Seeds are in!!

The 2017 Seed Rack has arrived!  It has a great selection of vegetables and herbs to grow a plethora of tasty crops.  Follow the links below to see about our selection and when to start vegetables in our area

2017 Seed Selection
Starting Vegetables in the Tri-Cities Handout
 

Steps Preparing a Vegetables Garden

Starting the garden or refreshing the garden starts before you buy a seed or transplant.  

Place the garden in a space that is in a sunny spot, afternoon sun is best.

1.  Figure out your type of garden.  Row, raised, or container. Row gardens are where the garden is planted in rows. Raised gardens are a little easier because you build raised beds to house you veggie garden.  There are many variations to this garden type, you can organize your crops into rows or grids.  The final type is container gardens, they are portable and work anywhere there is sun, water and someone to care for them.  Just remember to go with a large enough pot for your crops.
2. Work organic matter into the soil, store bought or home prepped compost work great. See our selection of composts by following this link. You want to work the ground with it by turning it, tilling it or raking it.
3. Plan out the crops, what are going to use and when.  If the spring is mild enough you could plant peas, radishes or quick maturing lettuce, harvest them then plant your tomatoes in the same spot at Mother’s Day. Also consider planting a late summer or fall crop when you have had that fill of tomatoes.
4. Consider what you want to start from seeds or transplants. (Buying Seeds or Transplants)
5. Now plant that garden. Weed it, care for it and then harvest!  Enjoy!

Written by Alex Job

Seeds vs Transplant for Vegetable Gardening

Vegetable gardens can be started by seeds or transplants.  A lot of vegetables are available both ways, sometimes its advantageous to go one way or the other.  

Seeds- Are inexpensive, however if you planning on starting the seeds indoors you are going to need pots, potting soil, fertilizers, space and the time to care for them.  Some vegetables are easy to plant in the ground when the time is right, these include lettuce, radishes, carrots, spinach, mustard, melons, beans, peas, corn, cucumber, squash,  and pumpkin.  While tomato, eggplant, celery, peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower require indoor starting to get them to produce on time, this can be 3 to 5 weeks before planting time.  Also how much do want of each crop, if your just feeding the household you may want to limit your number of starts, so your not overwhelmed with one crop or another.

Transplants- These are plants that have already been started and ready to plant when the time is right (weather and ground conditions).  Instead of buying seed packs of every variety you want to grow or try, you can buy only what your garden has room for or what you want to contend with.  This allows you to have several varieties of a crop to mix it up a little or experiment with new varieties, while still having some old favorites.  

Here is a list of Plants and which way is best, easier or convenient to have from seeds (S) or transplants (T).  It really all based on how much work you want to do.

Beans (S or T)
Beets (S)
Broccoli (T)
Cabbage (S or T)
Carrots (S)
Cauliflower (T)
Celery (T)
Corn (S or T)
Cucumber (S or T)
Eggplant (T)
Lettuce (S or T)
Melons (S or T)
Onions (S or T)
Peas (S)
Peppers (T)
Pumpkins (S or T)
Radishes (S)
Spinach (S or T)
Squash (S or T)
Tomato (T)

By Alex Job

Gardening by Soil Temperature

This is a practice to help you be more successful with you seeds and transplants.  All you need is a soil thermometer to track the soil temperature three inches down.  This tends to more effective than planting by calendar, or if the air feels right for spring.  The weather and seasons don’t always follow our calendars.  The weather can be warm but if the ground hasn’t warmed up yet, your transplant won’t root and the seeds won’t germinate!   

On the parent page to this one, we mentioned Cool Crop Veggies, Warm Crop Veggies and their differences. Now lets look at their soil temperature requirements and this will help plan, plant and grow easier.  

Cool Crop Veggies seeds will germinate between the soil temperatures of 40 to 90 degrees F.  Cool Crop Veggie Transplants can be planted at about 50 degrees F.  

Warm Crop Veggies seeds germinate between the soil temperatures of 60 to 100 degrees F.  The Warm Crop Transplants prefer to be planted when the soil is about 65 degrees F.

When the soil is at proper temperature for your crop, generally the weather is also at the proper conditions for it to survive and grow.  Remember to be patient and follow the directions of your Thermometer.

By Alex Job