Manageability

Definition of the word MANAGE

transitive verb
1 : to handle or direct with a degree of skill: as a : to make and keep compliant b : to treat with care : husband c : to exercise executive, administrative, and supervisory direction of
2 : to work upon or try to alter for a purpose
3 : to succeed in accomplishing : contrive
4 : to direct the professional career of

Soooooo I think that my first error occurred many weeks ago on the Johnny's Selected Seeds website http://www.johnnyseeds.com/.  Influenced by red wine, weeks of cold weather, and very short days, I was dreaming of lush green gardens, bountiful vegetables, and filling my flower vase daily with freshly picked flowers.  I vowed to start my flowers and vegetables from seed for the first time (I also vowed to run the Mother's Day 5K, but that's a different story).  I finally made decisions on a heating mat, a soil block maker, cell flats and biodegradble pots.  I clicked "add to cart" more times than I can count.  I justified my purchases with receipts from the grocery store, the benefits of organically grown produce, teaching the kids about gardening, and the satisfaction that comes from putting my hands in the soil.

At this point the word MANAGE may be part of my vocabulary, but not my life.  I have spent many a late night germinating and potting up.  Every morning I carry 23 trays of seedlings to the deck, then back inside at night.  Of course a day surgery that I had last week did not help.  This all on top of a 2 year old, a 6 year old, 2 cats, a hubby... you know the drill.

I had some FB correspondence with some friends yesterday about the weather forecast, the date of the next full moon, the actual temperature of a "frost", and ultimately when to actually plant our seedlings.  There were opinions ranging from daring to cautious, but one friend summed up my situation quite succinctly.  She wrote that she planted most of her seedlings already and that "Some of my seedlings did die when we got that cold snap, but they would have died in the house too because I couldn't stand them anymore and would have refused to care for them!"

Very well said!  One of my four followers (yes, I'm up to four!  Wohoo!) commented on my last post that my pic of out of control seedlings looked like her house.  So I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one out there. 

So here is my plan for MANAGEABILITY NOW:

1)  Get as many seedlings into the ground as possible so I'm not schlepping them back and forth.  I HAVE DECIDED TO PLANT THIS WEEKEND!!!  WOHOOOO!!!
2)  Extra plants go to friends, family, and donated to the Plant-A-Row program and my town's Garden Club Plant Sale on Memorial Day Weekend.

And here is my plan for FUTURE MANAGEABILITY: 
1)  Re-read this post in January of 2011, BEFORE purchasing seeds
2)  Do some cost comparisons between growing from seed versus purchasing seedlings (Yes, I will post my thorough analysis) 
3)  Evaluate my success rate between which seeds I purchased and which were succuessful
4)  Purchase all of my needs ahead of time so that I am not constantly running to the garden shop for more soil, bio-degradable pots, etc.

Wish me luck!!!!

Planting Ponderings

I'm still post-op-sitting and haven't required the heavy-hitting-street-value-medications since last night.  The hubby and the kids are off to a TBall game, and I am wondering how I can schlep my seedlings from their current inside location to the deck for the day.  I pulled a laundry hamper across two rooms this morning, so I guess where there is a will.... 

Weather.com's 10 day forecast, which I visit frequently as of late, predicts the following night time lows for my location: Sat 46, Sun 45, Mon 49, Tues 51, Wed 49, Thurs 57, Fri 53, Sat 53, Sun 52, and Mon 54.  I think I recall reading that I don't want night time temps lower than 45 degrees before planting my babies outside.  With this forecast, I'm inclined to plant by on Tuesday if I am feeling well enough.  Of course, next full moon is not until a week fter that, the 27th, which could bring some colder temps.  Curve ball.

So I'll keep schlepping (pushing, pulling, dragging) my babies to the deck for marching practice in anticipation of graduation ceremonies, the date which still is yet to be determined.  While I am sitting, sitting, sitting... I will consult my gardening books (housewife porn, as my hubby calls it) for more clues about the big day.  And when that day comes, my brand new $5 clearance gardening boots will be ready, too :D

Sitting.

This morning I had  minor surgery and am not supposed to lift anything over 30 lbs for six weeks.  Right now I am feeling very sore, having a difficult time walking, and taking percoset for the pain.  I anticipate that this will last for a few days.  So on this brilliantly beautiful day I am sitting.  Yup.  Sitting.  Butt to sofa.  Necessities within reach.  Feeling a little woozy.  Sitting.


Anticipating my imminent immobility, I spent the entire day gardening yesterday.   I pulled out my "potting station" (see pic to immediate left for chuckles), pots, soil block maker, trays, trowel, shovel, and a giant bag of soil.  I set up shop on the deck and began the projects that are more demanding physically.


One goal was to graduate some seeedlings into larger containers so they don't become root bound or tip over.   I suspect that this will be the last "potting up" before planting out - Yippee! 

Another goal was to germinate the last of my seeds (all flowers) and that was mostly successful.  One glitch is that many of my remaining seed packets suggest germinating 4-6 weeks before last frost and that time frame has long since passed.  I suppose I'll just keep the seedlings inside until they look strong enough to harden off and plant outside.  I do still have some seed packets remaining however, because the next glitch is that I ran out of soil before I ran out seeds.  Truth be told, I needed a stopping point so it was probably a blessing in disguise.  I guess I will just save them for next year and see if they will still come up.

A neighbor stopped by as I was puttering about and we were equally pleased for me to unload some seedlings on her.  Among other babies, she bravely accepted some of "Matilda's Mystery Tomatoes".  This variety got their name when my helpful 2yo switched around some labels early in the germination process.  Also taking advantage of the beautiful day, my neighbor's project du jour was dividing perennials.  And I am now the proud owner of some Stella Dora Lilies and Daisies!!!  If you've been reading my posts, you know how much I LOOOVE to have plants with stories other than "I bought this at...:"  While still able to dig, I grabbed my shovel and introduced these babies to their new home.

All day and evening I ran around doing this and that:  Direct seeding some flowers, moving around some planters, digging, weeding, and watering.  When my assistant was not helping me, I was also busy chasing her from potential chaos.  Not only was my  day quite productive, it also took my mind off from the anasthesia that was about to render me unconscious and the scalpal that was about the enter my flesh.  Once again, my garden helped to ease my anxieties.

Today I am grateful for the miracles of modern science, my garden, for the lasagne my neighbor/friend Larina made for our family. 

Oh yes, and for sitting.

 

My, But They Grow Up So Fast!

It has been time for my babies to visit the great outdoors and to see what else life has to offer them beyond these four walls.  They really seem to be happy with their visits.  For almost a week now, my 2yo and I have brought these darlings outside to get used to the elements before they are ready to go out on their own.  I guess they are adolescents now, preparing for adulthood in their own soil apartments.  Ready to really grow without my parental eyes. 

Now my mothering skills will be put to the test.  Did I germinate the seeds long enough before planting?  Did I give them enough time on the heating mat?  Did I let them become root-bound?   Have they had enough water?  Did I adequately expand their freedoms with gradually increasing pot sizes so that they didn't get top-heavy and topple?  If you look closely at the picture, you can see that the answer to the last question is "No, no always."  I have some re-potting to do tongiht. 

With record breaking warm days this spring, all green thumbs are itching to kick their babies out of the nest.  I have been addicted to weather.com's 10 day forecast.  hoping for a pattern of nites that don't drop below 45 degrees.  Right now all lights a green.  The night of the full moon is Day 10 and the forecast at this point is for 53 degrees that night.  Perhaps this weekend I will put them in?  I don't want to jump the gun, but I'm also getting pretty excited!

So with dramatic grunting sounds, Miss M carries her end of the trays and we do the schlep - in and out - every day.  Tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, broccoli, husk cherries, cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, patty pan squash, broccoli raab, brussels sprouts, and various flowers. 

Are you as excited as me to let our seedlings fly?

Putting Out

Decisions regarding when and where to Put Out your seedlings do not have to be confusing or complicated.  A well educated gardener can make informed decisions regarding when to Put Out by taking into consideration just a few, simple factors.   There are many great gardeners who have come before you and you can learn from their successes and their mistakes. 

IS MY GARDEN READY?
You may be tempted to place a precious seedling into your soil on a particularly sunny day when you are in the mood for a little gardening  But it is important to use not just your heart, but also your head.  And getting to know your garden is extremely important before deciding to put out. 

First you need to know your Zone, and this information can be easily found online.  Your particular zone will have, from year to year, its own unique "Put Out" date, when it is believed that there is no longer a chance of a frost.  Take this "put out" date as a general recommendation.  Gardening should not be mechanical and you may have some other personal factors to work around.   For example, it may be difficult to put out when you are working, while your kids are having a play date, or when your in-laws are in town.  Simply delaying your put out by a couple of days will not cause harm to your specimen or to your garden.

Back to the web, I must caution you that there is a lot of misinformation out there.  Sadly there are websites that are just trying to make money from objectifying your beautiful garden. They do not truly care about the best interest of your soil or your blossoms, so be sure you are dealing with a reputable source in order to avoid frustration and embarrassment.


Beware also of Zone Envy.  Though I often wish that I was a zone 4 person, I happen to live in Zone 5a.  There are many Zone 4 specimen that I adore but after many unsuccessful plantings, I have finally come to terms with my zone and stopped trying to make it something it is not. I have wasted a lot of time and money by planting specimens that simply have no business being in my zone. Sure they may look pretty, seem exotic, smell nice or taste good, but these experiments ultimately fail.  This can lead to discouragement, remorse, and sometimes even shame. It's best to respect your zone,  appreciate these specimen from a distance, leave them at the nursery, and just walk away.

The next step is to really understand your soil.  In this article from Fine Gardening  http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/hows-your-soil-texture.aspx, the author explains in great detail how to perform tests in the privacy of your own home.  Obtaining informative and useful results involves understanding the importance of the depth in your sampling, the nuances of texture, your soil's ability to hold moisture and nutrients, and of course, fertility considerations.

IS THIS SEEDLING READY?
Also noted in this article is, "There is is no hard and fast rule to how tall a plant should be before you put it out in the garden due to the fact that different plants grow to different sizes."  Simply put, do not judge your seedling by its size as it has nothing to do with how well it will perform.  Just ensure that your specimen has an appropriate level of maturity by making sure that it has at least 3-4 "true leaves".  Otherwise you risk causing permanent damage to this young specimen.  There really should be a law against it, in my opinion.

Once you have decided that your soil, zone, and seedling conditions are ideal for putting out, you still shouldn't rush the process.  It is important to respect your seedling's transition through a process called "Hardening off."  In an article titled How To Harden Off Your Seedlings, http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/how-to-harden-off-your-seedlings.htm, the author explains how the 'Hardening' process will make your plants grow stronger and perform better when you finally place them in your garden.   Here is a pic of some of my babes getting used to the elements before taking the final plunge into the dirt.

While putting out too early can be detrimental to your garden, so too can be putting out too late, as noted in an article by Gardeningknowhow.com http://paulstamatiou.com/how-to-quickie-embedded-flickr-slideshows/. "If you put [your seedlings] out before they are ready, they may have a hard time surviving the elements. If you wait too long, your seedling may become pot bound in its original container." If you have never seen a root bound seedling, it's not a pretty sight.  It can be really difficult for this root system to create a successful planting,this is always a bit of a disappointment.

Please see my post on companion plantings while deciding which plant should go where in your garden.  It's like eHarmony for plants!

It is usually at this point that I take a post about gardening and toss in some analogies to psychology and life.  However "putting out" is such a sacred topic that one risks trivializing its importance by making trite comparisons, so  I will save any analytical ponderings for another day.  As Freud said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."