Saturday was my 3rd potting up weekend. Same drill as #2, only this time I had the water bottles prepped and ready beforehand, so I didn't have to stop. Much better assembly line this way...
To date, I have 28 mustards, 13 collards, and 26 cabbages potted up to 16 ounce drinking water bottles. I'm roughly 1/3 of the way through.
I was truly torn about those leggy cabbages, but they beefed up very nicely in the straw sleeves. My concern was about how deep to plant them, because I don't want to rot the stems. After Googling several sites, I found a couple that said the same thing -- plant the stems deep, up to the nurse leaves. Great!
It's just a little tricky getting those long, pliable stems to drop down into a relatively narrow hole in a bottle. I finally decided to use a chopstick to gently push the rootball down, praying all the while not to bruise or damage them beyond recovery.
So far, they all look like they will recover from the potting up.
And, since this is a work in progress, we're not going to talk about what my kitchen looks like right now. Let's just agree that I'll be eating out this week...
Godspeed, and Good Harvest!
Today, I hit the water bottle bonanza! On the way back from a fire drill, I was collecting every empty drinking water bottle I spied from my fellow employees, and, one told me she had a whole recycling box full of them in her office! Can you say, "let the potting up begin?"
I've been watching the seedlings all week, knowing this weekend I have to start potting up, 'cause those true leaves are moving in fast! There are eighteen more mustards and collards ready, and the cabbages I propped up in the straw sleeves have rewarded me with strong stems and new leaves, so they're ready, too.
And, a co-worker (a newbie gardener in training) has struck up a partnership with her 4-year-olds' school to do eBuckets for each child in her class this fall/winter, in addition to the ones I'm hoping to do at my 4-year-old niece's school, too. I think that's about 30 eBuckets! Good thing I planted so many seedlings, huh? And, good thing I have a very good friend who keeps me supplied with snow white pickle buckets and lids! Whew!
So,which veggies do 4-year-olds love to eat? NONE!!!! But, they all get super excited about watching the little plants grow into something they recognize, I guess. Maybe, this little project might actually encourage some healthy snacking?
Of course, the 4-year-old with A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E eats her healthy salad snack with Ceasar Salad dressing.
Go figure....
Godspeed, and Good Harvest!
I posted yesterday that, out of desperation, I have propped up the floppy-stupid, leggy, cabbage seedlings in straw sleeves. Well, a quick check this morning shows that those seedlings are almost standing up on their own!
I think that it's because the leaves are closer to the lights, and the photosynthesis process is strengthening the stems. They ALL look really strong, and lead me to believe that I might save the majority of them and have a decent crop of cabbages this fall/winter!
Araness asked if it would've been easier to split the straw completely in half and then tape it around the stems, rather than splitting only one side and threading them through. I tried that way, but it would've taken two people -- one to hold up the seedling by the leaves, and the other to tape. I read somewhere back that seedling stems are incredibly tender, and should not be handled. Too much danger of crimping, squeezing, bruising, or snapping them. Which is why most gardeners handle seedlings by the leaves.
I was doing my best not to touch the stems at all, and finally developed a method to hold the straw open and thread the stem through without holding on to the stem.
Success!
Godspeed, and Good Harvest!
This Saturday, I started potting up seedlings to 16.5 oz. water bottles. My gardening buddy, Araness, had recommended these awhile back, but, I thought the 16 oz. Red solo cups were working fine for me, until I tried the bottles.
Marvelous recommendation! The bottles are taller and narrower, making for a more compact vessel in my cat litter drip trays. And, they seem to take less potting mix! Could just be my imagination though, but I think I use less mix...
I potted up 17 mustard green seedlings Saturday, and by Sunday morning they were looking crisp and green. So happy to be in their own little apartments! I'd have kept going, but, I ran out of bottles. Have a recycling project going on at work, so I should have more in no time!
Also, after lamenting one last time over those floppy-stupid cabbage seedlings that got leggy on me while I was away, I made an executive decision. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Since the seedlings need the stems propped up with some support, I came up with the solution of enclosing the stem in a straw sleeve.
I had several, large, McDonald's Malt straws on hand, so I cut them to size and split them vertically.
It took awhile to get the hang of forcing the straw open and around the delicate stems (without pinching, snapping, or crimping them!) I finally got a system going, and once encased in a straw sleeve, I gently pushed the sleeve down a bit into the potting mix to anchor it vertically, and help the seedling stand up. Each straw is translucent, so, hopefully, enough light will penetrate and help the stems to beef up.
The things we do for food...sheesh!!
Godspeed, and Good Harvest!
My great-niece of 4, going on 30, started her first day of school yesterday, and, of course, her mother cried all day. I don't have kids of my own, so, I can only imagine what that first day must feel like. I guess sort of how I felt the first time I let my beloved cat, Benjamin, stay outside all night for the first time. I tossed and turned until he finally scratched on the door the next morning....
Anyway, my niece and I had a wonderful discussion about this new school she found. They'd been looking for a special place for this special little girl, who is light years ahead of 4, with an attitude to match. I babysat last weekend, and sat at the table sorting through seed packets while she watched the teenage version of "Dora the Explorer". It was actually quite good, and I was very impressed with the musical compositions and the Spanish lesson tutorials built into the episode. Miss girl left the room for awhile and it was then I remembered the last time I was there after she had gone to sleep. I had wanted to change the channel, but the two remotes, the playlists, the timed recordings, and Tivo were all in a conspiracy to drive me mad. So, I went to bed, too.
Well, I called miss girl in and asked if she was finished watching Dora. Upon which, the A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E came out. She huffed, folded her arms, and whined "I'm still watching that!" And, before I knew it, she had reached for both remotes, turned the TV off, and was storming up the stairs!
"Wait, I don't want to watch it right now, I ---" "HIT THE GREEN BUTTON!!!" (she was halfway up those stairs). "But, I just want you to show me how to change ---" "HIT THE GREEN BUTTON!!!" (she was on the landing, then, storming into her room)...
I stood there in silence...
It took me awhile to figure out just which green button would do it, but, I pressed my college degrees into service and managed to get the evening news. But, it wasn't the news that was on my mind. What impressed me most at that moment, was that she, at 4 years old, knew she had had the advantage, and was well aware that she was leaving me to "figure it out for yourself..."
Which is why a very special school is needed....
My niece and her husband have searched long and hard for just the right place to challenge, encourage, enlighten, broaden, shape, mold, and (importantly), support and uphold their efforts to discourage the non-social, selfish A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E of the 4-year-old, only child, and help turn her into a delightful, educated, little social creature...
This school sounds like a wonderful place for such a child to bloom, blossom, and turn into the kind of flower you'd just be drawn to in your own garden. It's small, almost a homeschool environment, and support and parental involvement is not only encouraged and sought after, but very necessary to help shore up the small (but exceedingly well-qualified!!) teaching staff.
And, when I saw the opportunity for jumping right on in and doing a "Show-and-Tell" with one of my Earthboxes (EBs), well, you know I just had to go there! So, Auntie Linda will be attending the open-house BBQ social, and rubbing shoulders with whomever is in charge of "Show and Tell," and getting herself on that schedule.
I'm thinking I can sacrifice one or two EBs for a season, and let the class grow some nice cabbages, or broccoli, or cauliflowers for their lunch. The beauty of the EB is that, once it's set up, it's rather self-sustaining and maintenance free, so long as each kid is assigned a day to fill the water reservoir, and maybe sprinkle some time release fertilizer every now and again. And, they can all be on the lookout for interesting bugs!
Yep....
Auntie Linda needs to sow some seeds into the life of a willful, bright, feisty 4-year-old...
Godspeed, and Good Harvest!
