March 5, 2011 - A Little Bit of Sunshine

I moved the lettuce and spinach seedlings out to the shed two days ago. I have been leaving the lights in their little greenhouse on during the night, as it's still getting down into the high 30s and low forties. The lights keep it from about 55F minimum to 70F maximum. I turn them off during the day, when it warms up a bit, to give the plants a period of darkness. However, today the sky is blue and the sun is shining, so I gave everything a good watering with some weak chamomile tea, then thinned out the lettuce to one plant per cell, and set them in the doorway of the shed to enjoy a day of natural sunshine. It's still quite cold out, but the sun feels nice and warm.


Lettuce, thinned to one plant per cell.


Enjoying some natural sunlight.

Since the asparagus-crates-turned-nursery were empty, I rushed my planting plans by just a few days and started some cabbage and broccoli seeds. I planted a four-pack each of Red Acre and Golden Acre cabbages, and two four-packs of Calabrese broccoli. I also planted a mixed flat of Trailing Saphire lobelia, California poppies , and some Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach. My older Tyee spinach seeds didn't have a very good germination rate, only six of ten cells germinated, so I'm hoping to have better luck with the packet of newly opened seeds.

I hope I get over this cold soon, as there is so much that needs to be done outside. I had my son move two small garden boxes from the main garden, and put them behind the shed. They are the boxes with attached hoops, and I'm planning on using them as a place to harden off the indoor grown plants. That entire bed has to be leveled first, and I'm not feeling quite up to doing that yet.


22 comments:

  1. Your lettuce seedlings look great, Granny! Now....you know that if you would have sown only 1 seed per cell, all that thinning wouldn't have been necessary....hehe...

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  2. Well Garnny it looks like you've got your growing on!! You just take it easy until you get rid of that cold!

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  3. Annie - I thought I posted a comment, not sure so sorry if this is a repeat. But I was wondering about the benefits of the chamomile tea for the seedlings, have never heard of that before.

    And drink some to get rid of that cold too! Hope you're feeling better, Linda

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  4. EG, if it hadn't been 1-2 year old lettuce seed, I'd have done just that. So there, Poopy Head!

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    I'm taking it easy, Robin. I promise.

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    Linda, it's supposed to help keep seedlings from damping off.

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  5. perhaps your spinach seeds were too warm? That could cut down on germination, they like a cool soil to sprout---its why I can plant them in my garden even when there is still snow, so long as there is enough dirt to scratch up. :)

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  6. Nickie, that's entirely possible, but if I'm over this cold by next week, the next batch of spinach seeds will be planted directly into the garden. That's how I always plant my main crop, I just like to get an early start on a few plants to mix in with the lettuces, for our first salads.

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  7. They look great! I'll be repotting mine at the end of the week, I think!

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  8. What type of lettuce are you growing?

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  9. Meems, I named them in my Feb 27 post, but just for you....;-)

    I planted a six pack each of nine varieties of lettuce: Buttercrunch, Iceberg, Little Gem, Mesclun Mix, Parris Island Cos, Red Sails, Rocky Top Mix, Summercrisp and Yugoslavian Red Butterhead.

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  10. Your seeds are doing well. Hope you feel better.

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  11. Oh I wish I knew about the chamomile tea for the seedlings. I have lost 4 cucumber seedlings to "damping off" So now I know and will use it when I plant replacement seeds for those that I have lost. I hope you feel better soon!

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  12. Those seedlings look like happy campers out soaking up some spring sunshine. :D

    I hope you turn the corner on the cold very soon.

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  13. I'm glad you said something about the spinach seed not having good germination after awhile. I had a heck of a time last year with getting it going in the garden and wonder if maybe that was the problem. It was VERY spotty germination. The rows were hardly "rows"--it looked like about 1 in 10 seeds germinated. Guess I can chuck that old seed in confidence.
    Love your selection of Lettuces...I've not yet tried the Paris Island--is it sweet? Mild?

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  14. Hope you are are feeling 100% better soon, it sounds like you are getting plenty done nonetheless. We had a little sun yesterday as well and it was a most welcome change. Speaking of 100%, the Utah onions you shared with us are all poking up through soil in thier container.:)

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  15. I just wanted to say that the "poopyhead" statement is greatly appreciated!!! My day will be more complete now..Ha!

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  16. Erin, I noticed the broccoli only took two days on the rope lights. Yipee!

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    Toodie, I'm feeling better, but my nose is running something terrible! I wish I could just tape a Kleenex to it to free up my hands ;-)

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    Liisa, it also works well to spritz on if you get that spider web looking mold on the plants, it just kind of dissolves it.

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    Kitsap, I was hoping for more sun, but it looks like rain for the entire week now.

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    Sue, I think Parris Island Cos is your basic grocery store variety of Romaine. It gets large, nice and crunchy and sweet. It's one of my favorites.

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    Mr. H., I hope those onions perform well for you! That reminds me, cold or no cold, I must get to the feed store to see if the Walla Wallas are on sale yet.

    It looks like we're in for rain for the rest of the week. And me with so very much to do :-(

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    EG, I know you love it!

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  17. Things are looking great. I hope to do way too much planting next weekend. I really have to add up the space and see if I have enough or not. If not I'll have to develop a plan.

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  18. Daphne, everything is germinating so quickly on the rope lights, it's only taking about two days to be moved out onto the windowsill, then two days there and into the mini-greenhouse. I think I started some of the flowers too early. I still haven't done anything to ready the garden area.

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  19. Things are looking great there Granny! I just planted another round of lettuce seeds the other day and I'm hoping they germinate like yours, though I always plant 2 seeds in one soil block to be sure. This year, all my braccias germiated 2 and needed thinning. Oops. Hate wasting seed that way.

    I never knew tea worked as a booster. About the only use I know for Chamomile, hehe, not partial to that type... tons others I do though.

    Get well soon!

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  20. Sinfonian, I'm going to have to thin out the brassicas too. I planted two seeds per cell, and it looks like they all germinated.

    My cold feels like it's on the downhill now. Of course I'll probably go try to get some work done in the garden today, and then I'll relapse ;-)

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  21. I hope you get to feeling better! I'm getting a cold, probably from one of the kids at school who was kind enough to share! Take it easy. It will all be there outside when you are feeling better.
    ~~Lori

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  22. Lori, that's the problem. It will ALL be there waiting for me!

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