Seperating Seedlings safely

Have you ever bought a container just because it had extra seedlings in it only to have trouble getting them apart?  Yesterday I was out looking for, oh anything that struck my fancy in the way of plants and guess what I found?  Tomatoes starts...three in a pot!  My brain immediately went into thrifty shopper mode and all I saw were two pots with six plants in them!

Oh, a bonus buy, six for the price of two!

So here's the deal.  You have been lied to...well sort of.  You know those pots with more than one seedling in them?  Unless they are squash or cucumbers you don't have to cut the heads off of them.  Yup...that's right!  I had the good fortune of working as a plant propagator for a couple of years and one thing I learned very early on was that plants will take a lot more messing with than we have been taught, at least most plants. 

To get the seedlings apart safely you need to take some care though as just tearing them apart tears off valuable roots so let me share a secret I learned from my propagator job...use water.  That's right, water.  Here's how it's done.

Roots at the sides of the pot but not matted

Pop the plants out of the container.  The roots should look about like the ones in the photo above.  By the way I always check the roots at the nursery, the plants won't be bothered by you carefully popping them out of the container to look at them unless they were just planted which I see once in a while and honestly, they shouldn't be out for sale until the roots hit the side of the pot.

Water is great for removing soil from roots

Fill a large bowl about half way up with water, enough to cover the roots with room to swish around in it without spilling it everywhere.  Gently swish the root ball around in the water to wash away the soil.

A gentle pressing of the wet root ball helps release more soil

After a little swishing around in the water you may find it helpful to gently press the root ball to get the soil to release from the roots.

Almost clean of soil particles...yippee!

Be sure to get as much of the soil off as possible or those roots will not want to come apart without tearing.

About as good as it gets, time to start unraveling things

 Once the soil is washed off the roots you can begin to untangle them without tearing them.  Be careful not to tug on them too hard or they will break off.  It is a lot like untangling twine or that necklace.

Don't let a minor root mat get you down

Watch for matted roots and be patient working them apart.  They will come apart, just don't rush it.

It's working!

Hey, will you look at that!  It's working, they are coming apart pretty well.  It is literally like trying to untie a knot in string or a chain.  Its best to not yank on them but keep the tension loose and relaxed and it works a whole lot better.

Three now set free

Once they are separated you can pot them up in their own little pots or plant them in the ground if its time to.

Pinching leaves

Pinch off the lower leaves (cotelydon or embryonic first leaves) leaving the top leaves (true leaves).  This will let you plant the tomatoes a little deeper and allow them to form roots all along their stem. 

NOTE: There are very few plants that can do this so don't try it with others unless you know they can form leaves along their stems too.

Just enough soil to cover the bottom

Place a layer of potting soil in the bottom of each pot and set the plants in them with the roots spread out a bit.

Spread roots a bit

Fill the containers with soil and water in well.  Set them in a warm sunny location and when the roots can be seen kind of like the top photo of them go ahead and plant them into even larger pots or in the garden.  Six tomato starts for the price of two for a buck and a half...not a bad deal at all I'd say.

A little extra effort will reap a greater harvest of tomatoes

Happy Gardening!


Copyright © 2012 by Patty Hicks
All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.

Host Your Own Plant Swap

Searching for that plant treasure

A friend on Facebook asked me if I could help her with how to go about organizing a plant swap.  It's pretty easy to host a swap but there are some basic things that really help to make these events go much smoother and make them more fun for participants.

First let me say that plant swaps are absolutely a blast and if you garden and have never been to one you are missing out.  They are a great way to connect with other gardeners and get free plants, seeds and other garden related items...like tips on how to grow stuff!  I remember when I began gardening and how befuddled I felt at times so I always invite those who are brand new to gardening to just come and be encouraged and so they can start building their garden plant collection.  It's amazing the blessing this is to them and to the experienced gardeners who get to help invest in their success.

One of the hardest decisions...which seeds to take home

Here's my punch list of ideas and tips...

• Give it a name - Seed swap, plant swap, gardener's swap; they all help to describe your event to those who will be attending.  I personally prefer "Gardener's Swap" as it opens up the swapping to the broadest range of items.  Truth be told, whatever the name, veteran swappers know what is good for swapping and often will bring it anyway.
  (See below for ideas on what to bring and what isn't recommended.)

• Where to hold the event - I recommend you host it at your own home if you have the space.  (Your garden doesn't need to be show ready, this is a swap, not a garden tour.)  You will need space for everyone to set up their stash of plants and also a comfortable space for sitting down to visit.  Having a place to sit and visit helps folks feel welcome.  If you don't have that kind of room, consider asking a friend who gardens if they might be interested in having one at their house with your help.

• Set a date and time - Spring and fall are the best seasons to host a swap, though you could have one virtually any time, like a seed, garden book and tool swap in mid winter.  Most swaps happen on the weekend but you could be a rebel and have one on a week night.  Just be sure you set a scheduled time for the event.  Four hours is good for the daytime events if you have a pot luck, an evening swap might only go two or three hours at most.  Or maybe have a one hour "Gardener's Madness Swap".  A woman in my area does that and I hear a lot of folks turn out for it.  Quick and dirty plant swapping for the swapper on a tight schedule.

• Get the word out - People won't come if they don't know about your event. Yahoo Groups, Gardenweb, Dave's Garden, Twitter and Facebook groups are just a few places to get the word out online.  Community bulletin boards in grocery stores or cafes are great places to invite the community as are local news papers, and even local broadcast news community events calendars (some restrictions may apply) can work too.  These broadcast invitations are for those who have the space for what could possibly turn out to be a large crowd and.or who enjoy meeting strangers.  However you do it be sure the RSVP for attendance is highlighted so folks will be more likely to let you know they are coming. I know people don't always RSVP, but it will help to give you an idea on the approximate number of guests you'll need to set up for.  For smaller events or for that quaint feeling, consider handing out or mailing paper invitations. These are great, but they do take some time create and you'll have to pay for postage if you mail them.  Not a big deal but takes more effort.

• PR Notice or invitation - If you are using public media of any kind you will need to include the following:  Name of the event, date, time, place, if it is potluck or if food is provided, basic guidelines (simple version), an RSVP request if a "closed" event and CONTACT INFORMATION for more information.  If you don't care if you have fifty people show up and have the space you can forgo the RSVP portion.

• Dogs and children - as much as we love them this sometimes won't work to have them at these events.  For instance I live on a very busy street and especially with dogs it can be a dangerous thing.  And we have a grumpy old cat who is not dog friendly.  Need I say more.  Children are fine as long as the parents understand that other guests and myself are not responsible for watching them while they swap and the child needs to be having a good time.  We want everyone to have a fun and safe time!

• Available Restroom! - It goes without saying that people will need to use the toilet, so be sure it is available to them.  I say this because I attended a swap once where there wasn't a toilet available to the guests.  As luck would have it I needed to use one and had to leave the swap.  Well, it was far enough away I decided it wasn't worth going back.  (Sad, sad, sad)

• Weather Concerns - Be sure to have a place for people to get out of the rain or the heat of the sun if need be.  If it's hot, fans are nice to have around, and if it's cold, someplace to warm up is nice too. I use one of those big tents that you can park a car under ("Autoshade" tent) with sides on it. It's about 12' x 20' and works really well for swap events because it has room chairs, some tables too and is a good place to set up the refreshments or other food. If it's raining please provide a dry location for seeds and books or other things that rain might damage.

Under the big top where we swapped seeds and ate pot luck

• Plan for refreshments or a potluck - Hey food is a great thing!  Gardeners LOVE to eat when they get together, something worth considering when making your plans.  It can be potluck or if you are up to it you can provide the food yourself.  It can be a brunch, lunch, dinner, just snacks or maybe even a yummy dessert (a pie party is fun).  At minimum you should supplying your guests with something to drink.  Anything you offer will help them feel more welcome and hang around a bit longer.  It doesn't need to be fancy, simple works best as hosting a swap can be a lot of work so don't try to do too much yourself.

The guys getting ready to barbeque burgers and brauts

• Designated Swap Area Set-up - Most swaps are set up with everyone's things kept in their own separate little space. You don't have to provide tables though it is nice if you have them to provide.  I did a swap once with plants set up in categories instead of by owners...it worked great too and helped folks in making their choices.  Just be sure if you do it this way that everyone is on board with it.  Some swappers are rather persnickety about such things and like to keep control of their stash.

• Seed Swap Station - Because they need to stay dry these are usually set up on a table under cover.  It helps to encourage seed swappers to bring extra envelopes so people can take a bit of this or that seed home with them.  As host it's nice if you supply a few pens and pencils too.

The main swap area out and cruising swappers

• "Pre-Swap Trades" area.  Unless people want to hold things at their cars be sure to have an area ready that is for any swaps that people planned ahead of time and lets everyone else know the plants are off limits unless their name is on them.  Include a sign of some kind to keep others out of these plants as they are usually more rare or desirable or limited in number which is why this type of trading is done.

• Name Tags - We love to hate them but at swaps they are very handy since you will have a lot of strangers meeting each other for the first time.

• Provide extra tags and marking pens - They don't have to be fancy just whatever you have that people can mark their plants with should they need to...and someone always needs to.

• Basic Swap Event Guidelines for Participants - This is very important and will help to keep everyone on the same page (hopefully) as to what is expected of them and what you will be providing for them. 

• What folks can swap:  Plants, seeds, extra tools, planting containers, garden trellises, garden art, gardening magazines and books etc.

• No Invasive plants and chemicals!  Both of these are troublesome to deal with...trust me. As far as the invasive plants if someone does bring one, make it a teaching moment and not a point of condemnation.  It is surprising how many people don't know what plants are invasive and even against the law to transplant.  (English Ivy is one such plant here but I still see it at swaps every so often.)

• Participants are urged to have an ID tag with each plant they are swapping.  This alleviates a lot frustration for them and the host and others who need to know what that crazy pink daisy is called at Sally's table.  Encourage them to do the best they can if they ask and assure them that if they they don't know the name that they just need to bring tags and someone at the event will help ID the plant(s) and they get to write the tags up.  (Be perpared to offer extra ID tags for those who won't have any too...within reason of course.)  TIPS: If they can snap a photo and send it to you for identification before hand or ask their friends via social media that will help to avoid the last minute rush all together!   Write the ID tags up using #2 pencil or a UV-stable marker (Sharpie makes an industrial pen that is UV-stable).  I wholly do not recommend using ball point pen or other markers as they tend to fade very quickly (within 30 days). 

• Pre-Swap Trades - These are set up prior to the event between people who want to secure trades of specific plants prior to the event, for pick up on that day. This is a common practice in plant swapping communities and some of our best swapping is done this way.  These swaps need to be honored by all attending swappers and should be done early to avoid confusion as to which plants are up for grabs.  It can be confusion to some even if you do have a separate area set up or plants marked.

Next time I separate the promised plants out.

• Have pre-swap trades marked with recipient's name before getting to the swap! VERY IMPORTANT as this will save a ton of headaches.  The last swap I attended I didn't do it and it caused me undo stress as swappers descended on my offerings and tried to lay claim to those promised plants.  I felt bad having to tell them no but a promise is a promise.

• Swap Etiquette -  Always ask before taking a plant and don't assume you can just grab what's in the pile.   It's good to remind people about this the day of the event as swapping creates so much excitement sometimes people forget and get a little nutty with plant lust.

The host's swap offerings, plants and a tour

• Open Swap Time After everyone has gone around gathering up plants they want it's often good to have a time where anything and everything can just be scooped up by folks.  Allow people some time to set back any plants they don't wish to be in the Open Swap time.  This can be a great time for new gardeners to get a boatload of goodies for their garden that are maybe more common and things the more seasoned gardener already has or maybe those plants that are just simple to grow.

• Swap Schedule - Set up a loose schedule of when things will be happening.  Pre-swapping for the first hour, (those who aren't participating can have coffee and a snack or just chat and drool over everyone's treasures).  Next open up the general swap and finally open swap.  Have breaks in between and call folks to the table for food.  These are just basic guidelines, you can do it however it feels right to you but this is how many of the swaps I've been to have done things and it works pretty well.

Another idea I have seen work really well is to plan an area for plants that are good for new gardeners to grow.  We all have plants that will fit in this category and there is almost always a new gardener that shows up at a swap needing plants and your sage garden wisdom.  Its a great way to encourage and invest in their success.

As a long time gardener there have been times I have gone to swaps and not taken home a single thing but went simply to get rid of excess plants.  This is so much fun to do as I get to really take time to visit with people and it's so much fun watching others enjoy their new found treasures.  I highly recommend trying it sometimes.

Well, that's about it.  If you have questions please leave them in the comments below. 
Have fun and happy swapping!

Copyright © 2012 by Patty Hicks
All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.

Gardening in Slow Motion

Today has been one of our rare sunny days this spring.  Its usually not as cool or wet as it has been this year so I am behind on getting the gardening done.  I've learned over the years to not let the shifting sands of weather patterns ruffle my feathers...its a more enjoyable task if I don't and just go with the flow.  So today with the sunshine I went with getting our veggie boxes sown the rest of the way.  I found it took me a lot longer than it used to.

One entire bed and half of another finally sowed and transplants in.
I'm spent.

The first job was adding steer manure to the beds.  Just an inch or two in bed #2 where the potatoes were to be sown, raking it over the top, forking it in and then smoothing it out to level.  How I long for the days when this was not a pain filled moment and I could just sail through this job.  Life isn't like it used to be, back injuries and Fibromyalgia now plague my attempts to do anything like I used to.  Life is different...like moving in slow motion.

Its quite a change for me to move slowly because I am the girl who instead of wanting to learn to do dance moves on my roller skates was more inclined to run you over doing ninety along with the boys.  I love the wind in my hair and that feeling of nearly being able to fly.  I think that's what got me into some of this physical trouble I now suffer.  Its been a hard but good teacher for me this pain and I'm learning that slow is ok...it's not bad...its just different...and I won't lie...its hard.

Florence Fennel seedlings...Pushed through the pain to get them planted
I am looking forward to the harvest now.

I'm also learning that even though my mind sometimes disconnects with the fact that I can't do everything or do what I'm planning to as quickly as I used to, that doesn't mean my life is over. I've had to surrender a lot of things, my beautiful dooryard garden which is now very weedy because I can't weed anymore or dig and divide the plants.  Gardening in general has had to be laid on the alter of disability...or should I say gardening in the manner I used to.  No longer can I head off with wild abandon dragging home whatever latest plant I see or hand digging the entire front yard so I'm certain every boulder and large rock is gone.

I'm still tempted beyond any reason but I've learned I have to say no.  Actually I've been tempted to stop gardening all together, to literally hang up the rake and trowel and say "why bother any more" and just have a couple nice containers of flowers by the front door and call it good.  But gardening does something for me...its cathartic and peaceful work that I believe God has gifted me with understanding of.  I truly love how plants work, I can propagate almost anything I get my hands on (that's dangerous) and everything in the garden truly amazes me.  I know it is His gift to me as no other thing makes me feel the way I do when I am in the garden.  I hear better, I see better, I think better.

Weeds speak volumes of my physical limitations but not of my true desires

These days, because of my pain levels, I am bound to think about the reality of what I can manage physically.  I can no longer care for perennials that are strong growers or roses either for that matter.  I just got rid of two roses I so loved but proved to be too much for me to care for.  In my heart of hearts I want to cry out...NO...I loved them but they were inconsiderate of me in how they grew and began spreading throughout the garden overtaking other plants and creating a huge thicket in my tiny front yard garden.  In so many ways my garden has become like a crying child to me, a child I cannot comfort or meet the needs of as I used to.  That is what gardening with physically disabling pain is like for me.

Thicket of unconcerned roses

I started out to write about the accomplishments in the vegetable garden and instead here I am sharing how my life in the garden has changed because of physical pain.  I hope some where someone is needing to hear this, needed to hear that they are not alone.  Sometimes, many times, for me it feels like that, like I am all alone.  When I look out my window at the weeds and overgrown areas in my garden, a garden that I was once able to tend with great care and now can care little for my heart is a bit sad.  My garden used to be on tours, it used to be truly beautiful.  Now I'm relegated to finding beauty amid the ensuing chaos of neglect.  So you are not alone who ever you are.  I am here too.  I know how you feel.

May your garden be blessed and your heart as well,
~Patty~



Copyright © 2011 by Patty Hicks

All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.

Sow Early: Winter Sowing for the Veggie Garden

It was a gorgeous sunny day out today and I had just enough caffeine in me to set me into a whirl of activity.  Ok...I went a little nuts at the nursery buying seeds but hey, the front yard is getting an overhaul anyway and the way I look at it, if I have plants that need to be planted then at least there will be something besides weeds taking up space this year.  The thought makes me pretty happy actually as I've long wanted to start growing more edibles in the front yard and I have been saving my milk jugs and butter cartons for a couple weeks to sow seeds into so today was the day to get going sowing our veggies.

I was not going to buy anything more than a package of parsnips and parsley seeds

I have tried a number of different methods for cutting into plastic milk jugs but my all time favorite is my little serrated kitchen knife...the same knife I use to slice tomatoes with.  It goes through that plastic like butter once you get it started.  I've tried hot knives and Xacto knives and found both to have draw backs that the serrated knife doesn't have.  By the way its an old fashioned serrated blade.  The new fangled so-called serrated blades don't seem to work as well either.

This knife was made in heaven I'm sure of it.

How to cut the milk cartons came from a great website http://www.wintersown.org/ .   Trudi Davidoff, the founder of the site, has done a fantastic job of providing inspiration and a place for community so if you want to learn more go check it out.  I first stumbled upon the winter gardening concept several years ago at GardenWeb.com back in the day when Trudi was moderating the winter sowing forum there.  Her passion for this type of gardening and seed saving was inspiring.  The woman is a gift I'm tellin' ya. She has a generous spirit and a gift for encouraging others.  We could use with more people like her in this world and in these times.  So back to what I'm doing with that knife and the milk jugs.

The thing about using the milk jugs is that they make wonderful little green houses.  People in cold climates and those of us in moderate climates can get a lot of growing done without the need for a greenhouse by using this method.  Milk jugs are easy to cut holes into for ventilation and so some rain will help to water the seedlings as they grow making the fussing over watering way less.  The other thing is that the seedlings don't need to be hardened off and are stronger, stouter plants instead of the spindly little things that are produced when we try to grow starts in the house and sometimes in green houses.  These reasons makes me like this method a lot.

To get started you need to cut vent holes in the shoulders of the jug and the same in the bottom for drainage.  I almost forgot to cut the holes in the bottom on these but don't you.  It's really important that the seedlings get good drainage or they will rot or drown, both of which are not the results we are looking for here.

The jugs have 3 good spots for air circulation vents at their shoulders

The 3 holes I nearly forgot...that would have been very bad.

The next thing you need to do is cut around the middle of the jug starting at just below and to the side of the handle, cutting all the way around and stopping just other side of the handle.  Do not cut the top off completely, severing the top from the bottom.  You need to keep the top attached just enough to be able to fold it back on those days when its warmed enough so the seedlings can enjoy a little more sunlight.

Cut with enough attached to be able to bend it back.

Finally I decided that not only would I write out plant tags for what was sown in the containers but I would write on the outside what was on the inside...that could come in handy at some point.  The first time I wrote in regular Sharpie marker...this will more than likely fade, so I decided to do a little science project to demonstrate the difference between UV stable markers like the Sharpie industrial types and the regular markers.  We'll see how long the regular Sharpie ink lasts.

Regular Sharpie marker is doomed to disappear with sunlight.

Now to wait and see.

The jugs need some planting media in them so to keep the cost down a bit, instead of filling the containers with seedling mix which is pretty expensive, I fill the jugs part way with regular potting soil which costs about half of what seedling mix does.  I don't recommend garden soil for this as it is too heavy and when you go to separate the seedlings their roots will be more apt to tear than with the potting soil.

Note that there are two tags so I don't forget what's sown here.

Next I scatter the seed on top of the potting soil.  I don't worry about spacing.  Most of what I am sowing doesn't really care.  The ones that are sensitive to transplanting I will direct sow in the garden so you can just scatter the seeds randomly unless they don't appreciate being transplanted.

Seedling mix is a screened lightweight media that seedlings can grow through with ease.

Next I cover the seed with seedling mix to the depth of whatever the instructions say.  So if the seed is sown to a depth of 1/4" that is how much seedling mix I put over the seeds...simple simple.

Still need  a piece of duct tape on each of the cut sides but you get the idea.

Secure the top closed using duct tape and set in a warm location.  Along the foundation of a south facing wall works great.  Don't put the lids back on the jugs as this is part of the ventilation system for your new mini greenhouse and how the plants are watered when it rains.  

Duct tape, duct tape, la la la...

Sitting in the sunshine on a February day.

Cement is a great heat sink to help keep the plants a little warmer.

The containers pictured above in the black pan were sown the same manner as milk jugs were and will stay on my southeast facing front porch which gets good sun and is covered so I can manage their watering better.  Another good thing is the cement and bricks act as a heat sink keeping the temperature there warmer than out in the yard.  By the way, the tub I found at Dollar Tree and I can easily cover it with a board if the temperatures are thinking of heading below freezing.   It also work great for watering seedling containers from the bottom, which is a really good idea as most hoses will quickly dislodge seeds with the force of the water coming out of the nozzle unless one uses a mist setting on the hand held sprayer.

Here is a list of what I sowed today if you are wondering.  Leeks, Swiss Chard, Endive, Florence Fennel, Parsley, Mizuna Mustard, Kale, Collards, Bok Choy and Brussel Sprouts.  I'll be starting some annual and perennial flowers and my tomatoes and peppers this way too.  I'll let you know how it goes so stay tuned as there are a couple more tricks up my sleeve I'll be sharing with you.

Happy Gardening!

Copyright © 2011 by Patty Hicks
All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. All reviews must include author's name and a link back to this blog.