Damping Off - AKA Seedling Death

I've learned something new today, and just in time too. This morning when I checked on my week old sprouts I notices a few, particularly the broccoli and chard, were not looking too hot.  Fortunately this was covered the exact same day in my gardening class, Damping-off was the phrase.  I was too reluctant to ask what this term meant, but I had a good idea and the internet helped me confirm my suspicions in anonymity.


"Damping-off is a general term applied to the rotting of seeds, germinants, and succulent seedlings. There are two stages: pre-emergence damping-off kills seeds and germinants before they emerge, post-emergence damping-off affects young seedlings after emergence." - http://forestry-dev.org/diseases/nursery/pests/damping_e.html

Symptoms
Post-emergence symptoms include: fallen sprouts, indented lesions around base of stem, slimy stem, sprout discoloration and wilting.  Pre-emergence is harder to diagnose, usually the only sign is that the seed did not sprout.  You can dig up the seed and inspect it for decay to confirm the problem.  The main cause is fungal.  The problems are brought about by over watering (most common), and infected seeds, soil, water or tools.

Treatment
The best way to control the problem is to prevent the various fungi from developing in your growing medium.  For starters, your plants need good airflow. You want to keep the top of your growing medium dry while maintaining good moisture (not soaked) below.  You can also try some anti-fungal treatments, sprinkling cinnamon on the surface of your freshly planted seeds will destroy fungus on the surface. You can also try spraying your plants with a little chamomile tea, which is also anti-fungal.  There are of course commercial products available too.

For more information I found a great article about damping-off over at Tom Clothier's Garden Walk & Talk, check it out when you get a chance.

Until next time growers.

Growing Garlic

I've been anxiously watching, and the garlic is finally poking up.  Planting garlic is best done in the fall.  These plants actually do much better when they experience the harsh winter months, tucked deep under the soil's surface (about 3 inches).  Now like onions, which are also of the Allium genus, it's easier to plant a pre-developed bulb or clove.  Of course you can plant from seed but the bulb plantings come up much sooner and grow much more vigorously (although I've heard transplanted onions grow larger).

This medicinal and culinary herb has been cultivated
for thousands of years.  

It is thought to have originated from central and
southwestern Asia, and has since traveled the world
with the help of humans.

I'll not get into all the health benefits of garlic, but I did find this snippet over at tonicfoodclub.com:  

"Garlic is one of the most powerful foods.  The list of benefits and uses is impressive.  Here are just a few:

• lowers cholesterol
• prevent blood clots
• reduce blood pressure
• prevents cancer in 3 ways:
• helps the immune system fight cancer cells, inhibits tumor cell metabolism and reproduction of cancer cells
• protects against bacterial and fungal infections."

So when fall is approaching and you're thinking of putting the garden to rest for the year, go ahead and buy a bulb of good seed garlic and find a few nice spots to grow this amazing plant.

Mealworm Update

The mealworms are in full production mode.  I now have hundreds of adult Darkling beetles, ready to lay eggs.  The chickens are anticipating the crunch of their favorite high protein snack.  Unfortunately they aren't quite ready, as these things take time.  Speaking of time frame, a complete time table can be found over at www.sialis.org.  Bet, over at sialis.org also has some great information regarding raising your own mealworms, and I highly recommend this easy project for your chickens and other birds along with your reptiles if you have them.

Just in case you didn't see the colony before, here are a few pictures of the bugs transitioning to the pupa stage.  All of this took place about 2 weeks ago.

Seeds Per Ounce

When it comes to seeds the package can be a bit confusing, 500mg, 100mg, 100 seeds, 1 ounce.. I want to shed some light on this.

Seeds are calculated by weight ranging from milligrams to pounds.  To clarify 100mg is 1/10th of 1 gram, and there are 28.35 grams per ounce, and finally 16 ounces per pound.  So one ounce of seed is much much more than 100mg even though the price may not reflect that.  In reality however, the type of seed has a lot more to do with the quantity in the package. I found this info over at Weekendgardener to help you choose the  packet that best suits your needs.

Vegetables

Beets:1,600
Broccoli:9,000
Brussels Sprouts:9,000
Cabbage:9,000
Carrots:23,000
Corn:120-180
Cucumbers:1,100
Eggplant:6,500
Lettuce:25,000
Onions:8,500
Peas:90-175
Peppers:4,500
Pumpkins:100-300
Radishes:2,500
Snap Beans:100-125
Spinach:2,800
Squash:120-400
Tomaotes:11,500


Flowers


Blanket Flower:15,000
Calendula:3,500
Candytuft:9,500
Coneflower:40,000
Cornflower:6,000
Cosmos:4,000 – 5,000
Larkspur:8,000
Marigold:9,000
Morning glory:800
Nasturtium:175
Poppy:260,000
Stock:18,500
Strawflower:45,000
Sunflower:500-700
Zinnia:2,500 – 4,000


Buy in confidence, and don't let the marketing gimmicks get you.

Who said it wouldn't fit?

Lately in life, I'm finding I'll do anything I can to get what I need done.  A good example of this is with the fence I needed built.  Now unfortunately, I don't have a lot of money.  So it was my duty to get this thing built myself.  The first step was to get the supplies.  Not so easy when you are determined to save a hundred bucks on insurance by not driving your truck.  Hey, I've got more important things to spend that money on, and I'm insured through Geico, so I'm already saving 15%.

Believe it or not, it did fit.

 Obviously it was an entertaining trip to the hardware store.  I got a lot of looks, and by now I've learned to enjoy the extra attention.  Being weird is fun anymore. Anyway, we ended up getting the fence built without a hitch, and all it needs is the finishing touches.

The fence just needs stain and a gate.

My point is don't let potential problems deter you, but rather rely on your gut instincts and determination to pull you through.

Transplants Aplenty

Transplanting is a virtual necessity for the backyard grower.  Many of us live in an area that doesn't give enough growing days to do things otherwise.  When transplanting we are taking a plant that has been raised in a controlled environment and putting it out into the world.  Much like anything else it's going to need a lot of care for this transition. We're going to go over some of the basics for this now.

When
The proper timing varies greatly from plant to plant.  If you're buying your plants from a nursery they are probably ready to be hardened off immediately.  For plants grown from seed, most times the best reference is on the package.  A few things to look at are the number of true leaves.  There should generally be anywhere from 4-8 true leaves before you transplant.  You'll have to coordinate this with the weather outside.  For example, tomatoes cannot go out before the last frost.

Not only do we need to have the date right, the time of day is also important.  On the day you want to transplant wake up, make breakfast, chill for a while, eat some lunch, go for a walk, read some of that book you've been into, and then right around 4pm get to business.  Most people will want to do their transplanting first thing in the morning, when really the evening is best.

How
Before we take our plants out of their pots and put them in the ground we need to harden them off.  The best way to do this is to put them outside for just a few hours on the first day, then add an hour each day for a few more days.  Plants need an adjustment period for the leaves to get used to the extra sunlight and doing this will prevent your plants from getting fried.  Once the plants appear to be taking the extra sun well they are ready.

Start by preparing your spot in the garden, get your hole dug and ready.  Then loosen the transplant by squeezing your container to push the soil away from the edges.  Then put the plant stem between your fingers and turn the pot upside down.  With a little coaxing it should come right out.  Next, check the root ball, if the roots are compacted along the edges then you might want to loosen them up a little by massaging them.  The concern with the roots is that the growth pattern caused by the container can bind them and potentially kill the plant.  If there aren't a lot of visible roots then plop it in the hole as it is and cover it up.  Wait!  Not too deep.  Many plants have a point that leaves grow from, look for that and do not bury it.  Usually you'll want the level to be the same as it was in the pot. Some exceptions to this are tomatoes and peppers, which send out roots along the stem if it is buried.

After the plants are successfully placed in their new home you'll need to give them plenty of water and some soluble nutrients, such as liquid fertilizer or fish emulsion.  You could even give them a misting with a spray bottle.  A little extra care can go a long way.


Which Plants
Most plants can be successfully transplanted with relative ease.  Tomatoes, broccoli and lettuces to name a few.  On the other hand some plants cannot have their roots disturbed, such as melons, and so transplanting these are very difficult.  Likewise, any root crops are not going to do well in a confined container.

Hardy Crops for Spring

Ok, so spring is basically here, even if the weather doesn't show it.  No need to worry we'll take care of those garden blues (or should I say greens?).  Right now many of you are probably wondering when you should start planting your vegetable garden.  Really this is a two part question, when and what are both important questions to answer for a successful spring start.

Since this time of year is so full of surprise snow storms and cold nights we enlist the plants that thrive in the cold weather, or hardy plants.  My incomprehensive list of these plants includes:

Broccoli
Head & Leaf Lettuce
Spinach
Radishes
Onions
Peas
Kale
Leeks
Carrots
Beets
Turnips
Kohlrabi
Swiss Chard
and a bunch of herbs & flowers

Now before you go out and start sprinkling spinach seeds on your snowy garden patch (which will work believe it or not), let me explain a few things.

First off, you need to know how bad it really is out there.  So get on your favorite weather website and check the historical data for your zip code.  I like to use www.weather.com which gives me the average.  What you're pushing for is the time of year where the nights don't drop below freezing.  Now if you're like me you can probably push it a little further, say 30 degrees, by protecting your plants with row covers, plastic containers, a sheet or some mulch.  A word of caution: don't be surprised to get a night so cold that it kills everything off, this is a risk you have to take.

Once you have your timing down, you can get an even bigger head start by starting plants inside.  Just look at your packet of seeds to see the average weeks before the last frost you should start your plants. Grow lamps or a nice sunny window work great for this type of endeavor.  I bring this up because even though hardy plants are cold tolerant they don't exactly grow well when the temperatures and weather are simply too extreme.  Some of the best plants for transplanting include broccoli, lettuces, onions (from seed), spinach and most herbs. These are the ones to start first, as in now, like today. Other plants don't transplant well: carrots (or any root crop for that matter) and peas definitely fall under this category so don't bother.  Putting transplants out at the right time and in the right way is something we'll cover tomorrow.

Once you've got your transplant worthy seeds in a cozy spot on the window sill you can start looking at these other aforementioned plants.  Peas and radishes and the root crops should go in the ground once you've had a chance to get your soil worked.  That means that sunny warm weekend that you had nothing planned for is now full. Peas need a trellis so plan for that. Do not delay on this because even though it may be a few months to get peas, the vines grow tall, fast. Radishes are one of my favorite crops because they reward you with edibles in no time at all.  Usually about 30 days from when the seeds go in the ground you'll have nice plump red globes begging you to bite in.  If you're new to gardening I'd grow radishes first just for the confidence boost.

Most everything else, the beets carrots and all the other crazy vegetables that are cold hardy tend to take some time to come up so don't get discouraged if you don't see activity.  Plants know when it's safe, and if you've planted too soon the seeds will just wait it out. Smart huh?  In fact there's a lot to be said about this, and a whole bunch of ways to take advantage.  Unfortunately I cannot discuss that today, but like those smart seeds, when the timing is right, I will.

That's it for today folks.  Stop on by tomorrow for a rundown on how to manage your broccoli, spinach, onion and lettuce starts as well as some tips on transplanting.

Up Until Now

There’s never a whole lot of activity in the winter months.  Anticipation sets in, so be careful not to get ahead of nature.  Planting too early, or even working the soil too early, can be an unintentional step in the wrong direction. Fortunately there are a lot of things that can be done to speed up the process.

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Here we have exhibit A, our four raised bed rows covered in plastic.  Why plastic?  Well, a lot of reasons really.  A plastic “mulch” can suppress weeds, retain moisture and, in our case, dry and heat the soil.  A word of advice, if you don’t dry your soil before you till it you’ll have a bunch of nasty clumps that roots cannot penetrate, and therefore don’t thrive in.  We chose clear plastic which lets in sun rays and traps heat.  This plastic is simple painters plastic, disposable and cheap.  There’ll be more on this later.

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Fast forward to March 7^th, just two days ago old man winter decided he wasn’t done.  Admittedly we were a bit worried, never having tried this new (to us) product, Agribon.  Row covers come in many shapes and sizes, and I recommend these excellent season extenders.  When most people will wait until the sun is shining every day, you eager gardeners should be out planning and constructing your row covers.  This photo shows some Agribon in action. At 28 degrees, and under 4 inches of snow, the plants live.  Naturally, there’ll be more on this later.

Buttercrunch & Crisphead lettuce just chillin'

Broccoli under the Agribon

The Polish is warming her tootsies

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Now on to the chickens and their antics, have you ever seen a chicken warming up next to a dryer vent?  I didn’t think so.  I'll admit, I love the chickens.  In fact, they are more spoiled than my dog.  They get first dibs on scraps.  Did you know that chickens are omnivores?  They eat grains, vegetables and grasses as well as meat and dairy.

Chickens are a delight, and I recommend them.  But they are also a chore, and I think everyone who is considering them needs to come back Saturday for our chicken preview weekly episode.  Until then, here are a handful of pics of the fuzz butts perusing the yard in search of something green.

Chickens foraging on some Winter Rye

Wait a minute, they're digging holes in my garden bed!

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Well that wraps up the early season summary.  To close I’m going to suggest a few great sites for buying your garden seeds, check ‘em out, then get out there and start planting (but not too soon).

www.burpee.com

www.johnnyseeds.com

www.rareseeds.com

www.parkseed.com

Post One

Welcome to the BackyardGrower blog.  Much like a lot of other things this year, we are just starting, and over the next year we’ll be showing you the fun, challenges, and rewards of growing.  A backyard garden is the main focus here, but we also grow chickens, bugs, and more - all in the backyard, well mostly.  If you haven’t been following on facebook check back tomorrow for the replay of what’s been happening.

Good luck and happy growing.

-ddgrower