We had three cold, windy days when it was impossible to work outside with all the dust and sand blowing in my face. I decided it was the perfect time to sit inside and make seed mats. For this small garden, rather than use 12" square napkins I used sheets of toilet tissue. The tissue passed the soak test, disintegrating easily after being submerged in water. I thought three of these 12" sections would fit the width of the little garden (I later found I had to tear off one sheet, as the garden wasn't quite three feet wide). I made mats of four different kinds of lettuce; Red Romaine, Green Romaine, Red Sails and Buttercrunch. Then I cut narrower strips and glued on seeds of three types of radishes; Champion, Cherry Belle and Sparkler. I finished with mats of Bloomsdale Long Standing and Tyee Hybrid spinach.
Last year I had two of these little garden boxes, but I wasn't very happy with the depth of the good soil I put in them. This year I dug last year's good soil down about 6" into the sand below, incorporating it well, then stacked the two boxes on top. I mixed a bag of "forest products" compost with a bag of composted manure and added that to the box, mixing it into the soil. This should give me a depth of about a foot of good planting medium.
I watered the box really well, then raked the soil level.
I positioned the seed mats, holding them down with a bit of the soil. I overestimated how many would fit, but I got all the lettuce in as well as the radishes, which were placed between the rows of lettuce.
Soil was added to cover the seed mats, and all was tamped down with my rake.....which has a bow in it, so it doesn't tamp very evenly.
Plastic fencing was added to keep the wild bunnies out...I hope. I let the excess fencing lay on the ground around the box to deter digging.I found two 2x4s that I can use for another box for the spinach. It will only be 2' x 2', but should hold enough spinach for our needs. I also planted that large pot with scallions, and have three more pots to fill with ??? as soon as I can get some potting mix from the store.
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10 comments:
I keep thinking I need to try those seed mats of yours or make myself a template of sorts to plant by.
LOL it looks more like laundry than seeds. I think I'm going to try that next year with my carrot seed. They are so dang hard to sow evenly.
It's weird that you always have a garden growing. Maybe my little greenhouse will allow me to do something like that, too. Good idea on hanging the seed mats like that, and the plastic netting should keep those little rabbits out, hopefully.
There's just no stopping you is there! Feel free to come and spruce my poor garden up, it's looking a bit sad after our holiday and my energy levels and lower than low.
Love the carved pumpkins too!
Can't wait to see the desert garden grow. Couple weeks we will be getting thick frost and nothing will be green anymore. Well except the frame & tunnel I hope.
Ribbit, the seed mats are super easy to make while watching TV. Once the glue has dried, you can roll them up and use as needed, so they can be made well in advance of planting. I stack the sheets and mark three at a time at 1" spacings, then use whatever spacing I need for the seeds.
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Daphne, I had excellent results with my carrot seed mats. The lettuce I tried earlier got smashed by falling parsnips, so I don't know how well it might have germinated. I've never grown decent radishes, so keeping my fingers crossed for these.
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EG, I used chicken wire last year, but I hate that stuff. I hope the plastic fencing works.
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Marrissa, if I weren't so bored, I'd probably not garden during the winter. However, I can only stand to watch so much TV and take so many naps. Really, there's not much else going on here!
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Dan, I hope I can get everything to germinate. It's quite warm (80ish) and slightly breezy, so I find I have to sprinkle the seed bed about three times a day. Today I did get a bowl of lettuce from the pots I brought down, the first picking! I'm going to pick up some more lumber in town tomorrow, for another small box....probably 2' x 4'. That will hold the spinach and a few carrots.
You cannot keep a good gardener down! Well done!
The extra depth and soil is an excellent decision. Extra depth in the root area makes a huge difference in the vitality and production of the plants. Looking forward to seeing the results of our planting efforts.
Well, KitsapFG, I'm still in my desert learning stage! Last year I failed at container gardening, but the salad garden I planted in December/January was just OK. With an earlier start, direct seeding and extra soil depth, I'm hoping this one will be more productive. I've seeded my lettuces very close, so if they all come up it will be a cut and come again garden.
I like the plastic fencing and I hope it works. There's nothing worse than having uninvited little critters getting to your stuff before you do.
Cheryl, I love that plastic fencing. It's so easy to work with, light weight and you can stretch it tight so no sags. Works as bird netting, too! One thing about the tiny garden beds, they should be real easy to cover when/if the temps drop.
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