starting seeds: week 5 & seedling updates

Week 5 is now ~2 weeks ago so here in early April, I’ve got a lot of things growing and ready to go outside.

Here’s the last batch of what needs a head start.

Tomato

  • Amish Paste

I added another four seedlings when it occurred to me that just one plant wouldn’t be enough to make a decent amount of sauce. So far, they’re all looking great and I’m excited to see how they do in our weird very sunny but otherwise barren backyard. 

Cucumbers

  • Spacemaster
  • Marketmore 76

Along with the zucchini I’ve started, these guys germinated so well and are a little too ahead of schedule. But with the really great weather we’ve been having and above freezing temps, these guys will be ready for outside living in no time. 

Butternut Squash

  • Butterscotch F1 OG

I’m really happy to see these germinate as I didn’t have any success with growing them in Rhode Island before we moved. If all four of the seedlings do well this year we’re going to turn orange from eating the pounds of squash that seem to be in our future~

Chard

  • Yellow
  • Bright Lights

I love chard. Seriously, I love how colorful they are and how big their leaves can get. Potato also enjoys eating them at her leisure in the yard so the more come up, the better. I will be direct sowing more once it gets warmer but I’m interested to see how the transplants do. 

Zucchini 

  • Raven F1

This guy. Only half of my seeds have germinated so far but I’m a little worried about the zucchini output if they all come up. I started these a couple of weeks early thinking A) they won’t grow like weeds in that time and, B) it’s cold again and there’s been a little snow here and there, they need the time to grow. Just kidding, these two seedlings alone are monsters and I fully expect to be overdosing from Zucchini in a few months. 

As for the other seeds that have been chugging along since late February, everyone seems to be happy as clams. The kale and cauliflower from weeks 2-4 were outgrowing their little containers so they needed to be repotted. Thankfully, none of them succumbed to stress and are chugging along. They’ll probably be part of the first set that gets moved outside in the next couple of weeks. My sweet and hot peppers are at odds a bit as the sweet ones are thriving while the hot ones are a little more finicky. This may be a blessing as this year is strictly a container garden year and there’s only so much space on the deck. 

My next task will be to begin hardening everyone off as we get further away from below freezing temps so here’s hoping we don’t get any New England-style snowstorms in April or May~

starting seeds: week 2-4

Halfway into March and already I’m running out of room to start seeds. Considering this year will probably be the lightest grow year since I haven’t established any parts of the property, it’s obvious I need some more space for all my plant children~ 

Here’s what’s in this week’s batch:

Eggplant

  • IDK variety

Working at a hydroponic farm gave me an opportunity to get some free seeds that I otherwise wouldn’t have bought myself. I’m not really a fan of eggplant and I’m sure these seeds are way out of date but they’re fun-looking and if they don’t come up, it’s not a big deal.

Peppers(Sweet)

  • Rewia
  • Confetti Hybrid
  • King of the North
  • Merlot F1
  • Chocolate Beauty
  • Sweet Chocolate
  • 2019 seeds
  • Lilac Bell
  • California Wonder
  • Tangerine Dream

Y I K E S, I think 95% of our diet here will be exclusively peppers. To be fair, there are at least five of these that I think are a bit too old to even sprout so a normal amount of peppers may come from these. For the sweet peppers, I again went with some colorful ~different~ varieties, namely the chocolate ones and the Lilac Bell. I’m really interested to see what sort of yield I get since I didn’t have a whole lot of luck with sweet peppers in Rhode Island. 

Black Eyed Susan

  • Marmalade

Another flower starting early, this Susan is a bit more tame than its vining counterpart. Though now that I’m re-reading the planting recommendations on the Eden Bros seed site, I forgot to cold stratify them. Whelp, we’ll see what happens. Worst case, I’ll be direct sowing them with their vining friend and be sure to put the seeds in the fridge before hand~

Oregano

  • Greek
  • Common?

I might have two packets of the same variety, but considering how much oregano I’m probably going to use in spice mixes, there’s no such thing as too much. These will most likely live in the kitchen garden and in containers on the deck, which will actually be closer than the kitchen garden. This house and its weird layout is just another thing I have to consider when planning the many gardens I’m going to dot around the property.

Calendula

  • Orange Button
  • Improved Orange
  • Pink Surprise

Blessed be the sunniest flower that I’m going to put everywhere around this house. I’m so excited to get these babies growing and planted in my medicine garden. The Orange Button and Improved Orange are your classic Calendula while the Pink Surprise is a little more dainty in the color department but just as uplifting. In addition to their sunny faces, they are great for salves and ointments and will tie nicely into the future apothecary I will be starting~

Broccoli

  • Eastern Magic
  • Purple Sprouting

Again with the weird-colored produce, I’m looking forward to getting some broccoli up in here that will last longer than when I impulse buy it at Hannafords. I was successful with the Eastern Magic variety in Rhode Island, though I do remember having some bug issues, which I attribute to negligence on my part~ I’d love to try these as a fall crop too once I’ve got the chance to make a greenhouse/cold frame built but that’ll probably be a few years down the line. 

Cauliflower

  • Graffiti F1

Another packet of seeds which might be expired but it’s worth a try. I don’t necessarily love cauliflower but adding and battering it in buffalo sauce brings up the enjoyment factor. 

Kale

  • Mamba F1
  • Winterbor F1

The OG earthy-crunchy green. Thanks to my time spent at Whole Foods, along with moving to a plant-based diet, I rather like kale. The spiny, spicier versions are fine, but I really love the silvery-green leaves that some varieties have. These will be another crop that I’d love to try in cold frames, much to Mike’s disappointment~

Tomato

  • Amish Paste

Gross name but man, I made sauce one time in Rhode Island and it was soooooooooooo good. I realized I only started one plant of these and I should probably add more if I want to just be drowning in sauce. 

sourdough woahs

Again I’m asking that the sourdough gods, as well as the gods of remembering, to give me a break when it comes to starting a little weird bread bug~ 

Yes after trying too many times now and using the literal Bread Bible- which is a great book, not much in the way of vegan options but that’s no surprise- I’m trying a different book. This time, the Zero Waste Chef and her very brief and easy to follow sourdough guide will be my compass. Between her book and her website, her instructions are simple and pretty idiot-proof, and she provides ways to use the discarded starter that inevitably comes with feeding your bread child.

Stick around to see if I’m successful in making some yummy bacteria or if it’s a lost cause for the billionth time.