Fernando Friday!

Here we go again...

Last night the little man was just a streak of shiny black hair as he evaluated the contents of the week's CSA bag.  Fernando and I both came to the same conclusion: the salad marathon will continue!  It's going to be another very green week (literally) in our house.

Growing out back I have kale that must be consumed and a new crop of salad mix.  Last night I received Swiss chard, lettuce, spring mix, a giant head of cabbage, and spinach, among others (like that pretty - but dirty - head of cauliflower pictured above). 

I willingly accept the challenge!  Let's see what I come up with!

Anyone else out there feeling forced to consume salad like there's no tomorrow?

Fernando Friday!

I know, it's been a little while since I've featured Fernando.  But don't worry, the little man is still working hard at this plant-watching assignment, in ways productive...

 ,,,and not

His brother, on the other hand, could not be less interested in this project.

Seeds, week 3

Looking good!  Every single little pot has something green in it - better than I had expected!  Because I put two seeds into each pot I've had to thin several that had 2 plants growing. 

Family and friends, there's a really good chance I'll have some seedlings to give away!

And of course my assistant continues to keep a watchful eye (although in this shot was just about to attack an inanimate object... short attention span)

Seeds, week 2

Okay, okay, it's not like there are actual tomatoes.  But see those little green flecks in the peat pots above?  They're gonna grow up to be German Greens and Cherokee Purples!  I was feeling discouraged, what with the fact that for some reason Northeast Ohio resolutely wants to keep being stuck in winter and that I hadn't seen any marked seed activity since last week.  Then.... voila!  Here they are.

The front porch greenhouse system does seem to be working.  The windows face West, so they get plenty of late-day sun.  And even when it is not toasty warm outside, there's a pretty nice greenhouse-like environment going on in those trays.

Plus, the seedlings receive a lot of attention.

Adventures in seed care

Here is something cute and funny for your Friday morning.  Fernando meets the watering can!  Nothing shy about this guy, he stuck his face right in, got a little surprised when it moved, and backed up about 2 inches.  He's keeping his eye on that thing.

so....

The seeds I planted last week seem to be doing okay.  This photo is from this morning, about 10 days in.  You can see that the cucumber seeds, which I planted a solid month too early, have all started to sprout.  Elsewhere, there is no action.

My gardening assistant Fernando enjoys helping me check on the seeds in the early morning.  This poorly-executed action shot is from just before he began drinking out of the glass.

Up until today, the seeds really did not need to be watered... the "greenhouse effect" when the plastic covers on has been keeping things moist.  But, because it has not been very sunny the past few days I turned a lamp on (no, not the fluorescent kind, which is something I need to purchase) yesterday.  That really did seem to suck a lot of moisture from the plants.  The cucumber seeds do make me feel like my system is working overall, though, despite some not-so-sunny days and chilly nights. 

Remember: it's not too late to start your own seeds!  Do it in the next week or so and you will be able to transplant them mid-late May!  And if you want to do cucumbers or other squash, you can wait until the end of April.

Wanna be startin' something...

...and that something is seeds! 

This year I decided I'm going to try and start as many of my plants as possible from seeds.  Last weekend was quite busy, with plenty of assistance from one of my favorite helpers...

The catnip seeds have since been moved to a secure location.

The supplies for this project included those little peat pots you see in the background (I bought 100, which should actually be enough for next year too), a bag of "seed starting mix," and, of course, the seeds.  I chose these little pots because they are actually biodegradable and you can plant them right in the ground (or, alternatively, just lift the seedlings out... but at least you have the option of either).

Seed starting mix is a very lightweight topsoil - it is not expensive (I think my bag cost $3.99) but has the right nutrient mix for starting seeds.

In terms of seeds, I have to say I have no regard for what brand I purchased - I just chose varieties that looked interesting.
 

I planted 6 pots of each (except for the San Marzano tomatoes, which I planted 10 of, because they are my favorite), with two seeds in each pot.  I'd really like to make sure I have 2-3 viable seedlings of each.  And if I have too many - well, I am sure my friends and family wouldn't mind the castoffs (or, they will find a home in the compost pile!).  But better to be safe than sorry.

These seedlings will live on our enclosed porch where there is a lot of sun.  Last year I was able to grow some seedlings (not this many) out there with no added light.  Hopefully it will also work this year, and if not I can add a fluorescent light (but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it).

I did this year buy those clear lids to put over the trays - to create more of a greenhouse effect, especially when they are first starting to germinate.

One positive is that our porch isn't heated - which means the air will not be super dry.  One negative is that our porch is not heated - which means it may not be all that warm, especially on days when there's not a lot of sun.  You can sort of see in this picture in the left tray that I put a small glass of water in the middle - to provide a tiny bit of humidity.  I can also add a space heater when needed.

Another negative is that someone is really interested in this project.

He occasionally tries to be stealthy about it.

Some of Fernando's favorite things include: the porch, jumping on windowsills, looking out windows, and glasses of water.  A real recipe for disaster, but fortunately he hasn't learned to unlock doors yet.

PS: I need to make the addition here that I discovered after the fact that it is way too early to start cucumber seeds.  They only need 2-3 weeks of growing indoors before you put them outside in the ground, and they can only go into the ground when it is warm!  So... we'll see what happens.  I have plenty of seeds left and will just need to remember to plant a few new pots in late April/early May.

I promise a new post soon!

Lots to update, but I have fallen behind the past few days due to a new little distraction in my home.