Favorite Thing - Soil Blocks

I'm glad to say that my love/hate relationship with soil blocks has now grown into being one of just love.  (Exciting, I know.)  I think the "hate" part of it was the result of having to source and combine the ingredients to create the soil block mix each year.  One benefit of living in Vermont is that many of local garden centers carry Vermont Compost Company's Fort Vee potting mix, which is designed for soil blocks.  Having used it now for the past couple of months, I have to say that I'm a HUGE fan.  Hopefully I'll never have to go back to making my own mix ever again.


This year, I decided to buy a 1 1/2 inch soil blocker to accompany my 2 inch and 3/4 inch mini blockers.  I start most of my melons, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peppers and larger brassicas like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower each year using the 2 inch blocker.  However, this size block is a generally too large for greens like spinach and lettuce and most Asian greens like bok choy, tatsoi, mizuna, choy sum, etc.  The 1 1/2 inch blocks are good for onions and beets as well.  If you're on a tight gardening budget, I'd recommend getting the 2 inch blocker to start, but now that I have both, I couldn't imagine doing without either.  Admittedly, I haven't found much use for the 3/4 inch mini blocker and doubt that I ever will.


I generally sow 2 to 3 seeds per block and then thin the seedlings down to 1 (with the exception of scallions, which I don't thin, and large seeds, which I sow 1 or 2 per block).  Most of the time, I get pretty good germination rates this way. 


For tomatoes and peppers, I generally pot-up to a 3 or 4 inch pot once they've outgrown their blocks and bury as much of the stem as I can.  I'd consider buying a 4 inch blocker but don't think it's really worth it.

Anyway, if you've never tried soil blocks, I hope you give them a try.  The blockers run about 25 to 30 dollars each but are well worth the investment in my opinion.

Gardener's Wish List

I cannot tell you how much I love our indoor growing space. As I'd mentioned earlier, our landlord is an avid gardener and had designed this room to accommodate the bulk of her house plants and garden transplants. She referred to it as the 'conservatory' but I prefer to use the term 'green room'. Marc and I hope to one day buy a piece of farm land and build our own home. If our wish comes true, I'd like to have a room built just like this one.

I feel a bit spoiled now compared to the growing space I had in the basement of our old home. The room itself comes with a lot of perks. There are remote controlled shades that we can extend over the glass ceiling on ultra hot days and a fan that turns on automatically if the room temperature goes above a preset number.

In addition to the built-in selves, the room also has a prep station with storage, a stone counter top and a good sized sink. There are three faucets, two of which can be connected to hoses for easy watering.

What I find most impressive is the wood floor, which is sloped slightly inward and has a built-in drain. There's radiant heating underneath the floor so it dries fairly quickly.

When we move again (which hopefully won't be anytime soon), I would sorely miss this room. If you had a green room, what features would you want in it?

Waiting.....A Repeat of 2009?

I have about seven trays of heat-loving summer veggies waiting to be transplanted out into the garden. With the weather working against me, I'm getting anxious about getting everything amended, turned, planted and weeded this week - even if I have to do it in the pouring rain.

I'm really happy about my pepper and chili plants this year. They have grown to a size perfect for transplanting.


My tomatoes are looking good too. Part of me is REALLY annoyed that they are not in the ground yet. (I feel behind my fellow Massachusetts gardeners in this respect!) This year, I'm only growing 20 tomato plants, which is about half the amount I grew last year. For a family of three, this is more than enough I think. We are still consuming pasta sauce and salsa from last year's crop and we'll have enough to get us by until the first tomatoes come in. My goal is to grow enough so that we never have to buy jarred pasta sauce again!


My corn on the other hand is growing comfortably inside. They will have their first taste of the outdoors tomorrow. I'm growing a lot of corn this year and two varieties. This just the first sowing. I have two more to go.


I've also started a tray of long beans. I had really good germination rates from pre-sprouting the seeds in a paper napkin first before sowing them in cells. However, I had awful results last year planting pre-sprouted seeds directly in the garden.

In addition to these, I also have more Asian greens, a 2nd sowing of broccoli and cauliflower, cantaloupe, french melon, watermelon, strawberry, cucumber, zucchini, acorn squash and herb plants waiting to be dealt with. Needless to say, this will be a busy weekend.

Looking at the forecast for the next 10 days, I can't help but to wonder whether or not we're in for a repeat of 2009. Starting plants from seeds yourself definitely helps to mitigate the risk of blight and other plant diseases. So what do you guys think? Will this be a good year for farmers and veggie gardeners on the East coast?

Indoor Seed Starting Update

For the most part, I'm pretty happy about how things have grown indoors this spring. Unlike last year, my lettuces sprouted well this time around. On the other hand, only a third of my Poblano peppers ended up germinating, only five of my Sarian strawberries sprouted and a few of my melons are proving rather difficult at the moment.


The rest of my peppers, however, are growing really well. I'm amazed by how much healthier they are now compared to last year. Then again, I didn't have to battle aphids this time around.


I think I timed my tomatoes just right this year. Last year, I started the seeds too early and as a result, they ended up outgrowing their pots and looked rather stressed when it came time to set them out. I'll start hardening them off this weekend and hopefully will be able to get them into the ground a week or so after that.


I've also started my melons, squash and cucumbers. All of my cucumbers sprouted very quickly. So did the Blacktail Mountain watermelon and Athena cantaloupe. My Yellow Sunshine watermelon and Petit Gris French melon on the other hand are not doing much of anything. It can be so aggravating not knowing whether it's you or the seed that's the problem. I guess you can't have everything turn out the way you would want it.

This upcoming weekend, I think I'll start my corn indoors as well. I know you're not supposed to as corn doesn't transplant well but it seemed to work fine for me last year. I find it easiest to pre-sprout the seeds before sowing them. Also, starting them in soil blocks should make the transplanting process much less stressful.

Over-Wintered Kale

Not much growing in the garden right now, except for maybe the kale. This week is the first time in months that the nightly low hasn't reached below 31 degrees in our area. Some of my early transplants suffered major frost damage when it got down to 25 degrees last week but I think they'll recover. I guess I'll start some more now just to be on the safe side.

Some random tidbits - Inside, the peppers and tomatoes have sprouted and the artichokes are ready for cold treatment (they'll be kept outside unless it gets below 35 degrees). I've just done a second sowing of Poblano peppers - something we didn't grow nearly enough last summer. Also, I'll have to fit in some time during the next couple of days to sow some shell and snow peas. (Finally.) I feel like they were already up and growing this time last year.


Anyway, I was able to harvest some Red Russian kale this past weekend. Something tells me these plants won't last very long as they were the first to bolt last spring.

Is it March Already?

I have to apologize for being rather MIA lately, but it's not for lack of interest I can assure you. Admittedly, I've had a lot on my mind lately. In addition to the garden, I'm hoping to take on one or two other major projects this year - things I've been wanting to accomplish for a long time now but for one reason or another have not been able to get around to doing. I didn't have a New Year's resolution for 2011, but if I had to come up with one right now, "more doing and less dreaming" sounds like a good one. We'll see how well that goes.


Unfortunately there's not much to report on the gardening front. From the steady snow melt, we're starting to see some lawn - a welcomed sight indeed! But we still have to wait a while longer before we can put garden fork to soil again. I'm hoping to get the hoop house cleaned up within the next couple of weeks and get the first seedlings in the ground shortly after that - that is if the flood waters don't come this year.

Inside I have some lettuce, spinach, Napa cabbage, tatsoi, mizuna and bok choy growing away. They look healthy and I'm glad to report that the green aphids have not developed into anything more than being a minor nuisance. Let's hope it stays that way.


Another tray of scallions, leeks, celery and artichokes is also well underway. Earlier this week, I also sowed some broccoli, herbs, strawberries (a day-neutral variety easily started from seeds called "Sarian") and a second round of spring greens.

Things are moving fact and hopefully by this time next month, the shelves will be filled to capacity. How is your seed starting coming along?

Seedling Update - Flirting with Desaster.

Things are coming along slowly but surely on the seed starting front. I try to examine my seedlings very closely on a daily basis to look for any signs of trouble. Some of you may recall that I had a serious run-in with green aphids last year, which you can read about here. I'd purchased several infected plants from an online nursery and the little bastards ended up spreading to the rest of my indoor seedlings, ultimately decimating my artichoke plants.

You can understand now why I FLIPPED OUT yesterday when I spotted several green aphids on my bok choy microgreens. How on earth was this possible?! They'd disappeared from the basement when I set out all of my plants last spring and my fall seedlings showed no signs of infection. Then it dawned on me that several weeks ago, I'd brought inside from the hoop house my carrot bucket to thaw out. Stupidly, I placed it down in the basement next to my seed starting shelves. Upon closer inspection, the bucket harbored a huge colony of overwintering aphids (surely descendants from last year's brood). I moved as quickly as I could to quarantine my seedlings. I dumped the carrot bucket outside and moved the microgreens onto the back porch. I inspected my seedlings and found several aphids so I saturated everything with organic insecticidal soap spray. For now, I've placed clear plastic domes over all of my plant trays to prevent any stray bugs from getting to them. Tomorrow night, I will wipe down the shelves as an added precaution and spray again in a week. I will not remove the domes unless I am confident that the aphids are gone. From now on, no more foreign or outdoor plants in the basement!

Aphids aside, here's how the seedlings are looking at the moment:

Last year's scallion seeds

Last year's celery seeds

Winter Density lettuce

Imperial artichokes

First Signs of Life

Apologies - these photos are about a week old. I should have gotten around to posting about them earlier. I've found that the best and sure fire way to start artichokes is by soaking the seeds overnight and then pre-sprouting them in a damp paper towel. Doing this saves a lot of time and aggravation in the long run.


The scallion seeds I purchased last year have remained viable. Thank goodness for small miracles.


The Regiment spinach is starting out bit spotty (any suggestion?) while the Winter Density lettuce needs to be thinned.

Also, I started most of my spring greens tonight and am hopeful (considering the wave of warmer we've experienced this week) that they will be ready to be transplanted into the hoop house by mid-March.

Planting Medium

I don't remember the last time I've gone a week without posting anything. I guess I've been distracted lately. You could say that I've rediscovered my passion for baking and have been consumed with several of my long neglected pastry/bread making books. I spent a good part of my early 20's working at a cafe in Boston's South End neighborhood. I have to admit that it was one of the best jobs that I've ever had. I miss arriving at the cafe before the sun rose, turning on the ovens to bake the morning's pasties and sitting down with a fresh cup of dark roasted Costa Rican coffee to take in the sunrise before the doors opened. Maybe one day I'll come full circle and open up a small neighborhood cafe of my own.

On the gardening front, earlier this month I was able to track down the ingredients for my soil block mix. For anyone interested, I use this recipe developed by Eliot Coleman. To my delight, I found at our local plant nursery an amazing shellfish compost produced by Winterwood Farm out of Maine. Uniform in texture, the compost is crumbly and incredibly fresh smelling. I would have never guessed that it was made of shellfish. I doubt you would be able to find something this good at a chain store.


This year, I've also decided to be a bit more selective about using soil blocks. They require a bit of work and for some veggies, especially those that don't mind having their roots disturbed a bit, it's just not worth it in my opinion. And that is why I also picked up a few cell flats at the plant nursery. At 99 cents a piece, I couldn't think of a reason not to. I'm sure they'll come in handy when I sow the bulk of my spring greens.

And So It Begins...

This past weekend, I finally got around to sowing the first seeds for 2011. I must admit that up until now, I'd been struggling to get motivated. Then it hit me that February was here, which meant that March was just around the corner. My anxiety ended up winning out over my laziness.

I started a few cells of scallions, several varieties of lettuce, celery and spinach. I also soaked some artichoke seeds for a day and then placed them in a plastic container lined with some damp paper towels. Hopefully they'll sprout in a week or so. I had success starting them this way last year and fingers crossed it will work again this year.


I also started a couple trays of white stemmed mini bok choy. These will be harvested as microgreens. I figured that since the hoop house was half buried in snow right now, these greens will help tie us over until the winter warms u a bit.

Now that the spring gardening underway, I'm looking forward to doings more. How is your seed starting going?

2011 Seed Starting Schedule

I've been meaning to post my seed starting schedule for this year's spring and summer garden. Without much fanfare, here it. I'm sure as time goes on, I will make some adjustments. I'm trying to avoid starting some of my veggies too early this year. Not only is limited indoor growing space an issue but transplanting certain crops when they are overly root-bound can actually set them back. Besides, considering how much snow we've gotten this winter, I'm betting on a colder than usual spring.

A couple of caveats here: The dates that appear in parentheses will be used if the weather pattern this spring appears warmer than usual. Unlike last year, I'll be growing most of my onions from purchased starts. Since onion plants started from seed spend so much time inside, I'm hoping this will free up some indoor growing space. Also I'm starting all of my early spring greens now and will transplant them into the hoop house come early March (I probably should have started my lettuce already). I'm growing only spring greens that can be harvested at any stage of maturity because they will have be cleared out of the hoop house in May to make way for summer peppers, cucumbers and beans.

What's also nice about a having a hoop house this year is that I can harden-off all of my transplants in it. I addition to shielding the plants from high winds and excessive sunlight, the hoop house will also protect against the creeping frost so common in April. The sowing dates here are based a frost free date of May 7th.

Variety	Indoor Starting Date	Set Out Date	Direct Sow
Artichoke - Imperial Star	5-Feb	7-May
Beans - Contender, Dragon's			7-May
Beans - Fava			19-Mar
Beans - Envy			14-May
Beets			9-Apr
Broccoli	5-Mar	16-Apr
Brussel Sprouts	30-Apr	21-May
Cabbage - Napa	5-Mar	5-Mar
Cabbage - Savoy	19-Mar	30-Apr
Carrots - Paris Market, Napoli			9-Apr
Cauliflower	12-Mar	16-Apr
Celery	Now	16-Apr
Corn	23-Apr	21-May (14)	21-May (14)
Cucumbers - All Varieties	23-Apr	21-May
Ground Cherry	5-Mar	14-May (7)
Kale	5-Mar	16-Apr
Lettuce	Now	successive
Leeks	26-Feb	7-May (30-Apr)
Melons - All Varieties	23-Apr	21-May
Peas - Snow and Shell			19-Mar
Peppers - All Varieties	12-Mar	14-May (7)
Radishes			9-Apr
Scallions	Now		Mid-March
Strawberries - Sarian	26-Feb	16-Apr
Swiss Chard	3-Mar	16-Apr
Tomatoes - All Varieties	26-Mar (19)	14-May (7)
Tomatillos	26-Mar (19)	14-May (7)
Watermelon - All Varieties	23-Apr	21-May
Zucchini	23-Apr	21-May
Herbs		Hoop House
Basil	19-Mar	Late April
Cilantro	5-Mar	Mid April
Dill	5-Mar	Mid April
Fennel	5-Mar	Mid April
Oregano	5-Mar	Mid April
Parsley	5-Mar	Mid April
Sage	5-Mar	Mid April
Thai Basil	19-Mar	Late April
Spring Veggies		Hoop House
Hakurei Turnips		Early March
Lettuce	Now	Early March
Mizuna	Now	Early March
Mini-Nape Cabage	Now	Early March
Shanghai Bok Choy	Now	Early March
Spinach	Now	Early March
Tatsoi	Now	Early March

From Cool to Warm

My indoor seed-starting is slowing winding down. It's been over 3 months since the first seeds were sown and I've had my fair share of successes (notably tomatoes and brassicas) and failures (artichokes and lettuce). Hopefully, I will learn from my mistakes next year. The cool weather crops are long gone from the shelves and what's left are your typical warm season veggies (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers/chilies, melons, summer squash and cucumbers).


I had 100% germination from my Sugar Baby watermelon seeds. From what I've heard, it can be difficult to achieve a full-sized watermelon from a home garden here in New England. Since most of my garden is part shade, I'm not that optimistic about my chances. I'm also growing Charantais melons this year, an heirloom variety I've heard so many wonderful things about. Hopefully it will grow well for me as I'm very excited to taste it.

My Sweet Delight honey dew melon seeds did not germinate well at all. After a failed first attempt, I was finally able to coax 2 seeds to sprout. (Also pictured here are zinnias and nasturtiums.)


My bush beans (left) also did not germinate well, only 8 out of an entire packet of seeds. The zucchini (middle) are beginning to form their first true leaves. (Also pictured: more broccoli, cauliflower and morning glories.)

Finally, my Spacemaster cukes are coming along well. I have 4 total along with 1 long Asian variety. In my opinion, there's nothing more refreshing than a freshly picked cucumber from the garden. I think I'll sow a few more seeds to make sure we have an over abundance this summer. (Also pictured: Calabash gourd - an edible Asian variety.)

Cardboard Pots - Two Thumbs Down

In early April, I used some cardboard paper towel rolls that I had saved up to make mini pots. Into them went my basil, Thai basil, cilantro, dill and tomatilloes.


Over a month later, the seedlings are still looking small and weak. You can see that some of the young leaves are also turning yellow. I think the problem here is soil depth (1 1/2 inch), or lack thereof. If I were to try this again (which is doubtful), I would make the pots at least twice as deep. I ended up transplanting the seedlings into my garden earlier this week (a bit early, I know) in an effort to save them. They definitely seem happier now.

April Sunshine...and Potatoes

It's strange how suddenly and dramatically the weather can turn here in New England this time of year. The near record-breaking rain we experienced earlier this week has been replaced by beautiful sunshine and high's in the 70's. I'll use this opportunity to harden off some of my plants. And as the weather warms up, I will be leaving more and more of my seedlings outside during the day. I hope they enjoy life away from the basement.


In other news, my seed potatoes arrived in the mail from Moose Tubers a couple of days ago. Immediately upon opening the box, I thought, "Yikes!" Since this is my first time growing potatoes, I didn't really have an idea as to how much I should order. Who knew 9 lbs of seed potatoes would amount to so much?


I'm growing 3 varieties this year, including this "All Blue". I love the look of this potato, which has a deep purplish-blue interior. Hopefully it will live up to its reputation taste-wise.


I'm also really excited to try this "Rose Finn", which is a fingerling variety. The flesh is supposed to be a bright yellow and streaked with red. I'm sure these will make excellent roasted potatoes.


Finally, I don't know much about this "Red Thumb" variety, but I'm hoping that I will be pleasantly surprised. Admittedly, we don't eat many potatoes in our household...maybe because we've never had freshly dug potatoes for dinner before. Some have described it simply as "a revelation". How can you not want to grow your own after hearing a testimonial like that?!

Sunshine, Rain and Everything in Between

Hardening off (from left: wild strawberries, herbs and artichokes)

This week, I'm moving more of my hardier plants outdoors to make room for my warm season veggies. The tomatoes are taking up more and more space and in a couple of weeks, I will be starting my melons and summer squash. During the long Easter weekend, I will also tackle the task of cleaning up the old owner's garden, which is situated on an ideal spot in our yard for sun. This will have to take top priority as our last frost date is a little over a month away and before we know it, we'll be transplanting our tomatoes.

On a side note, I've been feeling lately that there never seems to be enough time during the day to get anything done. Spring fever? Modern culture? Urban living? Call it what you want, but if you ask me, this can't be good for your health. Our lives are often defined by our many obligations...I think I'm due for a different perspective. During the past couple of months, I've been so anxious to get things started, transplanted and grown that I kind of lost track of what makes gardening fun. Also, I hate to admit it but the recent storms and pests have put a slight damper on my mood.

So what's the solution? I don't know exactly but I'm hoping it will come to me soon. I'm thinking few days away from my plants may do me some good. That being said, I hope you all are feeling much more motivated than I am! (I need to catch up on my blog reading!)

Chrysanthemum tea plants and my newly purchased rosemary

Spring Preparations - Part II

Without going into too much detail, here is another update on what else I have growing at the moment:


(From left: Tuscan kale, Mizuna and Shanghai bok choy) The early spring greens I transplanted a couple of weekends ago are doing very well. The soil under my hoops is a bit soggy while the rest of my garden is still covered with standing water. I am somewhat concerned that the soggy conditions might cause all of the seeds that I've recently sown to rot. I hate the prospect of having to re-sow everything.


Despite the weather last weekend, I did get a chance to transplant more Kale and mini Napa cabbages.


Inside, I potted up my tomatoes this week. I buried the stems a bit to encourage more root growth. Here, I have Sungold F1, Cherokee Purple, Siberian, Black Krim and Green Zebra. I will be growing 15 other varieties this year as well. (Yikes!)


I thinned my ground cherries down to 1 or 2 per block/peat pod. I really should thin them all down to 1.


The sage, thyme, oregano and German chamomile were potted up as well. I've given up on the rosemary.


The chilies and peppers (Ancho/Poblano, Hawaiian, Thai, Early Jalapeno and Italian Pepperoncini) are growing slowly but surely.


The Rosa Bianca eggplant took FOREVER to germinate.


More Asian Greens (extra dwarf bok choy and tatsoi) and Manoa lettuce.


I thinned my celery once before but it looks like I didn't do a very good job. I just can't bring myself to thin them down to 1 per block. Next year, I will sow 1 seed per mini block instead and pot up to a 2 inch block. That way, I won't feel like I wasting anything.


This isn't a great picture but I just love the striking color of this Rhubarb chard.

Finally, although not pictured, I also have some cauliflower and Piracicaba broccoli growing inside at the moment. I hope everyone's spring preparations are going well!