I AM SOWING MY FIRST SEEDS other than onions about now—Brussels sprouts and broccoli today, with tomato-sowing time just ahead here at mid-month—with a comforting, luscious copy of Ken Druse’s just-released paperback edition of “Making More Plants” by my side. Maybe you’d like a copy, too, so I bought two to give away, and meantime, I’m sharing some of Ken’s advice on preventing that most dreaded of seed-starting mishaps: the fungal killer called damping off. [read more…]
seed starting
giveaway: ‘making more plants’ with ken druse (and how to avoid damping off)
March 31, 2012 at 7:52 am
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how to grow carrots, with dr. john navazio
March 15, 2012 at 8:10 am
WHEN THE MOST COMMON CHALLENGE readers confessed in a recent story on vegetable gardening was “I can’t grow carrots,” I knew whom to call: John Navazio, Ph.D. to the rescue. John, who these days serves in a joint role as Senior Scientist for the Organic Seed Alliance and the Washington State University Extension specialist for organic seed for his home state, has grown—and bred—more than a few carrots in his time. John, whose dramatic and delicious purple ‘Dragon’ carrot is bright orange inside, was reassuring as ever. First, don’t feel bad, he said. “Carrots are one of the harder vegetables to grow,” confirms John (with flowering carrots in an OSA photo, above), and for a few reasons: [read more…]
refresher course: thinking about starting seeds
March 4, 2012 at 10:02 am
IT’S TOO EARLY HERE to start anything for the vegetable garden but leeks and onions, as I mentioned in the March chores, but it’s never too soon to brush up on seed-starting timing and tactics. To that end, a little refresher course: [read more…]
giveaway: vegetable-garden tips from c.r. lawn
February 1, 2012 at 8:31 am
CRAZY, BUT TRUE: I ALWAYS THOUGHT the quirky “voice” of the Fedco Seeds catalog, named C.R. Lawn—get it? Lawn?—was a fictitious character, the made-up but pervasive green spirit of the longtime seed cooperative’s brand. But he’s not make-believe. He’s the Maine-based Fedco’s founder, and an organic gardener, market grower and seedsman with more than 30 years’ experience, and he took the time to answer some of my questions on what to grow and how to grow it better. The result is a vegetable-gardening Q&A (from peas to potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, mineral dusts and more), with the very real C.R. Lawn—and the chance to win three $20 Fedco gift certificates I bought to share with you, and say thanks to him. Let’s jump right in: [read more…]
tongue depressors: plant labels on a budget
January 30, 2012 at 10:06 am
I AM A FOOL, but thanks to reader Debi, who added a tip to the site in a comment today, you don’t have to be. You don’t have to buy special wooden plants labels as I just did for far too high a price; you can buy non-sterile, 6-inch tongue depressors from your local pharmacy (or even Staple’s, apparently, or e-Bay or Amazon). In a quick survey they range from under $5 per hundred to $13 for 500 and everywhere between. (If you need wooden labels small enough to fit in a seedling cellpack, or foot-tall ones big enough to holler out to you from long rows in the large-scale vegetable garden, Johnny’s and Grow Organic have them, among other places, but the tongue depressors will work for most uses, and far more cheaply.) Where would I be without all of you and your unending cleverness? Keep it coming!
my fall vegetable-garden plans, plus podcast
July 13, 2011 at 8:45 am
IORDERED SEEDS LAST WEEKEND. Yes, I am fully aware it’s not mid-winter or early spring; even with my nonstop mowing duties, I haven’t gone all dizzy yet. The vegetable garden is freeing up some prime real estate this month, and I plan to capitalize. From arugula to turnips, I worked my way alphabetically through the late-season possibilities for my Northern location, and found I was short a few key seeds. In print or podcast—your choice—are you ready for some fall vegetable-garden tuneup possibilities? [read more…]
of taxes and tomatoes: time to pay, time to sow
April 15, 2011 at 9:46 am
EVER SINCE MY FRIEND ANDREW instilled it in my head years ago, I’ve taken the sting off tax time as he does by making April 15 tomato time, too. In much of the north, where tomatoes can go outside after Memorial Day or early June, as frosts subside, mid-April makes a perfect time to sow tomato seeds indoors. A roundup of tips and how-to’s, like these: [read more…]
when to start what: vegetable-seed calculators
March 25, 2011 at 6:27 am
WONDER WHAT TO SOW WHEN to get homegrown transplants ready for the vegetable garden? I’ve gathered links to some foolproof online seed-starting calculators and charts, and also summarized my very simple “lumping” method, where I group all my seeds into three groups rather than try to remember every last detail of what happens when. The scoop: [read more…]
20 top seed and seed-starting faq’s
February 18, 2011 at 8:21 am
Q. I have leftover seeds from last year. How long do seeds last, or remain viable?
A. There is no hard-and-fast answer on how long leftover seeds last; every expert has a slightly different take, making memorization of any absolute rules impossible. Most seed will last a couple to several years—but there are disclaimers to even that general a statement. [read more…]
