Winter indoor garden

[wareagle69]

so you are telling me that where i put more than one seed per peat cup was a waste then? cuz some of the cups have four or five sprouts coming up

[Rick]

Not a waste. You want to make certain that the seeds are viable and sprout. You'll have some duds in any package (not many) and you'd hate to plant one per container and wind up with a half dozen empty containers. You could have put two seeds per container and probably been just fine. If you plant seeds in the garden, you do the same thing. Only there you want to make certain they have room to grow and aren't sowed too close together. Better to have too many plants than some barren pots.

[rrsnook]

wow how forunate I joined this forum when I did, I just planted hybrid tomatoe,squash,beans,lettuce,pepper and corn in the little peat containers yesterday. The question I have is, on the packs they say seeds will germinate in approx 7-10 days, is this when they sprout or approx. how long do I have before I transplant then.

[crashdive123]

wow how forunate I joined this forum when I did, I just planted hybrid tomatoe,squash,beans,lettuce,pepper and corn in the little peat containers yesterday. The question I have is, on the packs they say seeds will germinate in approx 7-10 days, is this when they sprout or approx. how long do I have before I transplant then.

Can't tell you "how long" for the stuff you've planted, but maybe this will be of help. Talks about the "size" of your seedlings and some other helpful tips.

http://www.mrs.umn.edu/pyg/tips/soil...tip_1115.shtml

[Rick]

Good link, Crash. RRSnook, it will vary with each of the plants. But the link does a nice job of explaining the transplant.

I sowed leaf lettuce and spinach seed yesterday (I'm actually about a month late this year). I tossed the seed on top of the snow. As it melts the seeds will settle down on the soil and when the ground warms up they will sprout right up. No guess work, no trying to figure out when to plant. Radishes work the same way. I've done it for years and I've never had a problem and always have a very healthy crop of spinach and leaf lettuce. I usually plant them on Valentine's Day but I was out of seed this year and couldn't find any.

Any seed you have left over, just leave in the package and place in the ice box and the seeds will be just fine for the next few years. I've planted seeds that were three and four years old that had been stored in the ice box and the seeds remained viable and produced good plants.

[rrsnook]

thanks for the link and the info. My collards,lettuce,beans and corn are spouting, still waiting on the tomato,peppers and carrots. i'm very excited though wish me luck!

[crashdive123]

Good Luck.

[Rick]

WE - I sowed my leaf lettuce and spinach last Monday. I sowed the seed on top of the snow. As temps warmed this week the seeds settled into the ground as the snow melted. It's also a great way to sow grass seed, by the way. Just spread the seed on the snow and let it melt in.

[warman87]

I do? I thought that was the Shadow...{{who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!}}

i havent heard that in so long ty for the memories the shadow still lives lol

[Rick]

Hey WE - My spinach and leaf lettuce are up. Little green sprouts are poking their little heads through the soil. I planted them on March 10 so that will give you some idea how long it takes for them to germinate and break through. Like I said, you can sow your leaf lettuce, spinach and radish seeds right on top of the snow and when it melts they will settle right into the soil.

You can sow your grass seed the same way. Sow it during the last snow fall and it will be well watered from the snow and settle right in.

[Rick]

Here is a good site on organic gardening and using heirloom plants:

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/

Heirlooms are really making a comeback because their flavor is so much better than those bland things you find in the store. Burpee's has a whole selection of heirloom plants and seeds:

http://www.burpee.com/category/veget...scend&page=all

Here are some from Park Seeds:

http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/s...egetables%20AS

[crashdive123]

Just got an order of heirloom tomatoes from QVC that TDW ordered. 9 seedlings in 5 varieties. I think I'm going to have a whooooooole lot of tomatoes.

[Rick]

I have flower beds around my house. This year I'm going to move out of the garden and try some plants in the flower beds. I'm going to add some additional edible flowers as well.

[wildWoman]

Getting ready to harvest the first salad greens - spinach, komatsuna and arugula. I planted them inside the cabin in a large container, I think in mid or late February, and now we're enjoying fresh salad while the snow is still knee-deep outside. Will start these veggies even earlier next winter, I think.

[Rick]

Can't you keep them going year 'round? First time I had heard about komatsuna. I had to look it up. Sounds interesting. I'll have to try that.

Ooops. Forgot to ask, WildWoman. Did you grow them under a grow light or use a south facing window? It's nighttime up there isn't it?

[wildWoman]

I'm still experimenting with the year-round growing. Chard works excellent, I dig it out of the garden in fall and transplant it into the cabin. In the winter, the problem is the lack of light and low temperatures at night by the window, but salad greens should work just as well as the chard. We just built an extension to the cabin last fall, so now there's more space for plant containers inside and I can try more stuff besides chard and tomatoes.
No we don't have grow lights other than the sun. We've already been gaining light like crazy; there's direct sun on the lake from about 8am till 8pm, and what with dawn and dusk we're at about 15 hours of light already and gaining more daily.

[Rick]

Thanks!! You've inspired me to start indoor gardening. The wife and I laid out out an outdoor plot around the house today to incorporate edibles in with the flowers. We're going to use containers for gardening outside so they can be brought inside and we are going to try a year round indoor garden. We have a sunroom on the north side of the house and a large south facing window so we have plenty of light for them to grow.

[wildWoman]

I'm sure that'll work great for you guys! Sounds like you have a perfect set-up for it. I'm trying some winter squash inside the cabin this year (to harvest in fall); don't really see the point in cutting cords of firewood for the greenhouse when we can grow stuff inside the cabin where it's warm anyway. Not sure if winter squash makes willing container plants, though.

[crashdive123]

WildWoman - not that our climates are even remotely similar, but containers is all I ever use for my squash.

[Rick]

Crash - Do you grow them inside? How do you control the vines? Winter squash is a great deal like cucumbers in that they put out tons of vines and can cover a large area. Summer squash is usually more compact. More bushlike.