Repotted Pepper Seedlings. 2.27.22

I didn't post on them, but the first group of pepper plants started to look puny, with curling leaves and pale color. As I described for tomato seedlings, I think it's the seedling starting medium. It seems fine for onions, perennial flowers, and others but not for long term growing of pepper and tomato seedlings. So I repotted them into regular potting soil. They also seem to have some tiny flues, so I sprayed today with some "Safer" organic spray. I think they are starting to perk up.

Repotting Carnation Seedlings. 2.27.22

Of the early started seedlings, the carnations look the most vigorous and sturdy so far. I repotted into slightly larger plant tray. They're not rootbound yet, but it's definitely time for larger containers.

After repotting. I think they'll be ready to plant outside in a month. That means the extra raised bed will need to be ready by then too :-)

Repotting Miniature Tomato Seedlings. 2.27.22

Red Robin and MicroTom. They look a little sickly. I think it's the seedling medium - that happened last year with peppers, and completely resolved when I potted into regular potting soil.

It's interesting the MicroToms have flower buds even though they are only two inches tall. I will remove those. I potted them all into four inch pots in regular potting soil.

I think they will green up and perk up. Even if they don't, I want to try again as a window sill plant, when Spring comes.

An Extra "Raised Bed" Project. 2.26.22

There is some extra space for a few more vegetables or flowers. I don't want the expense and work of constructing an actual, durable, raised bed, but I'd like something there. I found fabric grow-bags on Amazon, shaped like bushel baskets, very affordable. A small fraction of the cost of raised bed construction materials. I also have a couple of plastic "half barrels" the same size. However, arranged together, they look kind of messsy. I decided to build an open bottom "box" for them, approximate dimensions of the other raised beds. They will sit on pallets, 3 1/2 feet by 4 feet square, 4 inches tall so they are slightly up from the ground. From a distance, this should just look like an ordinary raised bed. The containers will be a nice size for smaller clusters of plants, such as shallots, or Thai peppers, or beans, or cucumbers, or lettuce, or carnations. So there, I've just reserved them all even though it's not built. We have aged cedar picket fencing that was removed to build a new privacy / deer fence. It's been laying around. There are multiple sections. They don't look like much at all, but when they are cut, the wood is tan and pink and still fragrant with cedar oils,

It's difficult to picture, but I think I can convert these into a nice, weathered cedar box. The 2 x 4's are pressure treated and also in excellent shape. There are 4 x 4 fence posts, also pressure treated, for the corners and I think I can remove the old brackets to re-use them too.
So today I took apart several sections of the fencing, cut four of the 2 x 4's into eight foot lengths with clean ends, cut the tops and bottoms from the pickets, into 22" tall boards that will constitute the sides of the box. I think I'm about half way through what is needed. If it doesn't work out, those will all fit in the wood stove next winter. :-) I estimate this box can be completed in about a non-rainy week. First is recovery of good wood and cutting it, to make a sort of kit to assemble. Thinking ahead, once the wood is cleaned up and the box is built, and dried by summer sun, I can stain it so it will look like new. Or not.

Winter Garden Update. 2.26.22

Some of the chill garden seeds have started to germinate. Here are some radishes.

And some spinach.

Egyptian Walking Onions are looking pretty good. I gave them a bit of Miracle Grow. I know that's not organic, but it's not Deisel Oil, either. I think the plant food will boost them a bit for super early scallions. I also gave them some slug bait. Slugs love onions.

I try to keep the garlic bed weeded. That's why it is so helpful to grow garlic in raised beds or large containers. It's much easier to maintain them even though the ground is too muddy to walk on in a normal, ground level garden. The garlic plants look pretty nice so far.