The Victory Gardener

04/04/2023

Just a reminder for all of you seed starters...
Light is extremely important for your seedlings. Often, sunlight from a window is inadequate (and too chilly) and your seedlings will get leggy, reaching for the light. Leggy seedlings are weak and often grow poorly, if they survive.
The light you use for your seedlings doesn't have to be expensive. You don't need a special grow light. Fluorescent or LED shop lights will do the same job as a grow light for starting your seeds. They are inadequate for producing fruit, but you'll be transplanting your seedlings before you need to worry about fruit.
The most important thing to remember about the lighting you choose to use is to keep it close enough to your seedlings to matter. You may need a couple fixtures per shelf to span the whole tray. Grow lights can be kept a distance further from your plants, but LED and fluorescent lights should be close - within a couple inches of the top of your plants. The light - or seedlings - will need to be moved as the plants grow to stay the right distance from the plants.

09/03/2023

Next Friday, March 17 4:30-5:30 I will be discussing seed starting at the Spring Arbor branch library. It’s FREE! Join me! Bring your questions!

26/01/2023

It’s almost time for another garden season!

Who growing a garden this year? How many of you are going to garden for the first time? Second time?

Tell me what is your best goal and biggest concern/worry?

Have you bought any seeds yet?

08/08/2022

FALL VEGETABLE PLANTING
I promised a discussion on fall gardening, which technically begins in the summer, because it’s time to get started with some things. It’s a little later than I had hoped to post it, but I did not forget about it! If you have any questions please ask them in the comments. Feel free to add any advice you’d like.

The fall is the perfect opportunity to get a second chance at harvesting cool weather crops – such as peas, lettuces and greens, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, carrots, cabbage. Most gardeners plant these crops in the spring, but they aren’t always successful There are several reasons – growing season of the plant is often longer than our cool season in the spring, so when we get those early heat waves it can affect the cool weather loving crops.

Many of these crops can be planted in the ground before the last frost date, but then again it’s tricky because we often still have freezes AND frost, and not all cool weather crops can tolerate those occasional freezing lows tossed in among many frosts.

Fall crops are started in the summer for a fall harvest, which presents several benefits: the soil and weather are already warm, which is ideal for sprouting seeds. While the plants enjoy growing in cool weather, they need warmer conditions to sprout and become established. They can finish maturing during a season of mild to cool temperatures, when they are happiest. Fall comes will less pest pressure. As an added bonus, some plants taste sweeter or overall ‘better’ after a light frost, too.

Any time of year can present weather related challenges, and fall gardening is no different. Heat waves can still be an issue, but they are generally handled easier by young plants vs. maturing ones. ‘Cool weather’ crops generally prefer weather under 80 degrees, but you could use shade cloth or water more frequently during hotter weather.

First things first: Figure out the average first frost date for your area. Write this down somewhere. Make a list of the vegetables you want to grow, then before you order seeds check the ‘days to maturity’ on the variety you chose. Be sure the days to maturity will fit in before your first expected frost. Keep in mind two things: The first frost date is just a guess, and the days to maturity of a particular variety are based on the best growing conditions. If your growing conditions aren’t the best, your days to maturity may be a little longer. And, you first frost may be a week or even a month later than expected. Another thing – most of your cool weather crops can survive and thrive light frosts, so these aren’t going to be much of a concern to you.

The nice thing about sowing seed in the summer is that you don’t need to do it indoors under lights. The weather is nice enough that most seed can be direct sown if you prefer, right into the ground. Or, you can start the seeds in seed trays, but you can keep them outdoors the whole time I do prefer to start seed in trays because I can better control their growing conditions and plant them once well established without pressure from weeds as they germinate.
You don’t start the seeds all at the same time. Just like starting seeds in the spring, there is a certain timeframe you want to plant the seeds in so they mature while the weather is cool instead of mature while weather is hot. Johnny ‘s Seed company has a wonderful calculator (https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/calculator-planting-dates-fall-harvest-crops.html) to help plan your fall planting and I suggest using it for planting time frames – as always, make note of when you planted, weather conditions following the planting, and progress as the plant matures. Use this information to plan the following year, keeping in mind weather patterns change. You can adjust planting times based on past information for your specific area.

You still have time to plant another round of warm weather crops too – some quick-maturing varieties of summer squash and green beans can still be planted, though they will not tolerate a frost and their season will be over at that point. Be sure to harvest any fruit off any warm weather crop (with the exception of winter squash and pumpkins) before an expected frost, or they may all be damaged.

27/07/2022

The free class on fall planting tomorrow is cancelled due to the few who signed up not being able to come after all. I can’t do a live class because I was reminded our internet isn’t the best. So, with all that said maybe we can have a fall planting discussion right here on FB. Post your questions here and I will try to type up a quick tutorial and get those questions answered in a post tomorrow.

Focus: extending your season by growing vegetables through the fall, specifically cool weather crops that thrive without heat 🙂

10/06/2022

Let’s bust some myths about blossom-end rot (BER) in tomatoes!

❌MYTH: You should use Tums tablets to combat calcium deficiency in tomatoes.

✅FACT: While Tums tablets do contain calcium, it would take 288 Tums tablets for each tomato plant every single year (which BTW is over $40 per plant) to supply the amount of calcium needed to combat BER. Just use dolomite, $4 for 40 lbs.

❌MYTH: Epsom salt is beneficial to your tomatoes and can keep them from developing BER.

✅FACT: BER is caused by a calcium deficiency and inconsistent watering, and Epsom salt does not contain calcium. It may actually promote BER more than prevent it!

❌MYTH: Using crushed egg shells is a quick fix to BER.

✅FACT: Crushed egg shells are a great source of calcium, but it’s not a quick fix to combat BER. Adding crushed egg shells consistently every year will help to bolster the calcium in the soil. Dolomite is an easier way to supply calcium.

❌MYTH: I can spray milk on tomato plants to increase calcium levels.

✅FACT: Spraying milk on a tomato plant to combat BER is a waste of milk. There’s not enough available calcium in a glass of milk. Besides, calcium is taken up by the roots and transported through the tomato plant.

❌MYTH: Putting a banana peel in water helps BER.

✅FACT: While the banana peel in water sounds good, it is a waste of time. To combat BER, you need calcium, and there’s no calcium in a banana peel.

➡️It’s common to see BER on the first tomatoes of the season. While low calcium in fruit is the cause, the real culprit is often drought. Without a steady supply of water, the tiny root hairs dry out, which limits the amount of calcium the plants can absorb and supply to developing fruit. So, don’t let plants wilt between waterings. The best way to reduce the chance of wilting is to mulch around plants.

Learn more about common problems with tomatoes here: http://ow.ly/KX3u50JrRmz

27/03/2022

I know with warmer temperatures in the near future we are all anxious to get our hands in the dirt and get our garden ready to be planted in. After all, some seed packs recommend planting 'as soon as the soil can be worked,' and well, that can be pretty early in the season if you take it literally.

But, working the soil too early in the season can be bad for your garden if the soil is still wet or somewhat frozen. A simple way to determine if your garden is ready to handle you working in it is to pick up a handful of soil. Squeeze it in your hand to form a ball. If the ball remains after pinching it and doesn't crumble, or it breaks into larger sections rather than in loose bits, it's too wet. If you rub the soil between your fingers and it feels slick, it's too wet. If you can mold shapes with it, its too wet. If your kids can make mud pies and serve you a slice of pie that keeps it's shape, it's too wet.

Working the soil while wet has a whole host of problems, and depending on what is done, the damage can last all season. Let your soil naturally thaw and dry out before you begin working it. Your garden will thank you!

17/03/2022

There will be no monthly meet up tomorrow, I had something come up.

We will plan on resuming next month and should have plenty to talk about! 3rd Friday of each month, 4:30-5:30 at the Concord library!

How is your seed starting going?

26/02/2022

Who has started seeds? How is it going? Who is preparing to start - do you have any questions? I feel like this year, more than any other, gardening is going to be so important.

For our March meet up, being held again at the library on the 3rd Friday @ 4:30, what topics would you prefer we cover?

Being March, it's about time to prepare for the cool weather crop planting and start the cool season plant seeds for planting out in April. We could talk about what makes a cool weather crop, if they should be started indoors or direct sown, when they can be planted outdoors, etc? As soon as we have a topic I will create an event here on FB so we can share it.

Or is there something else you'd like to talk about?

19/02/2022

Here are the charts I referenced earlier that I promised I'd share
Optimal soil temp for best germination: https://rootsnursery.com/wp-content/uploads/starting-seeds-outdoors.jpg This notes outdoor soil temperature, but it goes the same for potting mix indoors.

Great calculator for indoor seed starting based on last frost date. https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/seed-planting-schedule-calculator.html

Johnny's has a ton of great information:
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/growing-center.html

It was great to meet you all tonight, hopefully you'll join us again next month.

Use this calculator to ascertain when to start seeds indoors and then to transplant outside, based on the frost-free date in your area.

19/02/2022

Thank you to those who attended our meet up on seed starting today! As promised, I will post the charts I had mentioned later tonight.

We will meet again on the 3rd Friday of each month between 4:30-5:30.

What should next months topic be?