It's that time again. (Actually I'm a little behind schedule)!
Here's my basic set-up in the laundry room, next to the furnace. This is where the seeds will go once they are first planted. I can fit nine flats under the lights. The seeds go in cell inserts in flats with plastic covers. The fluorescent lights will be lowered until they just touch the top of the covers. I use one warm and one cool fluorescent in each fixture. It mimics the effects of natural light and is much cheaper than grow-lights. Once the seeds have germinated the tops come off and they are moved to another bank of lights on a workbench in the garage, where it's cooler. This will allow them to grow a little sturdier. Too little light and too warm temperatures make for leggy plants.
I'll post more pictures once I have some planting done.
Here's a rundown of a little of what I hope to grow this year:
VEGETABLES/HERBS
Tomatoes-heirloom-Brandywine, Hillbilly(LOVE!), Black Krim, Sausage, Green Zebra, Oxheart
Okra- Louisiana Green Velvet, Creole, heirloom Burgundy
Sugar Snap Peas
Leeks- American Flag
Arugula
Carrot- Scarlet Nantes, Nantes Half Long
Beetberry
Lettuce -Red Deer Tongue, Four Seasons, Brune D'Hiver, Forellenschluss, Merlot
Basil- Genovese Sweet,
Spinach- Giant Nobel
Corn- Sugar Dots
Broccoli- Minaret, Zamboni, Early Dividend
Beans- Tiger Eye 'Repokeb'
Eggplant- Black beauty, Snowy, Purple Blush, Rosa Bianca
Onion- Evergreen long white bunching
FLOWERS/ORNAMENTALS
Zinnia- Persian Carpet
Poppy- Black Peony
Celosia- Orange Temple Bells
Amaranth- Warihio
Cosmos- Double Click, Radiance
Calendula- Triangle Flashback, Kablouna, Porcupine,
Linaria- Flamenco, L. purpurea
Morning Glory- Mini Bar Rose,
Nicotiana- N. langsdorfii 'Cream Splash', lime green
Oxypetalum caeruleum- southern star blue milkweed
Cephalaria gigantea- golden scale-head
Thalictrum Rochebrunianum, T. uchiyama
Xeranthemum
Asclepias speciosa- showy milkweed
Digitalis obscura- willow-leaved foxglove
Sphaeralcea coccinea- scarlet globemallow
Verbena bonariensis
Emilia coccinea- tassel flower
hot pepper- Pretty in Purple
Coleus- Palisandra, Wizard Scarlet, Wizard Pineapple, Wizard Sunset,
Thunbergia- white
I've got a ton of older seeds that were stored for two years, under refrigeration, during our relocation. I think I'll do a lot of direct sowing of these, just to see what actually germinates.
Woww!! You're pretty busy with your garden! I'm still aimless, what, where and when to start. My boy wants to have red currant, raspberry and strawberry in our tiny back garden. I'd love to have some herbs. On the tiny garden in front of the house I have some roses from the former tenant, but I want also to plant some lavender bushes on the front, so that no dogs can pooh in there anymore (so unbelievable, that some dog owners let their dogs do it everywhere :(). Oh my, I've borrowed some books from the library, but still no clue...
ReplyDeleteWow, that's impressive! I wonder when you find time to create in spring/summer.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have a vegetable garden but it was not in our garden so we had to drive everday to water it. Now we on only grow pumpkins and zucchini's there - they don't need all that much care. Goodluck with gardening and I wish you a wonderful harvest! Show us! :)
That is going to be one fantastic garden! MMM. . . I really respect that you are able to do that for yourself and your family. It takes so much organization to have a successful garden.
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated by seeds.
Looking forward to seeing your pictures of the garden unfolding.