Simple Seed Starting

I did not plan to start seeds today but the weather got me in the mood. Here are some lemon basil seeds from my crop this past summer. It was interesting finding the tiny seeds in the dried plant material. I think I found enough seeds for a dozen starts.

It is a bit hard to tell in this photo but the seeds are tiny and I tried to get 3 to 4 into each peat pellet.


One of the most important things to remember is that seeds like basil need the growing medium to be about 60 degrees. This would not be an issue for cool season crops, but basil loves the heat and giving them warmth will help them germinate quicker.

Here is my covered tray on a seed starting heat blanket. Once they sprout I can remove the heat pad and make sure they get plenty of sun for continued growth.
I hope to be harvesting in 4 to 5 weeks.

I will post some photos once I get those beautiful seedlings!

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014

Happy New Year!
Now that the holidays are over and winter in Northern Nevada keeps me inside I will be evaluating my gardens. I will take a look at my photos and go over my notebook to remember the great blooming plants, productive edibles and the garden areas that provided pleasure. For the areas that were not so great I will work to find a way to improve them. It may be as simple a changing soils, or moving an unproductive plant to an new area. 
It is also a perfect time to go through my stack of gardening magazines and catalogs looking for plants, seeds and fun garden products. 
Below you will find a few things I felt encouraged to share with you. 

Here are two photos of areas I was very happy with, you can see why in these photos. 

The things I would like to change are in my edible garden. I would like a longer white area on my leeks. I will also be researching more tomatoes that are happy in a hot dry climate. 
The other is how to keep the rabbits from eating my landscape. 

Here is a shrub that rabbits have been
eating. I use chicken wire cages 
to keep them out. 

Growing leeks with a long edible parts 

A great garden tool is a calendar, yep a calendar. This is a great place to put notes like when you fed your gardens, pruned or even watering days. I also have a white board in my my garage, this helps with those quick notes. 

Botanical Interest Calendar 

My white board for quick
notes and general information. 

Again, I wish all of you a lovely and healthy 2014.
Marnie Brennan, GardenCoach

FREE 2014 Calendar, Here are the Entry Rules

They're here!

The 2014 Botanical Interest Seed Company calendars are here and this is your opportunity to have one of your own. These are perfect size for your desktop or counter and have beautiful illustrations of flowering plants.

The first 6 gardeners who send me a photo of their favorite plant or garden area and why it is a favorite will get a calendar. 
I would love to put your photo on my GardenCoach face book page, with your permission. I will keep your name private.
Send your entry to:

gardencoachinreno@gmail.com 

Please include your name and mailing address, include a quick note of permission to use your photo.
(US addresses only please.)
Thank you

                                                               

2014 Botanical Interest Seed Co. Calendar Giveaway

Thanks to my friends at Botanical Interest Seed Company I will be hosting a 2014 calendar give away. I love these calendars; they are a great size for your desk and filled with beautiful illustrations of blooming plants. The calendar sits in a CD holder and measure 5 1/2 tall by 4 1/2 inches wide. 

I invite you to check out their website https://botanicalinterests.com/ to find an excellent 

selection of seeds and all that goes with them. 

Stay tuned for more details!     

 

Seed Starting July 2013 ~ Video

Seed starting is easy and works great if you know a couple of important things. This video will cover starting directly in the ground, peat pellets, cool season crops and watering. Send me a note to gardencoachinreno@gmail.com if you have any questions. Happy gardening.

Vermicomposting using a Worm Bin

Vermicomposting is the process of making compost from kitchen scraps by using worms to make a heterogeneous mixture of worm casting and  tea for use in the garden. Worm tea and casting provide an amazing supply of nutrients while helping to build a healthy soil profile.

This worm bin is my neighbors, I help with kitchen scraps and then I am rewarded with worm tea. It is a dark liquid that I dilute to the color of weak tea, then poured into the soil or sprayed onto the leaves of my plants. The bin is the well house, a room that stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter, with the use of a heat lamp. If you keep the area somewhere between 60-80 degrees and the feeding balance right, it is usually odorless. If the bin should get to wet simply add shredded non-glossy paper or dried leaves. It is excess moisture that will create any unpleasant odors. 

This bin is kept inside the kitchen. It is under a table and is easily maintained. It has no smell, and provides about 1 to 2 quarts of tea a month. The owner cleans and checks regularly and makes sure it stays on the dry side. 

Worm tea and casting have an amazing nutrient package that when added to soils; carry a diverse population of microbial life. Adding casting will increase diversity of beneficial organisms in soils, promote soil structure and aid in disease and pest suppression. Nutrients from worms casting are highly soluble which means they are broken down by water. With a liquid application the plant can benefit quickly and continually with the readily available nutrients that won’t burn roots. Applying casting 2 to 3 times a year will fortify soils for continued use and health in the garden.  

Worm casting are naturally 5 times higher nitrogen, 7 times richer in phosphorus, 3 times richer in, magnesium, 11 times richer in potassium and 1.5 times richer in calcium. 

Seed Starting

Next week I will be hosting the Reno New Comers Garden Club for there May meeting on  edibles. On of the things I plan on covering is seed starting. The reason gardeners use seeds is because they are less expensive than start plants and the variety of plants is amazing. I met the owner of Botanical Interest seed company years ago and am pleased to have his support for my blog and I can attest to the great product he provides to gardeners. Have a look at his website to get inspired.
http://www.botanicalinterests.com/
Key points to seed starting:
1. Plant seeds in loosened soil that has been amended with organic compost and drains well.
2. Follow the package directions for planting depth and spacing, don't crowd your carrots and other root crops it is a pain to thin them out and they need room to grow.
3. Watering is key, I mean key to germination. Once the seed shell softens and starts to open a tiny white colored plant starts to push through the soil. It must not dry out, you may have to water more than once a day depending on the weather. Once out of the ground and has multi leaves all is well, you have a plant!
You will often read in my blog how important correct watering is here in our beloved high desert. This could not be more true with seed starting.
So get out there and try seeding something. I planted sunflower seeds that were 3 years in the pack and they are all doing great, these were from Botanical Interest, but if seeds are stored in a cool dry spot they will remain viable for years.
Let me know if you have any questions with seeding, it is a topic with many faces.
Happy gardening and seed starting.