Okay. I'm starting with the beginning. My seed starting ingredients include: seeds, grow cups, plastic trays, water, vermiculite, and soil.
Seeds
I've gone through my wish list, my available space, and my planting calendar. That's an entire subject all by itself, so here I'll just stick with saying I've picked out my seeds.
Grow Cups
I've been saving toilet paper and paper towel cardboard rolls for awhile (my family thinks I'm a little crazy). I've also been saving cardboard egg cartons. These are great materials for growing seedlings; once grown enough and hardened off to be transplanted outside the entire bit of cardboard can be placed in the ground. This is far cheaper than using peat moss 'grow cups' but the principle is the same. It leaves the root system undisturbed and increases the chances of transplant success.
The rolls are getting chopped up. The paper towel rolls are 11" long, the toilet paper rolls are 4 1/4". I'm just going to divide them up pretty evenly; the precise end length of each piece doesn't matter as long as it isn't over 1 1/2" long, so cut them for the least amount of waste product. These tubes will be used for growing and transplanting individual plants. The egg cartons will be trimmed out to strips of three depressions (so 4 strips per dozen egg carton). These will be used for growing flowers and herbs, as these plants can be planted in groupings.
Plastic Trays
I need something to hold all this stuff in. Anything that isn't water permeable will work. These trays were salvage from a stack left by the dumpster but anything with an edge will work. When choosing a tray, consider the final overall weight. You'll need to be able to pick these trays up and move them around as the plants grow. Ideally, the trays will go outside with you for transplant to minimize the number of times you have to handle the growing cups.
Water
When planting anything, it's important the growing medium is wet BEFORE putting the seeds in. Sowing seeds (and planting transplants) in dry material means a lot of watering catch up.
Vermiculite and Soil
Ideally, I would love to be using the Square Foot Gardening (SFG) medium (known as Mel's Mix, or MM) for every stage of my planting. But I haven't gotten all of my compost materials yet, so I'm making do with an organic garden soil with nitrogen and soluble potash (healthy fertilizers) and vermiculite. The vermiculite will go a long way with water retention - as long as I property wet the material before sowing seeds. I'll be using 1/3 vermiculite and 2/3 soil mixed then added to the growing cups.
Now that I have all my ingredients, it's time for the first stage of sowing, cutting my growing cups and mixing my soil and vermiculite.
The plastic trays need some water retention factor in the bottom. I'm using the lids from the egg cartons, shredded, and leftover pieces from the cardboard roll cutting. The egg cartons need to have a hole in the bottom to encourage drainage and, later, degradation in the ground. Other cardboard, paper, or paper towels will work as well. Avoid heavily inked papers. Soak this layer before building on top of it, this is a good opportunity to make sure the material will soak up water and stays ahead of the watering.
Once all those are cut and set, I mixed my soil compound and added it to the grow cups. Be gentle and remember to water the mix before adding it to the cups. Shake or pour the mix into the cups, do not pat it down. A loose soil is very important to good plant growth. And since the whole cup will be put into the ground, there's no reason to encourage dense root development.
I then labeled everything in code. Experience has taught me that seedlings can be difficult to tell apart, identifying stakes can be easily misplaced or made unreadable. So instead I labeled the trays with a grid - letters down one side, numbers across the top, and then I'll make a separate list using grid coordinates. The list goes in my garden journal, so I can keep up with it all later.
Possibly, depending on germination times and plant development, I should be very careful of what I'm all putting in each tray. But this is all still a little new, and I can't seem to process all that right now. So I'm planting what I want all together and we'll see what happens!
Once the tray is ready, I sow the seeds. For deeper seeds I use a pencil to poke a hole. The key is to keep the soil loose. The trays I have (conveniently) work together to create a greenhouse. This will maximize the warmth from the sun in my window. Other options include grow lamps, plastic sheeting, and black seed covers. Before placing on the cover, I give everything a light watering with a spray bottle. Once a day and that should provide enough water for the plants.
Now, we just wait for the seeds to do their thing!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Oh, yeah! Here we go!
The lease is officially ours. It's signed, paid for, and done! Thanks to everyone for all the hard work.
Come on out and work hard with us again! March 3 and 4 in fence building. 10am. Meet us there!
Beth
Come on out and work hard with us again! March 3 and 4 in fence building. 10am. Meet us there!
Beth
Friday, February 24, 2012
Book Review: "Guide to Missouri Vegetable Gardening"
"Guide to Missouri Vegetable Gardening" by James A Fizzell
I've been looking forward to this book. It keeps popping up just about everywhere when considering local information for gardening purposes. The book assumes you're a beginning gardener, opening with explanations of soil content, plant growth and placement, etc. Most helpfully, the front of the book as a chart indicating the first and last frost (average) for the whole state. The list of fruits and vegetables in this book is quite long, with basic information included for each plant and, for some plants, a listing of varieties. The "beginner gardener" feel to the book continues throughout the plant listings, giving overviews on when, how, and where for each plant.
Once again, however, the book assumes a fairly large plant spacing without any of the space saving planting techniques. I appreciate the inclusion of a recipe for each plant but would have rather had more in depth information about the plant. I'm strongly interested in good companion planting in our area and was saddened to find nothing of that in this book. The book also has a definite "pro pesticide" viewpoint, including a list of appropriate pesticdes for each pest but no similar information offered for organics. It's not a bad book, just very generalized and traditional.
Pros: Great for beginner gardener plant resource to turn back to again and again.
Cons: Traditional gardening techniques only, little to no discussion of organic techniques.
Bottom Line: If you need a resource guide for your traditional MO state garden, this is a great book. Otherwise, the information available is also in the "All New Square Foot Gardening" - and then you get the space saving techniques, as well.
Would I buy this book for my library? No. I have all this information already in my library - but I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a place to start (and has tons of space to work in).
I've been looking forward to this book. It keeps popping up just about everywhere when considering local information for gardening purposes. The book assumes you're a beginning gardener, opening with explanations of soil content, plant growth and placement, etc. Most helpfully, the front of the book as a chart indicating the first and last frost (average) for the whole state. The list of fruits and vegetables in this book is quite long, with basic information included for each plant and, for some plants, a listing of varieties. The "beginner gardener" feel to the book continues throughout the plant listings, giving overviews on when, how, and where for each plant.
Once again, however, the book assumes a fairly large plant spacing without any of the space saving planting techniques. I appreciate the inclusion of a recipe for each plant but would have rather had more in depth information about the plant. I'm strongly interested in good companion planting in our area and was saddened to find nothing of that in this book. The book also has a definite "pro pesticide" viewpoint, including a list of appropriate pesticdes for each pest but no similar information offered for organics. It's not a bad book, just very generalized and traditional.
Pros: Great for beginner gardener plant resource to turn back to again and again.
Cons: Traditional gardening techniques only, little to no discussion of organic techniques.
Bottom Line: If you need a resource guide for your traditional MO state garden, this is a great book. Otherwise, the information available is also in the "All New Square Foot Gardening" - and then you get the space saving techniques, as well.
Would I buy this book for my library? No. I have all this information already in my library - but I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a place to start (and has tons of space to work in).
Book Review: "Self Sufficiency for the 21st Century"
This is an older review, originally posted on our FB page.
I picked up 'Self Sufficiency for the 21st Century' by Dick and James Strawbridge from the library a few weeks ago and finally have made my way through it. Here are some thoughts:
This is a great book if you're considering becoming more self sufficient, but it is sadly lacking in the resources you need to be self sufficient. Like so many books, it falls victim to being to broad. The authors simply include too many subjects and sacrifice information in order to do so. There are some gems in this book (a handful of great gardening tips, even a recipe for vegetarian soft cheese - no rennet) but those gems are overwhelmed by the massive nature of the book. I spent quite a bit of time lazily paging through the book, and sadly, I didn't find it all that rewarding.
Admittedly, I view this book with an eye towards urban planning/living. I don't have acres on which to raise livestock. My closest source of raw milk is 2 hours away. I don't think the city will let me build a compostable toilet - nor would my acreage support one. The authors do offer some comments on urban living but the information is light and assumes at least some available acreage with good light - a rare commodity in urban living. Funny, they're primary advice is to seek out community gardens. :)
If you're living in a suburban area with some free land, or living in a rural area with cleared land, this is a great starting point to becoming self-sufficient. You will learn enough to figure out where to turn next, what projects might work for your resources and needs. But if you're working within the urban environment, you'd be better off with the book I previously reviewed, 'The Backyard Homesteader.'
I picked up 'Self Sufficiency for the 21st Century' by Dick and James Strawbridge from the library a few weeks ago and finally have made my way through it. Here are some thoughts:
This is a great book if you're considering becoming more self sufficient, but it is sadly lacking in the resources you need to be self sufficient. Like so many books, it falls victim to being to broad. The authors simply include too many subjects and sacrifice information in order to do so. There are some gems in this book (a handful of great gardening tips, even a recipe for vegetarian soft cheese - no rennet) but those gems are overwhelmed by the massive nature of the book. I spent quite a bit of time lazily paging through the book, and sadly, I didn't find it all that rewarding.
Admittedly, I view this book with an eye towards urban planning/living. I don't have acres on which to raise livestock. My closest source of raw milk is 2 hours away. I don't think the city will let me build a compostable toilet - nor would my acreage support one. The authors do offer some comments on urban living but the information is light and assumes at least some available acreage with good light - a rare commodity in urban living. Funny, they're primary advice is to seek out community gardens. :)
If you're living in a suburban area with some free land, or living in a rural area with cleared land, this is a great starting point to becoming self-sufficient. You will learn enough to figure out where to turn next, what projects might work for your resources and needs. But if you're working within the urban environment, you'd be better off with the book I previously reviewed, 'The Backyard Homesteader.'
Book Review: "The Missouri Gardener's Companion"
There are loads of books out there for gardeners. I raided the library and have some thoughts on a few books.
First up is "The Missouri Gardener's Companion" by Becky Homan, subtitled 'An Insider's Guide to Gardening in the Show-Me State'.
This is a great book for an individual with little gardening experience and a typical suburban or larger area to garden. There are three main sections: foundations (soils, growing seasons, water), plants, and gardening solutions. For someone with a fairly significant amount of space and time, the discussion on soil improvement, irrigated watering, etc provides enough information to create a solid garden. If you simply want to know more about these things, this book is great. But it gets very vague when it comes to specifics for Missouri. The author indicates (and explains) that MO is a transitional area, so there are vast differences between various parts of the state. But the result is that there isn't great information for any part of the state. To work as a good resource, the author needed to spend more time outlining those differences, instead of using a few to explain the transitional geography.
If you're at a complete loss at to what to plant in your garden, this is a good place to start. The author provides lists of "Missouri Favorites" in everything from tropical plants to trees and shrubs. It's a good short list of plants and would be especially useful to someone looking to landscape the entire yard. For more traditional gardening, either of edible or ornamental, the list is too limited and all too often provides the technical name of a plant without enough further information.
The book does include some great resources for more information. There is a comprehensive list of public garden areas (like parks and MO Botanical Garden). The 'Resources' section of the book is very traditional, using a separate 'web sites' category, which would be better incorporated into the other categories. I also noticed a lot of good sources mentioned in the chapters but that are left out of the resources section. Because of that, it makes the book overall less useful as a handy reference.
Pros: lots of general information, good introduction to the MO state transitional climate
Cons: too broad reaching, assumption is that of larger, traditional gardening
Bottom line: good read for basic information if you're new at this but if you're gardening in a small area or have some experience try to borrow a copy to make a list of the resources included
Would I buy this for my library? Nope. But I took notes.
First up is "The Missouri Gardener's Companion" by Becky Homan, subtitled 'An Insider's Guide to Gardening in the Show-Me State'.
This is a great book for an individual with little gardening experience and a typical suburban or larger area to garden. There are three main sections: foundations (soils, growing seasons, water), plants, and gardening solutions. For someone with a fairly significant amount of space and time, the discussion on soil improvement, irrigated watering, etc provides enough information to create a solid garden. If you simply want to know more about these things, this book is great. But it gets very vague when it comes to specifics for Missouri. The author indicates (and explains) that MO is a transitional area, so there are vast differences between various parts of the state. But the result is that there isn't great information for any part of the state. To work as a good resource, the author needed to spend more time outlining those differences, instead of using a few to explain the transitional geography.
If you're at a complete loss at to what to plant in your garden, this is a good place to start. The author provides lists of "Missouri Favorites" in everything from tropical plants to trees and shrubs. It's a good short list of plants and would be especially useful to someone looking to landscape the entire yard. For more traditional gardening, either of edible or ornamental, the list is too limited and all too often provides the technical name of a plant without enough further information.
The book does include some great resources for more information. There is a comprehensive list of public garden areas (like parks and MO Botanical Garden). The 'Resources' section of the book is very traditional, using a separate 'web sites' category, which would be better incorporated into the other categories. I also noticed a lot of good sources mentioned in the chapters but that are left out of the resources section. Because of that, it makes the book overall less useful as a handy reference.
Pros: lots of general information, good introduction to the MO state transitional climate
Cons: too broad reaching, assumption is that of larger, traditional gardening
Bottom line: good read for basic information if you're new at this but if you're gardening in a small area or have some experience try to borrow a copy to make a list of the resources included
Would I buy this for my library? Nope. But I took notes.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
The Fence!
Below is a copy of the letter I'll be delivering to the neighbors. We need help to pay for the fence along the walkway. If you can contribute anything, contact me ASAP.
Beth
Hello Neighbors!
My name is Beth Mennemeyer and I live at 938 Morrison Ave. I’m leading the crew that is converting the vacant lot at 1314 10th to a community garden. We have good news: we have been given the go ahead from the city to make this project happen! We have much planned, including cleaning out the lot, building a butterfly garden, and building raised planter beds. Our first order of business, however, is a fence for the lot.
When we initially surveyed the area about the garden, many residents felt that it was very important to put a fence on the lot at the western edge, along 10th street walkway. The open area has become a short cut between the alley and 10th for both cars and pedestrians. There has recently been an increase in petty vandalism near this lot, with the short cut providing an easy escape route. We’d like to change all that by building a fence across the 10th street walkway opening.
To be honest, we’re working with a very small - some might say non-existent - budget. We’re researching grants to help fund the project but we feel very strongly that the fence can’t wait. Several of you have previously offered to help with the fencing project, either through donating money or time to help install it. I’m writing to you to take you up on that offer.
The total cost for the fence along the walkway is $384. It’s a pressure treated wood fence with posts set into concrete - this fence will hold up for quite some time. To save money, we’ll be having ‘fence installation’ days instead of hiring someone. Thankfully, my husband, Marc Brooks, is very handy with power tools and can oversee a great installation.
Right now, $384 is a very daunting number. The neighbors who will be gardening in this lot are shouldering the cost of building their own planter bed and filling it with soil, which makes it very difficult to shoulder the cost of the fence as well. It leaves us in a bit of a bind; without active gardening in the lot we risk losing our lease and any opportunity to improve the lot. But gardening in the lot without the fence in a continuing security risk to the gardeners and surrounding neighbors.
We’re hoping you can help. We are accepting donations in any amount to pay for the fence project. You don’t have to be a garden member to help us out with this project but if you’d like to garden with us we’d love to have you! If you’d like to make a donation, please contact me, Beth Mennemeyer, at 3145881928 or cidersapling@gmail.com. Please do not give a donation to anyone else. If you want to help during installation, we’ll be hard at work March 3 and 4, 2012 to get this project done. Everyone is welcome.
Thanks!
Beth Mennemeyer
Cost of Fence
39ft span across the western edge of 1314 10th street:
Posts (4”x4”x8’), six at a cost of $6 Stringers (2”x4”x8’), 10 at a cost of $3 Fence Boards (5/8”x5 ½”x72”), 85 at a cost of $2 Gothic Post toppers, six at $4 Concrete mix for post holes (40lbs), five at a cost of $3 Metal brackets for posts, six at a cost of $5
JBolts for bracket/posts, six at a cost of $1 Tool rental for post hole digger $73 Screws for assembly (5lb box), one at a cost of $30
Beth
Hello Neighbors!
My name is Beth Mennemeyer and I live at 938 Morrison Ave. I’m leading the crew that is converting the vacant lot at 1314 10th to a community garden. We have good news: we have been given the go ahead from the city to make this project happen! We have much planned, including cleaning out the lot, building a butterfly garden, and building raised planter beds. Our first order of business, however, is a fence for the lot.
When we initially surveyed the area about the garden, many residents felt that it was very important to put a fence on the lot at the western edge, along 10th street walkway. The open area has become a short cut between the alley and 10th for both cars and pedestrians. There has recently been an increase in petty vandalism near this lot, with the short cut providing an easy escape route. We’d like to change all that by building a fence across the 10th street walkway opening.
To be honest, we’re working with a very small - some might say non-existent - budget. We’re researching grants to help fund the project but we feel very strongly that the fence can’t wait. Several of you have previously offered to help with the fencing project, either through donating money or time to help install it. I’m writing to you to take you up on that offer.
The total cost for the fence along the walkway is $384. It’s a pressure treated wood fence with posts set into concrete - this fence will hold up for quite some time. To save money, we’ll be having ‘fence installation’ days instead of hiring someone. Thankfully, my husband, Marc Brooks, is very handy with power tools and can oversee a great installation.
Right now, $384 is a very daunting number. The neighbors who will be gardening in this lot are shouldering the cost of building their own planter bed and filling it with soil, which makes it very difficult to shoulder the cost of the fence as well. It leaves us in a bit of a bind; without active gardening in the lot we risk losing our lease and any opportunity to improve the lot. But gardening in the lot without the fence in a continuing security risk to the gardeners and surrounding neighbors.
We’re hoping you can help. We are accepting donations in any amount to pay for the fence project. You don’t have to be a garden member to help us out with this project but if you’d like to garden with us we’d love to have you! If you’d like to make a donation, please contact me, Beth Mennemeyer, at 3145881928 or cidersapling@gmail.com. Please do not give a donation to anyone else. If you want to help during installation, we’ll be hard at work March 3 and 4, 2012 to get this project done. Everyone is welcome.
Thanks!
Beth Mennemeyer
Cost of Fence
39ft span across the western edge of 1314 10th street:
Posts (4”x4”x8’), six at a cost of $6 Stringers (2”x4”x8’), 10 at a cost of $3 Fence Boards (5/8”x5 ½”x72”), 85 at a cost of $2 Gothic Post toppers, six at $4 Concrete mix for post holes (40lbs), five at a cost of $3 Metal brackets for posts, six at a cost of $5
JBolts for bracket/posts, six at a cost of $1 Tool rental for post hole digger $73 Screws for assembly (5lb box), one at a cost of $30
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