Seed planting for winter greens

On 24 Oct 2010, Bruce and Mark planted seeds largely donated by Paula Glogovac (Renee's Seeds).  Seeding medium was Miracle Grow seed starting mix.  All varieties were planted into 2 6-packs except where noted.  All packs were bottom watered and placed under cool white fluorescent lights (about 4 inches above soil), and kept in an unheated garage.  Bruce and Mark thinned the seedlings on 29 Oct 2010.  Mark noticed germination within two days for some varieties.  Germination was checked on 30 Oct 2010, and the rate given is for cells of the packs that contained at least one seedling.

• Renee’s, Arugula, "Italian" (no days given, in herb category): ½ germinated
• Stokes, Chard, Large White Ribbed (58 days): ½ germinated
• Renee’s, Chard, Heirloom, "Italian Silver Rib" (50 days): all germinated
• Renee’s, Chard, Rainbow, "Bright Lights" (50 days): ¼ germinated
• Renee’s, Greens, "California Spicy Salad" (40 days): all germinated
• Renee’s, Greens, "Renee's (Pacific Greens) Stir-fry Mix" (45 days): all germinated
• Renee’s, Lettuce, "Sea of Red" (40 days): all germinated (4 6-packs)
• Renee’s, Lettuce, Baby Mesclun, "Cut and Come Again" (35 days): ¼ germinated
• Renee’s, Lettuce, Mesclun, "Monet's Garden Mesclun" (35 days): all germinated
• Renee’s, Lettuce, Mesclun Salad, "Paris Market Mix" (40 days):
• Renee’s, Lettuce, Gourmet Mesclun Salad, "Asian Baby Leaf Mix" (40 days): all germinated
• Renee’s, Lettuce, Heirloom, "Merveille De Quatre Saisons" (58 days): only 1 germinated
• Renee’s, Lettuce, Baby Mesclun Salad (can’t find days): all germinated
• Renee’s, Lettuce, Baby Leaf Lettuce (can’t find days): all germinated
• Renee’s, Lettuce, Sweet Greens and Reds (can’t find days): all germinated
• Burpee, Lettuce, Salad Bowl (45 days): all germinated
• Burpee, Lettuce, Royal (Green) Oakleaf (50 days): all germinated
• Renee’s, Pak Choi, Baby, "Green Fortune" (45 days): all germinated (4 6-packs)
• Burpee, Parsley, Green Pearl (90 days? Info hard to find): no germination (4 6-packs)
• Renee’s, Spinach, Baby Leaf, "Catalina" (40 days): only 1 germinated
• Renee’s, Spinach, "Summer Perfection" (40 days): no germination
• Stover, Sweet Pea, Bijou: 1/8 germinated

Also, several 6-packs of pregerminated peas were potted-up for future use.  This was done at the time of the initial seed planting.  As of 31 Oct 2010, none of these have emerged from the soil. 

Fava bean and pea planting

On 27Oct10, Bruce, Mark, Jennifer and Ruth planted Fava Beans (bed B2) and Little Marvel Peas (bed B3) in the new beds.  Compost blend was added to these beds.  We also replanted the peas that did not germinate previously (bed A1, Mammoth Melting Sugar and Sugar Snap).

Turnip and collard harvest, aphids, updates

25Oct10 (day 298):
Mark sprayed spinosad and bt, and Safer soap on the entire GOG…

Bed A5: harvested two purple top turnips today (298-244=54 days).  They were large and nice, however one had depressions on the surface, probably due to rocks. The other was flawless.

Bed A2: there were cabbage aphids starting on the broccoli.  All of the Goliath, and a few of the Diplomat broccoli have tiny heads now, maybe 1 inch across. Two days ago Bruce and Mark harvested a few large collard leaves and cooked them up.

Bed A3: Many more of the soft neck garlic are now sprouting.

Bed A1: Spinach is very slow to germinate.

Bruce and Mark planted many seeds yesterday in the garage…mostly lettuce, but also chard, spinach, parsley, etc.  I also started pregermination of peas (Little Marvel, Mr. Big, Alderman, Sugar Snap, and Mammoth Melting Sugar). Put them in quart mason jars with cheesecloth lids, with paper towel inside.

Beds B1 - 6 formed, updates

21Oct10 (day 294):
Bed A1: peas have been very slow to germinate (planted day 273, 21 days ago). Only a few of the Mammoth Melting Sugar have germinated, and none of the Sugar Snap.  Spinach is also slow, maybe 8 seedlings at this point.  All radishes, pok choi, and arugula is doing very well.

Bed A5: yesterday harvested one of the Cherry Belle radishes (294-269=25 days)…it was about 1 inch in diameter and perfect. Turnips are very large now, maybe 4 inches across at top, and should be pulled soon. They germinated around day 246 (48 days ago).  Carrots are doing well, but the beets continue to be slow and spotty.

Bed A3: Garlic, as before, the Spanish Rojo is about 12 inches tall now, but only about 3 of the softneck have even poked out leaves.  Yesterday the first leaves of two shallots poking up.

Bed A2: Coles/chard, all are huge now, with the collards needing more room already.  No signs of pests other than turkeys.

New beds: Last Saturday, day 289, Bruce and Mark rototilled the land to the east of the GOG, making room for about 6 more beds (B1 - 6).  As of this writing, Bruce was laying out the beds and also got a load of horse manure donated.

Garlic in A3, Peas spinach arugula pak choi radishes bed A1

On 30Sept10 (day 273), Bruce, Ruth and Dean Burnett planted 3 rows each of California Early White soft neck garlic and Spanish rojo red hardneck garlic, plus one row of Danish Yellow shallots (all from Lockhart Seed in Stockton), in bed A3 (this bed was not double-dug).  They planted one clove at each t-tape emitter, so 8 inch spacing.  About 6 days after this planting, the Spanish Rojo garlic has leaves poking up about 1 inch, nothing from the shallots or soft neck garlic.

Bed A5: The beets that Bruce had planted have not worked out for some reason…they just don’t thrive.  The turnips have done very well and are now large plants with leaves spreading out a foot or more in diameter (well shading the weeds).  The rutas are much slower and less vigorous, and many have died.  The radishes are thriving and are getting their first leaves.  The carrots are doing very well, however the Nantes are the least vital.

Bed A2: Turkeys had severely crushed and eaten the plants in bed A2, but now they have largely bounced back, although some collards need to be replaced with transplants.  The chard is doing very well, with leaf miner on one leaf.  Some of the broccoli is very robust now, especially the Goliath.

Bed A1: planted the Mammoth Melting Sugar and the Sugar Snap (Burpee) peas today.  For the peas, planted the MMS on the E half of the bed, along the N edge, in a double staggered row spaced at 4 inches (back row on T-tape emitters and front row between them), and did the same for the Sugar Snap peas on the W half.  Planted seeds from Burpee: spinach Giant 157 hybrid (50 days), arugula (35 days), Pak Choi, Toy Choi Hybrid (30 days), Cherry Bomb II hybrid radishes (25 days), and Giant German radishes (29 days).

Radishes in bed A5, germination update

On 25Sept10 (day 268), Bruce and Mark planted Cherry Belle radishes (Burpee) in the root bed, around the rutabagas.  Days to maturity is 22 days.  Many of the rutas died…not sure why…turnips did better.  Beets that were replanted by Bruce, with potting soil as mulch, have not germinated.

T-tape installation beds A5 and A2, germination update

On 18Sept 10 (day 261), Bruce and Mark installed t-tape on beds A5 and A2.  Six tape lines per bed. Weeded the collard bed (A2) again. All plants doing nicely. Root veg bed A5 doing OK.  The carrots are largely germinated now, with the Nantes by far the slowest to germinate.  Magnum was first, Royal Chantenay second.  The carrots have now been thinned twice.  Beets had very spotted germination, so Bruce replanted a bunch of them today (lots of golden beets and some others).