Print FriendlyWe are finally seeing some green! NP and I are trying our hand at starting seeds this year and it is oh so nice to be seeing green in March!
So, since this is our 1st go at starting our veggies indoors, we’re sure to learn a lot along the way!
**Warning**
Our system is NOT fancy. But, it does incorporate values that are important to us here at Brun Ko Farm like sustainability, efficiency, and frugality (frugality is a word-I looked it up!).
So, since this is our 1st go at starting our veggies indoors, we’re sure to learn a lot along the way!
**Warning**
Our system is NOT fancy. But, it does incorporate values that are important to us here at Brun Ko Farm like sustainability, efficiency, and frugality (frugality is a word-I looked it up!).
We are growing our seeds in a little green house in front of the only ‘old’ window left in the house. The house was built in 1902(ish) and we have slowly replaced all of the windows except one. Unfortunately, all of our new windows filter out many of the sun’s rays and plants don’t seem to grow very well in front of them! To help combat our shortage of unfiltered sunlight, we have enlisted the help of grow lights. Grow lights are lights that produce the specific wavelengths of light that plants need to grow. To prevent overly tall, gangly seedlings, we will need to keep the grow lights within 2-4 inches of the seedlings. More sophisticated systems have the grow lights hanging from chains and they can be adjusted up and down as the seedlings grow. Our system is rather crude and I am simply stacking boxes under the trays of seedlings to reach the proper placement! If it works well, we will devise a better system next year. :)
Making the newspaper pots went quickly once we developed a rhythm! We planted the seeds in newspaper pots and homemade potting soil. Remember all that compost the cows graciously provide us with? Well, it came in handy for this project! I have the pots nestled in miscellaneous Rubbermaid containers, including some drawers from Rubbermaid dressers! The potting soil was a no-brainer since we had all of the components sitting around. We used compost, perlite, and peat moss this year. Next year, I want to substitute coconut coir for the peat moss as the coconut coir is a by-product of the coconut industry and as such is a renewable resource whereas the jury is out about peat moss.
Remember, that I said one of the things we value is efficiency? It could be argued that making newspaper pots is not efficient because it takes a lot of time. But really, it didn’t take that much time once I got a rhythm down. Also, we made them over the winter while tending the woodstove so it didn’t feel like wasted time. We were tending the stove (getting warm!) and creating a useful product and recycling all at the same time! Also, it will save time and stress on the plant when we can transplant them directly into the ground this Spring without disturbing the roots when we take them out of plastic trays. And then there’s the $$ it saves …. :)
Our first ‘lesson’ so far was dealing with white mold growing in the seedlings. To help keep the seeds damp for germination, I covered the containers with plastic wrap to help hold in moisture. Once the seedlings all poked through the soil, I removed the plastic wrap to find white mold growing in addition to the seedlings! Air circulation seems to be the answer to this problem though and the mold has fizzled out since I removed the plastic wrap cover.
Currently, we have broccoli, a variety of peppers and pansies poking through. I couldn’t resist starting some flowers while we were at it! :)
And I bet ya thought this was going to be about green beer ;) Happy Saint Patty’s Day all!!
Enjoy!
Brun Ko Farm
Remember, that I said one of the things we value is efficiency? It could be argued that making newspaper pots is not efficient because it takes a lot of time. But really, it didn’t take that much time once I got a rhythm down. Also, we made them over the winter while tending the woodstove so it didn’t feel like wasted time. We were tending the stove (getting warm!) and creating a useful product and recycling all at the same time! Also, it will save time and stress on the plant when we can transplant them directly into the ground this Spring without disturbing the roots when we take them out of plastic trays. And then there’s the $$ it saves …. :)
Our first ‘lesson’ so far was dealing with white mold growing in the seedlings. To help keep the seeds damp for germination, I covered the containers with plastic wrap to help hold in moisture. Once the seedlings all poked through the soil, I removed the plastic wrap to find white mold growing in addition to the seedlings! Air circulation seems to be the answer to this problem though and the mold has fizzled out since I removed the plastic wrap cover.
Currently, we have broccoli, a variety of peppers and pansies poking through. I couldn’t resist starting some flowers while we were at it! :)
And I bet ya thought this was going to be about green beer ;) Happy Saint Patty’s Day all!!
Enjoy!
Brun Ko Farm
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