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Growing in containers

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I have had numerous gardens throughout my life, large and small, but since moving to our house in Dublin twenty five years ago I have had to find other means of growing food than the big, flat, sunny garden patch I most desire. We just have too many trees around the house, and while the house itself gets good sun over the course of the day, there is no full sun spot anywhere in our yard. The morning sun hits the east side of the yard late due to a few big trees, then it ducks behind a beautiful big oak in the middle of the day and finally sinks below the tree line on the west in late afternoon. So I have a lot of flowers and a lot of perennials which attract a lot of pollinators. I also have berries, fruit trees and grapes which do all right in this yard. But for vegetables I have relied on other gardeners by supporting farm stands and CSAs in my area.  After much trial and error I decided my best bet for growing some vegetables at home would be containers and last year I had the mos
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More about seeds

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Yesterday a friend asked me if seeds must be used the year that you bought them, or can leftover seeds be used the following year. The simple answer is yes, you can save unused seeds from year to year, but be aware that as the seeds age their viability declines so you can expect lower germination rates. Sometimes you will see out of date seeds for sale and you can save money on those seed, but they will not have the germination rate of fresh seed. And you have no idea under what conditions they have been stored for the last year, so it’s a bit of a gamble. Seed packets will be stamped with the year they were packed. Some seed packets will also tell you what the germination rate is. That is the percentage of seeds which will produce a plant, under ideal conditions. For new and vigorous seeds the percent germination is usually between 75 to 85 percent. It goes down over time. I found I had several seed packets from 2014, six year old seed, and I decided to try sprouting the radish s
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soaking seeds and starting sprouts

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When planting large seeds such as peas, beans, corn, and pumpkin, it is suggested that they be soaked in water overnight to speed up germination. Seeds are designed to wait for just the right conditions before germinating. Temperature and moisture are critical elements in telling the seed when the time is right to go for it. For instance, tomato seeds germinate best at 70 to 80 degrees (that's soil temperature). Their germination rate will be lower outside of that range, and  below 50 degrees they really won't germinate at all. So you might think you were getting a jump on the season by putting seeds in the ground early when actually they would probably just sit in the ground and rot. Most seeds do not require light to germinate, but some, like lettuce, do. Some seeds like Morning Glory need to have the seed coat nicked ever so slightly before they will germinate easily. Check your seed packet for instructions on germination Soaking seeds overnight tells the seed that m
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What's up with Peas?

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It's time to plant peas, another early season and cold hardy crop. I'm talking about those sweet little nuggets of green goodness that grow in their little green pod. The traditional date to plant them is St Patrick's Day, March 17. That is if the snow is gone and you can get into your garden.! It takes about 2 months to harvest and they don't like hot weather so the earlier the better. I bought pea seed from Agway last week and I was able to call in my order, pay for it on the phone and pick it up curbside. I also bought inoculant. Microbial inoculants are agricultural amendments that use beneficial microbes to promote plant health. Peas are a legume which means they have the unique ability to "fix" nitrogen. All plants require nitrogen to grow and nitrogen fixation occurs when nitrogen in the air is converted to nitrogenous compounds in the soil. This fixation is carried out naturally in the soil by microorganisms, and some of these soil micro
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Peas, Parsley, Pansies, and Petunias

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We have an unofficial gardening group at Keene State we call the Garden Owls. This group of students helps me out weekly in the greenhouse and in the courtyard garden. In late February they started seeds of parsley, pansies and petunias, and after the seeds had sprouted and showed their first true leaves, we separated them and moved them into six packs. These are some of my favorite spring plants here in cold New Hampshire, which is why we started them so early. I like to get them growing and into my pots, window boxes, and the garden as early as April. Our frost free date here isn't until the end of May, but these plants are really tough. Parsley seedlings These little parsley seedlings provide a bright spot of green right now. Parsley is an annual herb that can take temperatures down to 10 degrees. Parsley is a great source of flavonoids and antioxidants including vitamins C, K, and A. I can't wait to have fresh Tabbouleh! Viola bicolor , the American field pans
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New Reality

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I begin this Blog at a time when I am adjusting to a new reality, just like everyone else. Work from home? How do I do that? I have been the Biology Lab and Greenhouse Manager at Keene State College for 25 years. Now there are no Labs to manage, and I can't bring all of my plants home. Usually at this time of year I am in the greenhouse with students germinating thousands of seeds for the May plant sale. Many people on campus look forward to that sale, not least of all me! Tomatoes, peppers, kale, broccoli, lettuce, arugula, basil, zinnia, cosmos, marigold, sunflower, and many more all go out the greenhouse to home gardens where they produce the best fresh food there is. Here is a picture of the greenhouse from last year at this time - and today - All the tropical plants are huddled under the overhead sprinkler. It is an imperfect system, but better than nothing. Thankfully, as an essential worker, I will be able to come on campus once a week to water all t
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