[AG-EQ] How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors

Tracy Carcione carcione at access.net
Tue Mar 31 19:40:56 UTC 2020 

Hi Susan.
That sounds great, to be part of a real community like that.  We've lived in our neighborhood for 27 years, but are still newcomers, I guess.  And it's not the Northeast culture to say Hi or whatever as you walk by, like it is in the Midwest and Northwest where I grew up.  It's always nice to go home and have people actually say Good morning.
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: AG-EQ [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of dogwood farm via AG-EQ
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 3:28 PM
To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
Cc: dogwood farm
Subject: Re: [AG-EQ] How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors

Tracy,

The reason I have such good neighbors is my family has been here just
over 100 years.  So, I have grown up with many adults still living
here.  There are still those living here that knew my parents and
grandparents and so, they are like extended family and a great number
of my own family live within 5 to 10 miles from us.

My husband is a mechanic supervisor at the airport, even though
flights have slowed, they are still having to keep up standard
maintanence practices.  He works day shift, 7:00 to 7:00 and stays
quite busy.  Also, they have to keep all working surfaces wiped down
at the start and end of each shift.

Susan
dogwoodfarm62 at gmail.com

On 3/31/20, Tracy Carcione via AG-EQ <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Susan.
> So glad to hear you are getting well!
> Your farm and your neighbors sound great.  Sounds like you have no  food
> worries.
> We're doing OK here in town, though as usual our neighbors barely speak to
> us.  One of the strange things about the northeast, I guess.
> There seems to be a bit of a yeast shortage, of all things, so I should get
> myself in gear and work on the sourdough starter I've been thinking about
> making, one of these days.  Guess that day has arrived.
>
> I've been working from home part-time for a while, so full-time is not a
> huge change, though I do miss going in and talking with my co-workers in
> person.  And I really miss get-togethers at the yarn store, and eating out.
> But we're OK.  My husband and I work for a big New York City hospital, so
> we've been pretty busy, despite not going out.  It's kind of odd, hearing so
> many people talk about not working, when we're working a lot.  I guess that
> makes us among the lucky ones.
> Tracy
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: AG-EQ [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of dogwood farm via
> AG-EQ
> Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 2:32 PM
> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> Cc: dogwood farm
> Subject: Re: [AG-EQ] How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors
>
> Tracy
>
> With all that is going on and still ever changing, being self
> afficient as much as possible, may become the new norm.  A bit of
> neighborhood networking doesn't hurt either.  We only allow two
> people, a father and daughter, to hunt on our 30 achers.  In return,
> they keep us well supplied with venison year round.  They just sent
> over a neck roast, 2 steaks and several packages of venison saucage,
> along with 2 dozen eggs.  In exchange, my husband gives them homemade
> bread.  A coworker of my husband's hunts in Pensylvania and has the
> meat professionally butchered and packaged.  He gives us 1 pound
> packages of ground venison.  I can't tell you the last time I had to
> buy ground beef.  We grind our own chicken and turkey we get from the
> store.
>
> I don't know if we will have much of a garden yet, because we get
> overflow vegetables from other family members and we have a local
> produce stand that gives us fruit and vegetables when they have
> overflow before they reach their unsellable stage.
>
> During the fall of 2018, things here around the farm took a drastic
> halt when I was diagnosed with cancer.  2019 focused on nothing but my
> surgery and treatments.  Now that I am slowly back on my feet and my
> husband can focus on what's going on outside, we are focusing on
> bringing the farm around to its new norm.  I want to bring my chickens
> back.  We are also getting a Dwarf Neubian female dairy goat.  For
> now, she will be a companion for our older weather toggenburg, Homer.
> Eventually, we will have her bred next year.
>
> A lot of things to look forward to, clearing, cleaning, planting and
> nurtureing to say the least.  One step at a time.  The "stay at home"
> requirements should be the best time to self-reflect and decide on how
> we can get ourselves through our own day to day living.
>
> Hugs,
> Susan
> dogwoodfarm62 at gmail.com
>
>
> On 3/31/20, Tracy Carcione via AG-EQ <ag-eq at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> These are good hints.
>> I bought self-watering kits years ago, and they still work great.  I don't
>> have a fan blowing on my seedlings, though.
>> The spinach and lettuce I started a few weeks ago are ready to go in the
>> ground inside my greenhouse tent.  My tomatoes are starting to come up,
>> and
>> I'm getting ready to start my summer flowers.
>> I usually get some stuff at my local garden club's spring sale, but I
>> doubt
>> that will happen this year, so I have to be organized about starting my
>> own.
>> Hope you are all safe and well.
>> Tracy
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: AG-EQ [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of dogwood farm
>> via
>> AG-EQ
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 12:44 PM
>> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
>> Cc: dogwood farm
>> Subject: [AG-EQ] How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors
>>
>> How to Successfully Start Seeds Indoors
>> Written by Kerry Michaels
>>
>> Starting seeds indoors can be frustrating, exhilarating, or sometimes
>> a little of both. You can improve your success rate dramatically if
>> you focus on what seeds need to germinate and what seedlings need to
>> grow strong. It's not as easy as setting a pot in a window and keeping
>> it wet, but you don't need to buy a fancy greenhouse to make them grow
>> either. Some lights, some shelves, some sterile pots and mix, a little
>> diluted fertilizer, and a fan are the core of the indoor garden, and
>> following the directions on the seed packet will help too.
>>
>> Let There Be Light
>> For seedlings to grow properly, they need light. Lots of it. Even if
>> you have a south-facing window, chances are that you don't have enough
>> natural light to grow healthy, robust seedlings. If seedlings don't
>> get enough light, they will be spindly and won't make it to adulthood.
>> Setting up an artificial light system isn't tough and doesn't have to
>> be expensive.
>>
>> You want full-spectrum bulbs in lights that you can attach to shelving
>> above your seed flats or trays of pots. Cooler lights, such as
>> fluorescents, can be closer to your seedlings (2 to 6 inches) than
>> incandescents, which will dry them out. A power strip with a timer can
>> keep the lights on your plants for 12 to 16 hours per day, error-free.
>>
>> Use Self-Watering Seed Starting Systems
>> Never start a seed in a small peat pot. They just dry out too fast.
>> Self-watering seed-starting systems are increasingly available on the
>> market, but you also can make a self-watering seed starter from a
>> plastic supermarket pie plate (one with a clear top), a container to
>> serve as a reservoir, and some string. Poke a few holes through the
>> pie plate and attach the strings. The strings wick water up from the
>> reservoir to keep the planting medium moist but not wet enough to rot
>> the seeds. While you're waiting for germination, the clear cover will
>> keep the environment humid.
>>
>> Use a Sterile Seed-Starting Medium
>> Just because seeds grow fine in the ground outdoors doesn't mean that
>> you can grow indoor seeds in garden soil. Bad idea. Young seedlings
>> are susceptible to a dreaded fungus that causes what's called “damping
>> off.” You know you have it when all your seedlings are fine one minute
>> and the next they have all keeled over. With all the time starting
>> seeds requires, it makes sense to give them the best chance for
>> survival by using a sterile planting mix, which doesn't have soil in
>> it but is mostly sphagnum peat moss.
>>
>> Sterilize Your Pots
>> It makes no sense to put the sterile mix into dirty pots—especially if
>> any of your seedlings have succumbed to damping off in the past. Scrub
>> off any old dirt or debris in warm water, then submerge the pots in a
>> mild bleach solution (1 part bleach: 9 parts water) for at least 10
>> minutes to kill any fungus, bacteria, or parasites. After rinsing, you
>> can air-dry them or keep them soaking in clean water until you're
>> ready to use them.
>>
>> Feed Your Seedlings
>> Most sterile planting mixes don't have any built-in nutrients. During
>> germination, seedlings get all the nutrition they need from the seed
>> itself, but after you start seeing true leaves (which come after the
>> ground-breaking variety), you’ll want to feed your seedlings with a
>> diluted solution of liquid fertilizer.
>>
>> Ventilation and Wind
>> Seeds are really meant to be planted outside in the sun, rain, and
>> wind. By planting indoors you are attempting to fool Mother Nature.
>> Many of us even plant our seeds in our basements, the part of the
>> house that is probably least like the natural world, with air that
>> doesn’t move at all.
>>
>> Moving air, though, is an important factor in helping seedlings to
>> develop a robust root system and strong stems. To approximate wind,
>> set a fan on low near your seedlings. You don't have to subject them
>> to the equivalent of a 24-hour tornado for their size, but having them
>> move around as they grow creates sturdier plants. If you have the fan
>> on the same timer as your lights, you won't even have to think about
>> it.
>>
>> Read the Seed Packet
>> Most seed packets have a wealth of information, including whether you
>> should even start those particular plants indoors—some plants just
>> flat out don't like to be transplanted and are better off started in
>> the garden in which they will live. The packet will also tell you how
>> deep to plant your seeds—a critical piece of information. It will list
>> how long it should take for the seed to germinate and whether you need
>> to scarify them (nick or rub with sandpaper) to increase their chances
>> of germination. The packet will say how many weeks before your last
>> frost date you should start the seeds and when to transplant.
>>
>> Keep the seed packet for the life of the plants. Chances are there
>> will be information that you will need at some point (particularly if
>> you've thrown the packet away), and you can always use it as a row
>> marker in the garden for your seedlings until they graduate to become
>> thriving flowers, herbs, or vegetables.
>>
>> Track your successes and issues in a journal, and next winter, look at
>> those seed packets and get the calendar ready all over again.
>>
>> Susan
>> dogwoodfarm62 at gmail.com
>>
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