Short Attention Span Challenge | The Seedling Starter

From Escalon to Thornton, Tracy to Linden, the Central Valley knows how to do many things well, but one thing in particular stands out to me: farming.  It cracks me up when driving down country roads I see tourists stop to take pictures near a grapevine or an almond orchard.  I guess because I grew up here I didn't really think a grape vine or an almond tree was a big deal.  The funny thing, as I have said in previous posts, is that I in no way have a green thumb.  Starting a plant from seed has been fairly impossible for me, but the farmers around here do it every year!  It really is a miracle, and maybe one I take a little bit for granted.  Whether my children decide to stay here in the Valley or move on to - dare I say it - greener pastures (though I doubt they will find any), I want my kids to understand and appreciate that they come from a region that supplies food to the entire world. We really are a small miracle!  According to this 2011 report, two-thirds of the landscape in the Delta Region consists of agriculture.  In our county's Delta region, there are nearly 215,000 acres of farmland, producing a farm gate value of approximately $558 million!  That's a lot of food!

We don't usually keep library books on the grass!

The Challenge

Show my kid how to plant a seedling the right way.  Hopefully it will be successful this time!

The Process

I will be up front with you here.  This challenge was not difficult.  However, it is a skill (and it let me spend some much needed quality time with my little one).  So, I hope you will forgive me that this blog isn't as exciting as usual (Assuming you think my blogs are interesting.  If you think they are hum-drum, and still reading them every week, then you are probably related to me---Hi Mom!).

As I mentioned in this post, part of my trouble had been that I didn't have a cold frame.  Since that issue is solved, I needed to figure out my other challenge, getting the seeds to grow.  According to both books I checked out (this one and this one), in order to germinate seeds, you can start with a plastic tray, milk containers, foam cups, a small pot, or a cardboard container and fill it with compost, peat pellets or seed starting mix.  I went to my local nursery and asked them if they ever gave away extra plastic trays that the plants are sold in.  They said yes!  So my seed starting container was free (this might be the most excited I have ever been over plastic containers).  Even though I am not supposed to get advice, the nurseryman told me to wash out the containers with a little bleach to sanitize them, since I would be using them for seeds.

Next, I purchased the seeds at our local hardware store.  There are a few ways to figure out what seeds to start with.  On the back of the seed container, there is usually a planting schedule for each particular zone.  There are two zone maps, the USDA Plant Hardiness Map, or the American Horticulture Society Plant Heat Zone Map.

AHS Heat Zone Map - Zone 8 or 9

The seeds I purchased and planted:

• Tomatoes

• Basil

• Beets (which are out of season, even though the package said otherwise-oops!)

• Carrots

• Cucumbers

• Yellow Squash

• Jalapeno Peppers

One of the books suggested I mix the planting mix with water in a bucket before planting, which I had never done before.  I used a large bucket.  I poured the water and my daughter mixed.  It was quite fun for her, I think!  One thing to note is that the soil should not be soggy, but just moist.  It would have helped if I had noticed that part before I turned on the hose.

Look at those fancy gardening shoes!

MUD!!!!

After that, we put the mix into the plastic containers.  Then, we stuck our fingers or shovel in to make a little hole, and placed in the seeds. We covered the hole with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil/compost.  After that, we put the seed tray in the cold frame we made a few weeks ago.

The Result

I don't know yet!  I will update this post when I see some or a lack of seedlings, start to sprout.  In the meantime, check out one of SSJCPL's gardening books and plant something!  
P.S. Did you notice my blog has moved to Fridays at 2 p.m.?

Short Attention Span Challenge | Plants vs. Zombies

I was listening to the radio recently and they were talking about "survival packs" for a zombie apocalypse type of emergency.  One of their suggestions was to save packets of seeds, in case at any point there was a shortage of food.  "Wow! what a great idea," I thought to myself, until I remembered two things: one, I am a terrible gardener and two, other than put them in the ground and water them (which to me seems simple enough), I do not really know how to start seeds.  If I was depending on seeds, I wouldn't make it very long, at least in human form.  Zombies don't eat veggies.

Even though I know basically nothing about gardening, every year I at least try and start a seedling.  Although, I never actually took the time to research how to properly do this.  One year,  I planted seedlings in plastic cups.  The cups cracked in the sun, and didn't drain, and nothing grew.  Plus, we carted them from our playroom to the yard every once in a while daily, but that was a hassle.  The next year, my daughter and I planted seeds in little biodegradable cups that you can plant directly into the garden once they sprout.  We carted them in and out almost everyday, but this time, the birds came down and picked at the little cups, upending all the seedlings and taking the cups away for their nests.  I discovered I was starting them all wrong.  Seedlings do not have to be indoors.  If you do not have a greenhouse, you can create something called a "cold frame".  It protects seedlings and starter plants from the frost, wind, birds, and allows them to get sunlight in the daytime.

The Challenge

Create a cold frame. 

The Process

Cold frames are relatively easy to create.  Simply put, a cold frame is a box with hard opaque sides and a clear lid.  The box can be made from many different types of materials.  Some books I read suggested making one out of hay bales and covering the top with an old window frame.  Other books suggested taking plywood, creating a box and covering it with plastic sheeting.  The idea is to create a warm place for seedlings, by capturing enough sunlight in the daytime to warm the box and the soil.  The cover should be something that can be easily opened or modified.  The box needs to remain at approximately 70 degrees F, so if the temperature rises above that during the day, the lid should be cracked open or pulled back a bit.

We had a bunch of old 2x4s laying around, so I decided to use those to make my cold frame.  I also had an old IKEA changing table, so I used the wood from that as well.  Since I have small children, I decided to use a clear acrylic plastic for the lid.   I was concerned plastic wrap would be a choke hazard, and glass would get broken.  I purchased a 2'x4' piece of plastic at the hardware store for about $25.  Many of my books suggested making a box with a hinge attached, but I thought that would be hard to create, and I also didn't want my kids to get their fingers or bodies smashed under the lid.  Instead, I decided to make a way to slide the door open.

The box does not need to have a bottom.  In fact, some people put them directly into the garden and grow seedlings in the ground beneath the box.  I don't have much empty garden space, so I made my frame portable, and I will plant seeds in clay pots.  When the frame is not in use I can put it up on its side against the fence behind our metal shed.

Look at the awesome drill!

I used the 2x4s to create 3 rectangular frames that would fit around the plastic.  Using a saw (which I kept calling a "drill", thoroughly confusing my husband) I cut six 51", boards and six 25" boards.  Lengthwise, I cut about 1/4 off one the 25" boards.  I drilled screws (with an actual drill) into the boards to make the 3  rectangular shaped frames.  Then, I placed the frames on top of each other.  The frame with the board cut lengthwise went on top, with the gap facing up.  I secured the frames together by using little pieces of the changing table.  I drilled two long pieces of the changing table level with the bottom of the gap, on the inside of the frame.  After securing the frame, I slid the plastic piece over the gap and rested it on the long pieces of the old changing table (they are the pink wood in the box).  The plastic slides back and forth for easy opening.  

The Result

I know it isn't the cutest cold frame in existence, but it is functional!  When I have more time, I plan on painting the inside white to reflect more sunlight onto the plants and soil.  Another fun project would be to ask my little one to help me decorate the outside of the box using paint. 

In retrospect, it might have been better to create a gap on either side of the box, so that the plastic could be cut in half and slide out in smaller pieces.  Right now, when the box is half open, the plastic sticks out pretty far.

Ditz alert: In order to get the screws into the boards, I had to drill a guide hole into the frame first.  I was cursing at the drill and how annoying it was to take the hole maker (I don't know what the name is for this, obviously) off and then put the other drill bit on to insert the screws.  I did this over and over, for every board.  Then I realized I could just make the holes on ALL the boards at once, then go back and drill in the screws.  Duh.