A Little Sun

Once your seeds sprout and grow a bit, it is important to being slowly exposing them to the outdoors.  I've been setting mine outside in the sun for at least a couple hours each afternoon this week.  I only put them out if the weather is warm and luckily this week it's been nice and sunny.  I move them back into the house before the sun goes down.

Over the next couple weeks, I will gradually increase the amount of outdoor exposure time until they are outside all day.  This helps seedlings get ready for transplanting to the garden and increases the likelihood that they will survive once they're in the ground.    

A Delicious Experience

I wrote a guest post for Sarah Terry's Stitch Machine Blog about some important questions to ask yourself before you start a vegetable garden.  Check it out and while you're there, take a look at her Etsy shop and pick up some sweet accessories!

Seed Success!

I arrived home from work today to find that my seeds were finally sprouting.  There is always a period of worrying between the time I put the seeds in the soil to start them and the day when they actually begin to show signs of life.  This year I felt like they were taking a really long time.  Last weekend, at the two week mark, I was sure they were all going to be duds.  But alas, nature once again did its job.

There are some easy ways to ensure your seeds will germinate and continue to grow.  First, use a decent dirt.  The pre-made seed starting kits can work fine, but if you're not using one of those I would suggest getting an organic soil mix that contains some compost.  Since I prefer to stay organic, I don't like the soils with mixed in fertilizer or growth stimulators, but those could probably be used.  Second, keep your seeds moist.  You don't want to water them so much that your soil starts to float or the dirt is soggy, but you don't want the soil completely dry to the touch either.  Your finger should feel slightly wet when you touch the soil.  Third, keep your seeds warm and exposed to sunlight.  A lot of people use special lights or plant heating pads to aid germination and growth.  I haven't tried those, but I have found that keeping them in a sunny spot away from any drafts is helpful.  Finally, be patient.  This is probably the most difficult part for me and I'll admit I was digging around in my containers last weekend trying to find signs of germination.  However, waiting is half the fun and it is pretty rewarding on days like today when tiny plants start to pop up.

Don't Trash That!

One thing that I believe really helped the success of our garden last year was composting.  If you're in the south like me, you can run into some pretty lackluster soil and adding compost can really help increase the nutrients.  We ordered our compost bin through the City of Charlotte website because they have some deals worked out with a couple vendors so Charlotte residents get a discount.  In addition, this year the city is offering some really cool home composting classes and having a bin sale on April 9th if you would rather pick one up in person.

There are many fancy in home compost collection bins you can purchase, but I find that a bucket or plastic dish bin under the kitchen sink works just fine.  Just make sure you empty it every few days or you could end up with some unwelcome fruit flies in your kitchen.

When adding compost to your bin, it is best to make a well in the middle, dump in what you've collected, and cover it.  The compost should be turned often.  I just use a hoe or shovel to mix ours around every few days.  You can also purchase bins that include a lever to help you turn your compost pile.

Composting can significantly reduce your trash output if you're eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies.  It seems counterproductive to throw biodegradable food scraps into a plastic trash bag and send them to the landfill regardless of if you have a garden or not, but if you are a gardener it is almost ridiculous not to compost.  It is easy, affordable, and the benefits are huge.  Just check out this list to see all the things you could be utilizing to help increase the nutrients in your garden soil!

Get Growing

Signs of warm weather seem to awaken everyone who has spent the winter months under wraps, but gardeners get especially excited at this time of year.  As soon as the temperature became more tolerable and this episode of Charlotte Talks about backyard vegetable gardening aired, I rush ordered my seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds and got to work.

Throughout the year, I spare from the recycling bin any containers I think might be useful for starting seeds and transplanting seedlings as they continue to grow bigger.  I simply poke small holes in the bottom with a nail to allow the water to drain.  I also invest in some of those disposable aluminum lasagna pans to place all of the containers into once the seeds are planted so that I can water them without worry.  No need to waste money on those fancy seed starting kits. 

Last weekend I started several varieties of tomatoes including Mortgage Lifter, Aunt Ruby's German Green, and Yellow Currant as well as Super Thai hot peppers, jalapenos, Italian pepperoncinis, and basil.  

The next few weeks will be spent getting our garden plot, which has been seriously neglected for months, ready for planting.