I started my Isabella Charentais melon seeds on Monday by placing them in a moist paper towel in a ziploc bag, and placing that on a seed warming mat. Two days--yes two days later and they've all sprouted... Craziness!
I've also started my green bean seeds using the same method. These will be going into my left bed along the raised patio which is currently growing Sweetie Baby Romaine lettuce.
I was originally going to grow Royal Burgundy bush beans, but they prefer cooler weather and I don't think they'll do well at this point. So I went and purchased a variety pack of bush beans from Renee's Garden which include Golden Roc d'Or, Purple Queen, and Green Slenderette. I'll be growing as few of the green-green beans as possible since they're so hard to find among the leaves...
I don't have a lot of my gardening budget left to purchase more pots, so I'll be potting the melons, beans and cucumber seeds in home made newspaper pots. I've seen a couple other bloggers out there making these, and someone even posted a great tutorial, but I couldn't find it once I started making mine. So, being a very visual person and needing to see the step-by-step of what I'm supposed to do, I chose to use these instructions from ehow.com. If you decide to make newspaper pots, do yourself a favor, and wear gloves! This is a great little craft to do while watching TV...
Fantastic link! I can't wait to try to make the newspaper pots. What a fantastic idea. I wonder how long they'll last before the newspaper starts to fall apart?
ReplyDeleteRibbit~I've seen others use the pots before, so I think they'll hold up long enough for the plant(s) to be transplanted. I'm a little concerned with the roots being able to get through the sides (the part that get folded in) because of the thickness, so I may cut a slit down the sides before putting in the ground.
ReplyDeleteI love the newspaper idea too. If i need more I will be sure to try this.
ReplyDeleteAnd I had no idea royal burgany beans liked cooler weather. Maybe that is why mine didn't do that well last year. Hmmmm. I will have to check into it, maybe I need to plant them now! And, what is the purpose of starting seeds in the baggie? Will it keep critters from eating the seeds before they germinate or is there some other reason?
Shawn Ann~One reason to start the seeds in the baggie is because they tend to germinate faster than in soil. People also do this to test germination rates. I did it because I needed to get my seeds started, and didn't have pots LOL.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... I don't know if the newspaper pots will keep anything out once planted, especially since the instructions I used say to cut the bottom off before planting--and I'm probably slicing down the thick sides of mine. They're supposedly really useful for plants that don't like their roots disturbed.
Love the newspaper pots. This link has wonderful step-by-step instructions. Miss M over at Dirt Happy also has a great post on square newspaper pots with more resources.
ReplyDeleteAlso great pic of the melon seeds! Love seeing those little green shoots breaking out of the seed.
There's nothing better than the wet paper towel in some type of enclosure germination method. It just plain rocks! Let us know how your newspaper pots work out, because i've thought about doing it, myself.
ReplyDeleteRachel~ Oooh, a new blog to check out! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteEG~I sure will. They're fun to make, but I don't know if I'd want to make 400 of them LOL!
I grew the Renee's Garden beans Golden Roc d'Or, Purple Queen, and Green Slenderette last year. I thought they were very good and did very well for me.
ReplyDeleteLiisa~Oh yay! After reading my Royal Burgundy package about them preferring cooler weather, I picked Renee's packet up on a whim, so I'm glad to hear someone's had success with them. I've already had a few sprout!
ReplyDeleteI wonder, maybe it was mine you saw before? If not, you might find it useful anyway. People love these pots...really, what's not to love? lol.
ReplyDeleteHere's a linky:
http://happyhobbyhabit.blogspot.com/2010/02/folded-newspaper-pot-pictorial.html
Tina~Thanks for sharing your link. I like that your method has the final fold on the outside instead of the inside, making the side walls thinner (and easier for roots to break through). I think I'll try that on my next batch.
ReplyDeleteWhat is a seed warming mat? Dean and the kids are getting started on a vegetable garden. Bot a starter kit with all sorts of different seeds. I think I might have to take pictures!
ReplyDeleteMichelle~Seeds like warmth when germinating (even cool weather plant seeds like lettuce), so a seed mat is a way to help 'em along... If you have a warm spot on the fridge or electronic devise, that'll work too. Oh yes! You MUST take pictures of the whole process! Kids in dirt make for a great blog post LOL hint hint! ;-)
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