and end of each shift.
>
> Susan
> dogwoodfarm62 at gmail.com
>
> On 3/31/20, Tracy Carcione via AG-EQ <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Hi Susan.
>> So glad to hear you are getting well!
>> Your farm and your neighbors sound great.  Sounds like you have no  food
>> worries.
>> We're doing OK here in town, though as usual our neighbors barely speak to
>> us.  One of the strange things about the northeast, I guess.
>> There seems to be a bit of a yeast shortage, of all things, so I should
>> get
>> myself in gear and work on the sourdough starter I've been thinking about
>> making, one of these days.  Guess that day has arrived.
>>
>> I've been working from home part-time for a while, so full-time is not a
>> huge change, though I do miss going in and talking with my co-workers in
>> person.  And I really miss get-togethers at the yarn store, and eating
>> out.
>> But we're OK.  My husband and I work for a big New York City hospital, so
>> we've been pretty busy, despite not going out.  It's kind of odd, hearing
>> so
>> many people talk about not working, when we're working a lot.  I guess
>> that
>> makes us among the lucky ones.
>> 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 2:32 PM
>> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
>> Cc: dogwood farm
>> Subject: Re: [AG-EQ] How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors
>>
>> 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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