Austin Organic Gardeners' Spring Plant Sale

Austin Organic Gardeners' Spring Plant Sale

Date:  March 3, 2012

Time:  9:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Place:  Zilker Botanical Garden

Vegetable, herb and ornamental transplants will be available

The Austin Organic Gardeners (AOG) club members have been preparing for the annual plant sale for weeks.  The plant sale is an important fundraiser for the club.  

I started working on my contribution to the plant sale just before Christmas.  My first step was to expand my grow rack to accommodate more plants.  My homemade PVC grow rack can comfortably accommodate four flats.  

  

Inexpensive T12 shop lights using blue spectrum, 6500K, daylight deluxe bulbs provide the light needed to grow seedlings and propagate cuttings.

In December, I started trailing rosemary cuttings.  I sure wish these cuttings looked a little better, but they're not dead, so at least that.  To save space on the grow rack, the cuttings have been moved to the greenhouse.  I'll try to coax them along with a diluted solution of fish emulsion and seaweed.

At the same time I started the rosemary cuttings, I also started sweet basil from seed.  The basil is my pride and joy.  I just think these little guys are adorable, and they already smell great too!

During our January AOG club meeting, I learned that we needed more peppers.  I've never grown peppers before from seed, so I thought it would be fun to try.  Peppers need soil temperatures of 85-90 degrees, so I decided to purchase an inexpensive heat mat.  On January 11th, I started California Wonder bell peppers and by January 29th, the peppers were ready to be bumped up to 4 inch pots.

A plastic spoon serves as a scoop.

Seedlings are gently placed into their new home.

California Wonder pepper seedlings at 18 days.

Excelling past the others, 2 plants (front left and middle) were bumped a week earlier as a test.

California Wonder peppers at 24 days.

My fellow AOG club members are growing all sorts of plants for transplanting into your vegetable and ornamental beds.  Come out and support the Austin Organic Gardeners' plant sale.  Hope to see you there. 

Egg Cartons are for Eggs

Egg cartons are an engineering marvel for the transport of eggs.  The original designer of the egg carton probably never foresaw the wide variety of craft and garden projects for which the humble egg carton would be put to use. 

One such garden project, that I decided to try, is to convert an egg carton into a seed starting tray.  At first glance, the egg carton seems to be the perfect container for this purpose.  The carton is divided into 12 perfectly sized seed starting nooks.  An egg carton fits perfectly onto most sunny window sills.  And, the best part, egg cartons are free.  What more could you want?

So, back on January 11th, I decided to experiment with both styrofoam and cardboard egg cartons to start some seeds.  I read about some pros and cons for each type.  The cardboard version seemed to find favor for the fact that it broke down easily, but many people complained that the cardboard got prematurely soggy.  The styrofoam version was popular with some because it was re-usable and didn't get soggy.

The cardboard carton needed little preparation except to cut off the lid and fill the cells with soil.  The styrofoam carton by contrast needed drainage holes.  This can be done easily by punching holes in the foam with a nail.  Even though it was an extra step, it was simple to do. 

I planted lettuce in the background carton, peppers in the middle carton, and basil in the front carton.  The germination rates in the cartons did not seem any different from using an egg carton vs. a plastic tray.  Although, I will say when using a heat mat, these tiny celled cartons heat up very quickly.  I had to put a towel between my heat mat and the carton to lower the temperature.

There are 2 problems that I saw with using the egg cartons.  The first is that the soil in the cartons dry out very quickly.  The cardboard cartons in particularly dried out very quickly.  In order to slow down the process, I placed the cardboard cartons in plastic bags.  The bags helped keep the soil moist, however, the cardboard turned into a wet, steamy, soggy mess.  Now, the cartons are practically falling apart, and I can't wait for my seedlings to get big enough to move to their new home in a 4-inch plastic pot.

I would have to say that egg cartons are best saved for eggs and perhaps those cute little Christmas tree ornaments that you make when you're in Kindergarten.  I don't think I'll be using egg cartons for seed propagation again any time soon.  

Given the choice, I would pick a recycled plastic tray.  A plastic tray, like the one below, holds moisture without falling apart.  Plus, I can recycle the same container again next year and the year after.  You can't say that for the cardboard carton that sits to the right.   

2012 Garden Resolutions

I resolve to ...

• grow more plants from seeds
• use more cactus in the garden
• sit in my outdoor seating areas

GROW MORE PLANTS FROM SEEDS.  Sure, there are certain plants that I grow from seed like beans, cucumbers and zucchini, but why don't I grow more plants from seed?  The answer is complicated.  I think first and foremost, I've convinced myself that growing plants from seed is difficult.  As a result, I don't bother to plan ahead and put in the effort. After all, why go to all the trouble, if I'm not going to be successful?

New Year's resolutions are about changes in attitude, so this year is going to be different.  Growing plants from seed just makes sense.  It's economical, plus there's so many cool varieties that you can grow from seed.  I'm already mentally preparing my plan of attack.  First, I'll get my seeds organized.  Then, I'll hit up the catalogs looking for something that really sparks my interest.

I'm going to start my seeds in the house, so they'll be ready to go as soon as spring has sprung.  My homemade growing rack has been enlarged to accommodate more seeds trays.  I've already started some sweet peas, plus a flat of basil and rosemary to donate to my garden clubs plant sale.

Tiny Basil Seedling Makes It's Debut

Trailing Rosemary Cuttings

Sweet Pea Seedling

USE MORE CACTUS IN THE GARDEN.  I've mostly steered away from cactus in the past, because, well, I don't know... it's pointy, it's deserty... Honestly, I love perennials, and my cottage garden style just didn't seem to mesh with cactus.  However, I'm becoming more and more convinced that the two can blend together.  

In the garden blog, Digging, there was a recent post called Agaves Green Up the Winter Garden.  In this post, Pam showed me that not only can cactus blend with Perennials they can provide the evergreen, structure in the garden that I have been looking for.

In late fall, I planted a small area using 'Color Guard' Yucca and Parryi Agave Truncata.  When winter brown has taken over, the yellow and green is quite welcome.

SIT IN MY OUTDOOR SEATING AREAS.  I love constructing outdoor seating areas.  I have several outdoor seating areas and benches scattered around my property.  Seems like I would do a lot of sitting, right?  Well, here's what happens... I sit for about 5 seconds, I see a weed or whatever, and the next thing you know, break is over.

I'm sure the answer to this resolution is staring me right in the face.  I just need more seating areas.  What?  That's right, more seating areas mean more opportunities to find one that is weed free.  Surely a weed free seating areas means that I will sit longer.  Phhhew... this resolution is going to be an easy one.

Good luck with all your garden resolutions.