6,340 Garden Web Discussions | Growing from Seed
Why did you plant all the seeds if you don't want that many plants so have to thin them? You could have saved the extra seeds for next year. I usually get germination rates of 80% to 100%, so would be wasting a lot of seeds if I thinned plants. Plus I can't see killing a perfectly good seedling.
To answer your question about the age to transplant seedlings.... is anytime you can safely handle your seedlings from it's leaves (not stems). I have trasplanted seedlings 24 hours old, very carefully with a lot of other factors to make it successful but it can be done without negative side effects. I am more concerned with how to handle a young seedling than how developed it's root system is when transplanting so young.
I hope that helps!
Keriann~
I have never tried to grow collected seed, but I have purchased seed and they are very easy to grow, but the seed is like dust. You can sow them indoors any time of the year, I usually start them in February in zone 5 (like right now). Weather the flowers are sterile or not I don't know.
I have 12 different kinds of H&C's and have raise them all from seeds. They require light to germinate and soil tempatures of 75 to 80F. Fine perilite is the best to germinate them in. Mist lightly each day, avoid too much water. In the past I've used sand/peat (50/50) with good results.
I harvest seeds by spreading newspaper under the mature flower and lightly shaking them. You may have to do this several time as the seeds only fall when they are ready.
good luck with them!
For fall flowers other than mums I have toad lily, black snakeroot, tall garden phlox, Russian sage, blue mist shrub, aster, buddleia (butterfly bush) and gaura/wandflower that bloom right up past the first few frosts. I grew alyssum via winter sowing and those were still blooming at Thanksgiving.
Black snakeroot/Cimicifuga racemosa
Toad lily w/black snakeroot
Indestructible alyssum
Gaura w/Russian Sage
Blue mist shrub
Renov8r, since it's February & you aren't a rodent who 'planted' in Fall, you may want to know these require a period of stratification (cold & moist) of 3-4 months before they will germinate. You don't have your zone listed for us to know how much winter you have left.
And, do you have some space and an appropriate site? I ask because these can become BIG trees over time, not all of us have the room to grow something to this eventual size. The caution may not apply to you but I really hate seeing someone plant inappropriate trees for their space (or without consideration of neighbors) and then be faced with an expensive removal several years out....so while repetitive, I'll usually ask :)
And, black walnut roots release juglone, a chemical that can impede growth of many plants, including several vegetables, flowers and fruit so consider the perimeter and what you may want to do under that tree too.
We have several black walnut trees in our area. The juglone,the chemical that walnut trees produces, effects plants like tomatoes, potatoes, pepers and eggplants.
That being said, They have never caused any of the tomato plant growers around here any grief.
I am all in favor of tree planting, If you have extras you should plant them in the wild. We need more trees.
Well I'll try to answer a couple of your questions based on my experience with Earthboxes. ;)
First I assume you know that they are not intended for direct seeding but are intended for transplants only. So you are sort of starting out with 2 strikes against you by trying to direct seed to the EB. The best approach is to grow your own seedlings in a regular seed starting container inside and then transplant them to an earthbox after they are hardened off. That would be the standard approach.
That said, it is sort of possible to direct seed in them IF you treat them just as you would a patch of outside ground the same size as the box.
EX: for lettuce, at proper planting time outside, you'd (1) cut two narrow strips about 4-5" apart out of the plastic cover approximately the length of the box, plant your seeds in those rows and once they germinate well you thin the seedlings to 6" apart just as you would in a garden OR (2) leave the plastic off all together and scatter plant the lettuce seed all over the top, then thin the seedlings as needed.
If wind is a problems for you then you'll have to construct some sort of wind shield for the planters or find a more sheltered location for the boxes. Some plants will require supports - definitely the tomatoes will and likely the cukes too.
First I'll start with cool weather crops, and then once the weather becomes warm enough and the cool weather stuff has matured, I'll move onto warm weather crops.
I have to say I think you are over-estimating what you are going to be able to plant with only 3 EB. Most of your so-called cool weather crops will still be going strong long after it is time to get your tomatoes and cukes and beans planted. ;) You'll be ripping out productive crops to get those other things planted.
You don't say your zone like most of us do or where you live so I have no way of knowing how long your gardening season is but turnips and beets and even the lettuce and spinach are long lasting crops so their boxes won't be free for those other crops. You might want to consider cutting back on the number of things you try to grow with only 3 boxes or invest in more boxes. I'd suggest you use 1 box for mixed lettuce, spinach and a few radishes, skip the beets, turnips, and peas since you won't get much from them anyway, use one box for cukes, and 1 for tomatoes.
Hope this helps.
Dave
PLANT SEEDS, NO PROBLEM! Put the tarp on, cut holes where the seeds are going to go. follow instructions for how many plants in one box. put seeds in, watch them grow! I used snap pea seeds 2 weeks ago. I watched the seeds come up, and helped guide them, but I think they were all going to make it even if I just left them alone.
Here is a link that might be useful: andy deer
By the time your plants reach the 4" pot, they will be ready for whatever soil you use for your house plants. Any good general purpose soil should do. Using an Organic potting mix would insure a better balance of basic minerals as well as trace elements, But for the short time that your plants will be in the pots before they go in the ground, An ordinary potting mix will do providing that it contains a basic level of Nutrients. However once planted out, I would recommend using organic supplements in the garden bed.