Soil Temperature "Device"

I'm getting anxious to put some early plants in the ground but it's just too soon. Witness my temperature taking device. Poke it in the ground and see how far the frost is. Although in the AM before the sun warms the ground the stick doesn't stick. Just as well, it's not scientific and I don't think it works.

I do notice that the south side is farther ahead than the other beds. Too bad that is my "wild" garden. But the slightly raised bed on the west is also getting warmer. Sometime I will put the details of my garden spots up.

About soil temperature though... I read that peas like 45F and you can measure the midday temperature for a few days to check that. I also found a great link for the NDAWN (North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network). You can pick a location and get soil readings for the area. Of course individual yards vary and special conditions like raised beds, soil covers, and wind protection make a big difference.

I have a link on the sidebar to a Victory Seeds Company page that republishes a table about how days to germination are effected by soil temperature. Wow, 9F makes a huge difference (136 days vs 31 days for onions). I wish I could find a good link to the original source. I have a book that includes the same table but also another about percent germination by soil temperature. Even though you "can" get spinach to germinate at 77F in 5 days, only 28% are reported to be successful (not to mention the success of the adult plants in heat).

So what's the bottom line? I want to plant, but for the most part I have to wait a bit longer. Since I have a small garden I can try some experiments and just put something in the ground and see.

Déjà Vu Spring?

I am experiencing some déjà vu today.

This was the garden the last day of winter.

The day after Spring started we had snow.

Now we are back where we started.

We've got long seedlings

I read recently at Skippy's Vegetable Garden about leggy seedlings. These are what I think are some cauliflower seeds I started a week or so ago. They are very long.

I will try to give them more light and try some tips people have mentioned for broccoli like burying part of the stem when I transplant it.

(The other seedlings are basil.)

Seedlings Emerge

Well, only a few days later and some of the seeds I planted are sprouted. Right now I have some lettuce in the middle rows and some swiss chard. See the bright red stem!

I followed some other gardener's leads and started some planting records as well. I will try to update those through the season.

Planting Records 2008

Name [# days to harvest]

• 06/01/2008 direct sown
• Leaf lettuce 'Green Ice' (north, middle-2)
  • (sprouts 06/10/2008, 17 days)
    
• Shelling Peas Strike (north, middle-1)
  • (sprouted 06/07/2008, 6 days?)
    
• 05/24/2008 direct sown
• Carrots (patio bed, middle-front)
  • (sprouted 06/04/2008, 11 days)
    
• Carrots (patio bed, south-front)
  • (sprouted 06/04/2008, 11 days)
• Cucumber (kitchen bed)
  • (sprouted 06/03/2008, 10 days)
  • (true leaf 06/16/2008, 23 days)
    
• Spaghetti Squash (kitchen bed)
  • (sprouted 06/03/2008, 10 days)
  • (true leaf 06/13/2008, 20 days)
    
• Watermelon (front of SE corner)
  • (sprouted 06/04/2008, 11 days)
• Pumpkin (back of SE corner)
  • (sprouts 06/10/2008, 17 days)
    
• 05/03/2008 direct sown
• Kohlrabi (kitchen bed)
• (sprouted 05/13/2008, 10 days)
• Carrots (patio bed middle-back)
• (sprouted 05/18/2008, 15 days)
• 04/19/2008 direct sown
  
• Sugar Snap Peas (S. triangle)
  
• (sprouted 05/08/2008, 19 days)
• Kohlrabi
• (sprouted 05/06/2008, 17 days)
• Carrots
• (sprouted 05/14/2008, 25 days)
• Snap Peas Ann (patio, south-back)
  
• (sprouted 05/08/2008, 19 days)
• (flowers 06/12/2008, 35 days)
  
• Bibb Lettuce
• (sprouted 05/08/2008, 19 days)
• 04/14/2008 started indoors in 9-cells
  
• Echinacea
  
• Cinnamon Basil
• (sprouted 04/19/2008, 5 days)
• (transplanted 05/28/2008, 5.5 weeks)
• Nasturtium
• (sprouted 04/20/2008, 6 days)
• (transplanted 05/12/2008, 4 weeks)
  
• Lavender
  
• Johnny Jump Ups
• (sprouted 04/22/2008, 8 days)
• (transplanted 05/20/2008, 4 weeks)
  
• Parsley
• (transplanted 05/24/2008, 4.5 weeks)
• Wild Flax
  
• (transplanted 05/20/2008, 4 weeks)
• Purple Alyssum
• (sprouted 04/19/2008, 5 days)
• (transplanted 05/24/2008, 4.5 weeks)
• (04/13/2008) direct sown
  
• Sugar Snap Peas (N. triangle)
  
• (sprouted 05/02/2008, 19 days)
• 04/05/2008 direct sown
• Sugar Snap Peas (patio, middle)
  
• (sprouted 04/21/2008, 16 days)
• (flowers 06/18/2008, 76 days)
  
• Snap Peas Sugar Ann [52 days]
  
• (sprouted 04/21/2008, 16 days)
• (flowers 06/02/2008, 41 days)
• (pods forming 06/12/2008, 51 days)
• (harvesting 06/16/2008, 55 days)
• (count: 3)
  
• Shelling Peas 'Strike' [49 days]
  
• (sprouted 04/21/2008, 16 days)
• (flowers 05/31/2008, 39 days)
• (pods forming 06/09/2008, 48 days)
  
• Radishes
  
• (sprouted 04/21/2008, 16 days)
• (baby harvest 05/29/2008, 37 days)
• (done)
  
• Swiss Chard
  
• (sprouted 04/21/2008, 16 days)
• (harvesting 05/25/2008, 34 days)
• Spinach
  
• (sprouted 04/20/2008, 15 days)
• (harvesting 05/20/2008, 30 days)
• (starting to bolt 06/17/2008, 58 days)
  
• Leaf Lettuce Mix
  
• (sprouted 04/20/2008, 15 days)
• (harvesting 05/20/2008, 30 days)
  
• Bibb Lettuce [75 days]
  
• (sprouted 04/20/2008, 15 days)
• (baby harvest 05/20/2008, 30 days)
• (harvesting small heads 06/15/2008, 56 days)
  
• White Kohlrabi Hybrid
  
• (sprouted 04/20/2008, 15 days)
• (true leaf ~05/15/2008, 24 days)
  
• 03/22/2008 indoor sown
  
  • Tomato Super Sweet 100 Hybrid
    
  • (sprouted 03/30/2008, 8 days)
  • (potted 04/20/2008, 3 weeks growth)
  • (transplanted 05/24/2008, 7 weeks) [hanging bucket]
    
  • Tomato Red Lightning Hybrid
    
  • (sprouted 03/30/2008, 8 days)
  • (potted 04/20/2008, 3 weeks growth)
  • (transplanted 05/24/2008, 7 weeks) [hanging bucket]
  • Swiss Chard Bright Lights
    
  • (sprouted 03/27/2008, 5 days)
  • (transplanted 04/12/2008, 2 weeks growth)
  • (harvesting 05/18/2008, 7 weeks)
  • Looseleaf Lettuce Green Ice
    
  • (sprouted 03/27/2008, 5 days)
  • (transplanted 04/12/2008, 2 weeks growth)
  • (harvesting 05/25/2008, 43 days)
  • Butterhead Lettuce Burpee Bibb
    
  • (sprouted 03/27/2008, 5 days)
  • (transplanted 04/12/2008, 2 weeks growth)
  • Cinnamon Basil Ocimum bacilicum
    
  • (sprouted 03/29/2008, 7 days)
  • (transplanted 05/28/2008, 9.5 weeks)
    
  • Snap Pea Sugar Snap (failed)


• 03/19/2008 indoor sown
• Cauliflower: Little Cloud Hybrid
• (sprouted 03/24/2008, 5 days)
• (transplanted 04/30/2008, 5.5 weeks)
  
• 02/18/2008 indoor sown
• Parsley, Extra Curled Dwarf: Petroselinum crispum
• (sprouted 03/03/2008, 14 days)
• (transplanted 04/23/2008, 7 weeks growth)
  

First Official Indoor Seeds

This is what I did on March 22. Seven weeks before last frost. It might be early for the tomatoes, but I will see. This is all an experiment, so I will see if I get what I want out of it.

I planted 15 cells of seeds starting in the upper left and moving down the columns: 1-2 Tomato Super Sweet 100 Hybrid, 3-4 Tomato Red Lightning Hybrid, 5-6 Swiss Chard Bright Lights, 7-9 Looseleaf Lettuce Green Ice, 10-12 Butterhead Lettuce Burpee Bibb, 13 Cinnamon Basil Ocimum bacilicum, 14-15 Snap Pea Sugar Snap.

Seeds List

Here are most of the seeds I am working with this year.

1. Basil, Cinnamon: Ocimum basilicum
2. Carrot: Nantes Half Long
3. Carrot: Short 'n Sweet
4. Cauliflower: Little Cloud Hybrid
5. Cucumber, Burpless: Tasty Green Hybrid
6. Dill, Mammoth: Anethum graveolens
7. Lettuce, Butterhead: Burpee Bibb
8. Lettuce, Looseleaf: Gormet Blend
   
9. Lettuce, Looseleaf: Green Ice
10. Mixed Flowers: Heralds of Spring
11. Nasturtium: Fordhook Favorites Mix
12. Parsley, Extra Curled Dwarf: Petroselinum crispum
13. Pea, Snap: Sugar Snap
14. Pumpkin: Big Max
15. Radish: Cherry Belle
16. Spinach: Space Hybrid
17. Sunflower: Evening Sun
18. Swiss Chard: Bright Lights
19. Tomato: Red Lightening Hybrid
20. Tomato: Super Sweet 100 Hybrid
21. True Lavender: Lavandula angustifolia
22. Watermelon: Crimson Sweet
23. Wildflowers: Burpee's American Mix

Now, when and where to plant everything...

Getting Started

Just a quick note to get this blog started. My name is Chris and I wanted to create a log of what goes on in my gardening world. Our garden is in zone 4, so the winters get a little cold. The summers have long days and can get hot in August. I am just starting to get into gardening in our first house.

I thought this would be a good way to keep myself organized and to keep family and friends updated. This is my first blogging experience although I am a reader of many other blogs - including the topic of gardening. I hope to start posting some entries with photos about the plans for 2008.

I hope everyone who visits finds something interesting if only a peak into another garden.