Rhubarb is a showy plant that holds its own in the front flower beds even if the critters have a snack here or there.  Don’t worry if the leaves get a bit chewed as they get composted regardless.  Be sure not to eat any part of the rhubarb leaves as they are toxic and will make you sick.  The thick red stems is what we are going for.

To harvest, solidly grasp the stem and twist to the side and pull to remove. Do not cut the stalks.

Trim the leaves in a fan pattern for storing in the fridge or  trim the tops completely if you plan to use the rhubarb right away.

Whether stalks are red or green doesn’t affect flavour, but the red stalks are generally preferred to make the beautiful pink colour often associated with rhubarb desserts like this Rhubarb Sorbet Recipe.

There are many types of upside-down planters available and none are expensive in the least.  I have seen many people who use 5-gallon buckets but I must say that once you buy all the hardware you will probably be spending more than just buying a Topsy Turvy planter or the self-watering planters I have hanging on my garage.

The Topsy Turvy planters are cheap but incredibly ugly so I welcome any photos or ideas folks have to make them a bit more presentable.

Materials:

• 1-2 cherry, grape or other small variety tomato plants
• Upside-down planter
• Solid ring hooks
• Bamboo stake
• Self watering system (see Step #8)
• Tomato fertilizer
• Container gardening soil or 40% peat moss / 60% soil

Directions: 

1. First things first, choose the right tomato plant for the hanging planter.  There is just no sense in picking a beefsteak or other large varietal. Large tomatoes generally grow on large plants and have heavy fruit.  These small planters are better suited to determinate/bush forming (as opposed to indeterminate/vine growing) so that the plant can build girth rather than length below the planting bag.  Also choosing container-loving cultivars like Tumbler, Jolly Elf, or Gold Nugget will ensure fruiting is prolific even on smaller plants.

2. Location is another important factor in hanging planters.  Check out site selection for Growing Strawberries in Hanging Containers / Grow Bags as it’s pretty much the same: 8-12 hours of fun sun a day.

3. Prepare your soil for planting by either mixing 40% peat moss 60% high quality organic soil mix (like Sea Soil) or a container gardening mix in a wheelbarrow with some water.  It’s best to moisten the soil before planting to ensure it will hold the water not just run right through the planting hole.

4. Remove your plant from the nursery pot and secure the stopper around the stem, being careful to not damage the stem.  All store-bought planters come with a stopper: either a foam ring or plastic disk with a hole in the center for the stem.

5. Have a strong helper hold your planter while you gently GENTLY maneuver the plant upside-down into the bottom hole from the top.  Again, don’t damage the stem.  If the leaves get a bit mangled it’s OK, but if you damage the stem get a new plant and start over.

6. Gently fill the moistened soil around the root ball about half-full, add a handful of complete organic fertilizer and fill up the rest of the way with more soil.

7. Hang the planter up on sturdy hooks (that should be included with your planter) no less than 7-8 feet off the ground.

**While most folks stop at this point there are a few lessons I’ve learned from growing tomatoes successfully on my garage that I shared in this post:  Topsy Turvy: Ugly as Stink But Good Tomatoes.  These few extra steps will help with the most common problems of upside-down tomato planters: dry soil and broken plants.**

8. The challenge with an upside down planter is that when they dry out, they are difficult to re-moisten.  Water generally flows through dry soil, and with upside-down planters, it can flow right through even moist soil. Unless you want to spend most of your free time slowly watering these planters all summer long, it’s best to set up a self-watering system.  Luckily the new planters I bought have a self-watering trough at the top. Success with this system comes from to ensuring that you don’t let the wick dry out.

You can also make your own self-watering system with these plant stakes or make your own by cutting a hole in the bottom of a soda bottle and poking a few weep holes in the cap.  Screw the cap on firmly and sink into the soil.  Fill with water and let drain.  To see the bottle watering system, check out the photos in this post about Topsy Turvy Tomato Planters.

9. Tomatoes are meant to grow upwards and left to their own devices, they will curve up toward the sky, grow big beautiful tomatoes…and then the stem will break right off in the wind or from the weight of the fruit.  Easily deal with this by sticking a bamboo stake in the bottom hole with the plant, and train the plant downwards as it grows.  An easy solution to a fatal (to ripe fruit at least) problem.

There you have it.  All the tools you need for successfully getting an upside-down planter started this year. These instructions also apply for peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, or squash so get creative with this weekend project.

 Participating in these link parties: Between Naps on the Porch, Tip Junkie, Not Just a Housewife , The Thrifty Home, Savvy Southern Style, Delightful Order, My Romantic Home, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things.

…

It’s around this time each year that I start salivating for sweet, fresh berries as I see my hanging strawberry planter growing in and the flowers forming.  Establishing a fruit-bearing crop in a growing bag is not difficult, but there are a few key steps that will certainly help.

Site Selection

Strawberries like many fruiting plants really like lots of sun.  It’s not to say that that a crop in a partly shaded are won’t bear fruit, but the fruit will be larger, sweeter and more prolific in 8-12 hours of fun sun a day.  Hanging planters will make the soil much warmer than the ground warm and out of reach from many pests which creates an more environment that can tolerate a less sun if necessary.

Container

I was able to find a green “Flower Tower” at a thrift store many years ago, but there are also very inexpensive grow bags that you can buy online or at hardware and garden stores.  You could certainly make your own, although with the price of these and all the hardware included, it seems more trouble than it’s worth.  If you don’t like the look of the bags (they ARE ugly) then wait a few months.  Soon you won’t see it at all with all the plants growing in.

Soil

Hanging baskets can get pretty heavy when filled with soil and water.  Regular garden soil isn’t light enough and compacts too easily for hanging planters.  The best choice is a container gardening mix that has lots of material mixed in to hold water, ensure drainage, and promote good air circulation. Add a few scoops of organic matter and mix well.  Strawberries like an acidic soil so stay away from mushroom manure which typically has lime in it.  I like to use my garden compost for the organic matter.

Plants

Strawberries are either June-Bearing (one large crop in early Summer) or Ever-Bearing (crop spread out over the summer months).  I like June-bearing as they produce more fruit.  Choose plants that are free from pests and disease, often it’s best to get them from a nursery to be sure.  Strawberry plants spread quickly through runners so if you have an established patch somewhere, or a neighbour does, you can easily clip those to start your planter.

Planting

  1. Fill the bag loosely with potting soil water thoroughly and slowly to ensure water gets absorbed throughout.

  2. Shake the soil off the roots of the strawberry plants and gently tuck them into the planting holes. Snip off any brown leaves, runners or roots and top up with more soil mix.

  3. Water thoroughly and slowly again, allowing the water to absorb into the soil rather than just running straight off through the holes.

  4. Hang and get ready for strawberries!

Watering

Watering these hanging bags can be tricky.  The water tends to quickly flow through the holes while the plant gets established.  If you lack the patience and arm strength to water very slowly, try a watering spike attached to a soda bottle or make your own by cutting a hole in the bottom of a soda bottle and poking a few weep holes in the cap.  Screw the cap on firmly and sink into the soil.  Fill with water and let drain.  Be careful not to let the planter dry out, particularly when it’s hot.

Fertilizer

Add a slow-release organic fertilizer at planting (a balanced 10-10-10) and a compost tea when flowering.  A compost tea or some Moo Poo Tea (from my friend, Annie Haven) are perfect to water with every few weeks in the spring and early summer.  Stop fertilizing when the fruit forms and water frequently for plump fruit.

Hopefully this will get you started with hanging strawberries as part of You Can Grow That! day created by C.L. of Whole Life Gardening.  For ideas on what to do with all your juicy berries check out Strawberry Coconut Torte, Organic Strawberry Jam, and Strawberry Balsamic & Black Pepper Preserves.

Participating in these link parties: Between Naps on the Porch, Tip Junkie, Not Just a Housewife , The Thrifty Home, Savvy Southern Style, Delightful Order, My Romantic Home, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table Dreaming, Nifty Thrifty Things.

In past years I have used a 4-tier wire shelf which allows me to grow 8 trays of seedlings into large plants as I can continuously move the shelves to make more room for taller plants.  Plus it comes with a greenhouse cover that makes the perfect transition to the outdoors to harden off seedlings.

I still plan to use the 4-tier wire shelf as an outdoor greenhouse when I pot up the seedlings into larger pots.  I decided that this year I would make something a little neater for the starts as the shelf is in a prominent place in our office.  Plus I need more room indoors for my air plants and terrariums.  I’ve seen the GORM shelf used for a few projects by fabulously stylish gardeners and this year I decided to give it a try.

Carrie from Read Between the Limes’s $29.99 IKEA Seed Starting Rack was the inspiration for this project.  Her shelf has fewer lights and adorable labels for her seeds and soil supply.  Make sure you check out Carrie’s blog for the instructions on how she set up her shelf and lots of great ideas on gardening with kids.

I added to Carrie’s set up by using 6 lights on the top three shelves which has been the perfect amount of light to prevent the seedlings from becoming too leggy.  Disclaimer: I had to leave the seedlings in a bright window for 3 days while I visited the Tulip Festival, so they did get somewhat leggy.

Tall, spindly (aka leggy) seedlings do not give your plants a great start.  It’s not the end of the world, but it indicates that the plants are not getting enough light which is stressful for the plant.  Growing really tall and skinny can cause the plants to flop over and break or easily be damaged.   If you have leggy plants, re-pot them in deeper pots with the soil line all the way up to the seed leaves (the first leaves that appeared when they sprouted).  All that extra stem can be tucked under the soil for protection and the leaves will have a fresh start.

The best remedy for leggyness is to provide enough light and the right kind of light.  For most home growers wanting to start a few seedlings, standard florescent utility lights work just fine.  If you can find inexpensive lights specifically made for growing plants, they may have a high colour temperature that more closely mimics the sun (and they are pink!).  These can be very expensive and for the price the results are not that much different than standard florescent bulbs so save your bucks and buy a “daylight” bulb instead.

Materials:

• 1 GORM Shelving Unit assembled as per instructions with 2 extra shelves.
• 6 utility lights with full spectrum or grow lights where available
• 12 screw in hooks
• 12 x 7” lengths of chain
• Wire or twine
• Power bar

Directions:

1.  Assemble shelving unit as per instructions. Space top 3 shelves 15” apart; these will be your growing shelves.  Space remaining 2 shelves as you desire from the bottom; these will be supply shelves.

2.  Screw 2 hooks to the underside on both the front and back board, spaced 2” in from the width of the lights.

3.  Tie wire or string around the light and affix the end of a length of chain to each side.  Simply hang the other end of the wires on the hooks at about 1” above the seedlings.  Continue to raise the lights as the seedlings grow.

4. I plug all the lights into a power bar so that I can easily turn on or off the whole thing with one switch.  Start by giving your seedlings 8 hours of light a day and slowly increase to 12 hours.  This mimics the increase in light the plants get as the seasons change and the days get longer.

Now don’t think you must have a dedicated area specifically for seed starting indoors.  My friend Sam sent me some great photos of the Victory Garden’s office where they have seeds growing all over the place.  I particularly love them growing under the desk – what a smart use of space!

For more information on seed starting, please check out the other posts in this series:  Seed Starting 101, Homemade Seed Starting Containers DIY Projects,  The Best and Worst Store Bought Seed Starting Containers and Seed Starting Outdoors Under Umbrella Greenhouses.

Victory Gardens is running a container gardening workshop at  Old Faithful Saturday, May 12th from 9:30 – 11 AM.  Not only will you learn some important basics on container gardening from this stylish collaboration, but also you will leave with your very own wooden crate planted with various greens and herbs and some certified organic Westcoast Seeds (my very favourite seeds!).

To register for this event, please go to http://www.Oldfaithfulshop.com/.  Space is limited.

Spring is the time to plant peas out in the garden.  Seeds germinate well in cool soil so plants have a strong start by the time summer hits.  I like to start my peas indoors then move the little vines out when they are strong enough, but you can also buy started pea plants at nurseries and farmers market this time of year.

When you plant your peas they will start to ramble and tangle along the ground and the sweet tips get munched on by just about any vegetable loving creature you can imagine (slugs, snails, the darn dog!) so it’s nice to grow them vertically up a support.  The little vines cling and twine nicely around string, and this simple trellis is perfect to pack a lot of peas into a small area.

Materials:

• Bamboo poles of various lengths
• A spool of garden twine
• A garden helper

Directions:

1. Stick two 6’ or longer bamboo poles into the soil on either side of your pea patch.

2.  Make a frame using two more bamboo poles that measure a few inches longer than the width of your side stakes.  Secure the poles together by tying twine around the poles where they cross in a figure eight pattern.

3. Using twine on a spool, tie one end of the twine to the bottom of one side of the bottom of the frame.  Run the twine up and over the top of the frame, and allow to drop back down.  Let your garden helper wind the twine around the frame over and over until you have reached the other side. Tie the twin in a knot on the end of the frame to secure.

4. Gently lift the tips of the pea plants and tuck their tendrils onto the twine.  The peas will take it from here.

This month we take a look at a garden book from a few different perspectives.  Three of our reviewers from Garden Therapy Book Club join us to share their thoughts on The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live.

 

Sam Philips is a partner of Victory Gardens, a Vancouver, BC, business who helps people grow their own food! The team at Victory Gardens looks forward transforming front yards for food production, facilitating dynamic workshops, such as: “Grow Your Own Pizza”, providing education and planning tools for the new urban farmer to grow what they eat and much more. Grow what you eat!

Mimi is a novice urban gardener living in a New York City borough, documenting her adventure in gardening at gardening in the boroughs of nyc. She gardens by trial and error, seeing what works and what doesn’t and learning from her failures. Her goal is to grow her own organic vegetables, fruit, plants, trees and flowers and try to recycle, re-use, conserve wherever she can.

Zoe is a full time job is a Dietitian, but her full time love is crafting, sewing, quilting and creating beautiful handcrafted items. She has a passion for home cooking and growing food to eat from her own garden in Kansas. She writes about it all at Scout’s Stitches.

 ~

Overview of  The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener

Sam:  Based off of the Nova Scotia coast, Niki Jabbour has written a comprehensive guide to year-round gardening that can be utilized by gardeners from an array of geographical regions. This book is useful to not only the beginner gardener, but also an experienced gardener who perhaps hasn’t fully delved into winter gardening. The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener stresses not only methods for winter gardening, but how to utilize row covers and cold frames to get a jump on warm-season crops as well.  Niki Jabbour covers planting successively, intensive gardening, and crop rotation in an easy to understand way.

 

First Impressions

Zoe: I liked the book. It presented the information in an organized way and explained the advantages and disadvantages of the different devices used to extend the growing season. Even for someone who is not quite ready to commit to year round gardening there was a lot of useful information. Some of the sections I found most useful were planting techniques to improve your harvest, crop rotation maps, and the section that looked at what varieties of vegetables thrive better in cool or warm seasons.

Sam: While I must admit that the cover is not the most eye-catching, some of the photos inside the book are quite stunning; one photo that stands out for me is an image of freshly harvested, dirt-covered carrots lying on a bed of white snow. It conveys bounty even when it’s barren outside.

Sam: The layout is very comprehensive, which is integral. My personal favorite was Niki’s chart on successive planting. The chart lays out the crops’ average days to harvest, if the crop is a repeated or single harvest, planting season, time between plantings, and type of succession planting. Planting successively and timing is the key to consistent harvest!

 

Cold Climate Gardening

Mimi: I’ve been gardening in the boroughs of New York City for the last 3 years and I often wondered how I could keep growing vegetables well into the late fall and winter.  Upon reading the book, I was so impressed with the techniques that Niki was using to extend her growing season.  She gardens far North of me, in Nova Scotia, Canada, and she was harvesting cool weather vegetables well into the snowy winter.   If she can do it that far north, I figured I have no excuse not to do it in zone 7.  Some of the techniques she uses to protect plants from the cold weather elements are row covers, cloches, cold frames, mini hoop tunnels, and greenhouses.  Many of the techniques are inexpensive and easy.

Sam: Gardening throughout the colder season has its advantages; for example, Niki Jabbour points out that there are fewer pests to contend with. What’s the biggest advantage to cold season gardening? Having the gratification of harvesting beautiful greens out of a cold frame for dinner in the winter! Niki is a VERY productive gardener. Not only this, she takes the steps to making it easy for her readers.

Zoe: There are many things I learned from this book. Some of the main things I will be paying more attention to in the future is using cloches or water filled cloches on my early planted tomatoes and peppers in case there is a late frost. We have had it happen a couple years where we planted early and then a late frost killed all of our tomatoes. Another tip from the book was to pay attention to which varieties of plants are bred to grow better in cool ground versus warm ground.  This is something I will start to pay attention to so that I can maximize harvest in whichever season I am growing.

 

Project: Interplanting (p. 30) rating: TBD

Zoe:  I didn’t technically try “a project” from the book, as we have been working on one major project for the garden this spring- a beautiful fence to keep the deer out!

But there are techniques that I plan to use from this book. One of the techniques I decided to use was Interplanting (page 30). In my little corner of the garden I planted brussels sprouts (pictured below) and I scattered spinach seed between the plants to use the space to its maximum potential. The spinach hasn’t sprouted yet, but it will soon and should be harvested by the time the brussels sprouts are ready!

 

~

Project: Hoop House (pg. 36) rating: 5/5

Sam: I wanted to speed up the germination of my arugula, mustards, radishes and lettuces, so I made hoop houses over my raised beds. All it took was some rebar (4 staked on the edges per side of a 4 by 6 bed), 4 pieces of ¾” PVC conduit piping cut to my desired length that I fit over top, and some row cover that I stretched over top and weighted down with rocks. The reason I used row cover is because the rainwater can get through, there is good moisture retention, and there is still good air circulation.

Niki notes that you can use the row cover on its own, laying it over your crops with enough slack for growth, but I like the aesthetic of a neat hoop house. Also, depending on the season, I can swap the row cover for a warmer poly. Some more delicate crops also get “chafed” if the row cover is laid on top of them. Remember to install a hoop house long before insects will be a problem, and secure the bottom tightly so they can’t creep on through. The hoop house not only speeds up germination by increasing the temperature 2 degrees Celsius, it keeps out the birds!

 

~

Project: Cloches (p. 42) rating: 5/5

Mimi:  An easy technique that Niki uses are cloches, which are dome shaped mini greenhouses that you put over individual plants, often made from plastic or glass.  You can buy fancy cloches, but an inexpensive DIY method is to re-use plastic juice bottles, soda bottles, milk containers or dome shaped food containers like the kind you get with a rotisserie chicken take-out.

 

~

Project: Cold-Frame (p. 45) rating: 5/5

Mimi: The one technique that I was most interested in was the cold frame.  In Niki’s book, starting on page 45, she describes different types of cold frames from portable to permanent structures.  Since I already have raised beds in the garden, I simply added the window frame on top of the raised bed so that it could insulate the bed and trap in the sunlight to warm up the soil and seedlings.

During mid-day when the sun is out, you can prop the window open to allow for some ventilation. It’s also great if you put a hinge on the edge of the window and box to secure the window in place and to allow you to easily open and close it.

~

I’m so grateful and honoured that these amazing ladies took the time to share their thoughts on the book and show off some of the projects they tested.  They have collectively given us a thorough idea of the sheer amount of great information in  The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener and some insight as to the kind of projects you can expect.

To learn more about how Sam can help you Grow What You Eat! please visit Victory Gardens for personalized help with starting your very own veggie garden no matter what space you have.  They will even send you reminders on when to plant veggies by e-mail!

To check out the eco-conscious Mimi in her quest for a greener 2012, visit her at gardening in the boroughs of nyc and revel in all her great ideas on how to reduce her carbon footprint.  She is such an inspiration!

To follow the wildly creative Zoe in her crafty adventures, make sure you check out her blog, Scout’s Stitches.  From April 25-30 be sure to check out How Does your Garden Grow gardening series with a special guest post from yours truly.

 

Want to win a copy of  The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener?  Enter by leaving a comment below before April 25.  Get bonus entries by tweeting this post or sharing on Facebook and coming back here to let us know you did.  Contest now closed.  Congratulations to the winner: George!

Part 2 of Seed Starting Containers: The Real Dirt checks out the pros and cons of store-bought seed starters from your garden center or supply store.  Just like the homemade containers, there are many different options for starting seeds with purchased containers but not all of them will give your seedlings the best start.  The prices range from frugal to just plain silly.  Expensive doesn’t always mean best.  Please have a read through this list of pros and cans so you can sort out the gimmicks from the goods.

Peat Pellets

These little pressed peat pellets are sold in small disks covered by thin netting.  When soaked in water they grow to 3-5x in size and have a little hole in the top for the seed to go in.  They are often sold in mini greenhouse kits with a black watering tray and clear plastic greenhouse dome.  With these pellets you are growing a plug which is meant to be potted up to a larger pot or in the ground quite soon after the seedling sprouts.

Pros: fairly cheap if bought in bulk (but watch out for high prices in some shops), compact to store, fits nicely in seed starting trays (in many cases you can fit 72 plugs per tray), netting can carefully be removed providing a protected soil plug that can be carefully potted into a larger pot or the garden

Cons:  too small to be useful for most seedlings, the netting should really be removed as to not stress the roots when they are tiny (technically roots can grow through the net, but in my experience the plants are smaller as the net restricts normal root growth), re-potting when seedlings are that small is unnecessarily stressful to the plant and they are easily damaged

Please note that peat moss is a controversial product. Some reports say that peat bogs are being over harvested and other reports show otherwise.  For more information please check out Peat Moss and The Environment and The Myth of Permanent Peatlands.

Peat or Coir Pots

Pots made of pressed peat or coconut coir (fiber) that you still fill with soil before planting your seeds are becoming increasingly popular plus they on-trend with a push towards green, biodegradable products.  The claim is that the roots can grow through the pot so they can be planted directly out in the garden.  You should rip the top of the pot off to soil level when planting out however, because if the edges of the pot sit above the soil line, it will wick moisture away from the roots.

Pros: Large enough that you don’t need to repot the seedling right away, more sustainable than plastic (but see note on peat moss above)

Cons: EXPENSIVE, gimmicky, gives roots unnecessary struggle to get through pot to reach garden soil (some manufacturers call this “root-pruning” but I still find the plants are much smaller and less healthy than those without the root ball surrounded by a biodegradable pot

Plastic Pots

There is a wide array of plastic pots available for seed starting.  You can use the nursery pots that you or your gardening friends will no doubt have stacked up somewhere from buying brand-sparkly-new plants.  You can also buy a whole array of sizes and shapes for setting in black plastic trays.  In general, bigger pots are best for bigger plants and plants that are delicate (that you don’t want to transplant too many times). Smaller pots sometimes come in multiples like 6 or 9, can be used for growing smaller plants, plugs of multiples (like lettuce and peas), or for seedlings that will move out to the garden in a very short time (like beans).

Square tall plastic nursery pots are my favourite way to start plants.  I like that they have a deeper soil base, are large enough that you don’t need to pot-up seedlings before transplanting in the garden, and the square shape efficiently fits into black plastic trays.  I also like plastic containers with 6 separate sections for growing many of one kind of plant.

Now, while plastic is not sustainable or biodegradable, I use the same pots year after year, washing them out at the beginning and end of the season.  Some I have purchased but many I’ve just acquired so the cost is very low.  I do replace my black plastic trays every few years when I can’t patch up the holes.  I have found a place to recycle them though, so I feel a bit better about that.

Pros: cheap to free, reusable, variety of sizes, best possible start for plants in my opinion.

Cons: not biodegradable, not cute or trendy

Mini Greenhouse Trays

The peat pellets, fiber pots, and plastic cells can be bought in pre-made mini greenhouse kits that include a black plastic bottom tray with some grooves to drain off the water and a clear plastic dome to act as a greenhouse, which prevents soil from drying out and maintains humidity.  You must remove the dome after the seeds sprout as too much humidity can lead to “dampening off”, a fungal disease that will kill the new seedlings.  I have a set of these from when I was a seed-starting beginner and I use them year after year.  They are a great investment and an essential seed starting tool for me.

Pros:  neat, convenient, good system for germinating seeds, reusable

Cons: you will have to buy a larger dome if you want to keep using it past the sprouting stage as seedlings will quickly outgrow the lid, dome only useful for germination (after that high-humidity causes fungal disease)

Self-Watering Trays

If you are a forgetful gardener, or plan to be away when you’ve started your seeds, then a self-watering tray is a good option.  The pots sit on a fiber pad that wicks water up from a reservoir below.  You must soak the pad and ensure that the reservoir is full then the soil sucks up moisture from the pad when it’s needed.  I have some and they stay very moist which is good for seedlings AND fungus.  One thing to watch out for is mold growth or fungal disease starting on the wick.  Keep the wick clean, washing occasionally and spray with a bit of hydrogen peroxide to kill fungus.

Pros: low maintenance, prevents seedlings from drying out

Cons: expensive to buy, promotes fungal growth

Heat Mats

Some greenhouse kits come with an electric heat mat that sits below the plastic tray.  These can also be purchased separately. Heat mats claim to aid in germination by raising the soil to the optimum temperature.  Some people use heating pads (that you would use for your back) but the temperatures are much higher on those so proceed with caution, you could easily cook your soil and seeds.

I always use heat mats for my tomatoes, it helps them germinate in just a few days as opposed to weeks and gets them off to a better start.  Use the heat mat during the day and turn it off at night to simulate the natural cooling of the soil at nighttime.  Remove the heat mat as soon as all the seeds have germinated and set them up with some grow lights instead.

Here is a photo of my set up, that include plastic pots in mini greenhouse trays (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, kale, tarragon, cilantro, spinach, radicchio) and some green self watering pots with individual greenhouse domes (different lettuce varieties and oriental greens).

For more information on the whole process of seed starting, check out Seed Starting 101 for a birds eye view of what’s required to start seeds.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series, Growing Seedlings Indoors, which will have instructions to build a DIY grow light set up like this:

Buying Guide

Micro greens are different than sprouts because are grown in a soil or soil-like medium.  This is a time lapse photo journal of about 2 weeks growing time for my sunflower micro greens.

For more information on how to grow them check out this post on growing micro greens in a chicken dome.  For information on sprouting check out this post on sprouting mung beans and green peas in a mason jar or this post on my Fresh Life Automatic Sprouter.

Day 1

Day 5

Day 7

Day 15

Day 17

Many places sell a bean mix that contain a variety of different lentils, peas and beans.  I used mung beans (these are the beans that sprout the long white bean sprouts you typically find in Asian food) and green peas as I like the combination of starchy and sweet favour.  Plus they both sprout in 3-4 days so they are compatible for timing.

Fill a 1L mason jar 1/4 of the way with dried organic beans/peas.  Cover them with water and leave on your counter to soak overnight, 8-12 hours.  Cut a square of cheesecloth and secure it tightly with a canning jar ring.  Strain off water and set back down on your counter.  Rinse the jar contents now 4 x per day, straining off all the liquid.

After 4 days or so, the contents of the jar sprout and jar will start to fill up – it’s time to eat them!  Add raw to salads and sandwiches or toss into stir-fries and soups.  I have also heard of people adding them to smoothies although I’m not tripping over myself to try that one.  Any other ideas on how to use these sprouts in recipes?

See this post featured at At the Picket Fence’s Inspiration Friday and North Coast Gardening’s Miscellany Monday.

Update: I buy my seeds from West Coast Seeds but you can also find them online here.