Preparing for the Summer Garden
Well, the tomatoes and peppers for my summer garden are on their way. I started my seeds about 2 weeks ago and just thinned them down to 2 plants per pot. I like to start mine in 3 to 4-inch pots because, in my personal experience, transplanting the seedlings only stunts their growth.
I start them in pots with a base of potting soil, topped off with a good 2 inches of seed starter mix. Seed Starter is a lighter soil mix that’s perfect for starting seeds. I have a little 4-level greenhouse with a zipper cover that I place the trays of pots in and place them by one of our huge sets of sunny windows.
Once the seeds have sprouted and reached about 2 inches in height, I thin them down to 2-3 plants per pot. Once they’ve really reached a size and strength I’m comfortable with, then I thin them down to 1. I also then unzip the cover and let them get regular air, as this helps strengthen the plants.
I admit I tend to do a mix of heirloom plants and hybrid plants since we live in a pretty wooded area and sometimes my plants need a little more stability than just the heirloom varieties provide. As much as I’d love to do all heirloom plants, I’ve discovered through many years of gardening, a mix usually provides me with the best results. I do, however, try and make sure that the seeds I purchase are non-GMO. I try not to support Monsanto whenever possible.
When the springtime finally arrives and, believe me, I can’t wait, I take the entire greenhouse outside and, leaving the cover on, but unzipped, let it sit for another week or two. Then, I remover the cover and let it sit another 2 weeks before finally transplanting into the ground. This process is called “hardening off” and helps make your plants more resilient to real elements they’re going to encounter outside.
Just a side note – make sure you always put a marker with the plant name in your pots so, if one or more of them doesn’t sprout, you know what you need to re-plant. Also, I do recycle a lot of my old pots, but only after washing them really well and then letting them soak, fully immersed, in a solution of bleach and water. You have to be really careful when reusing pots, as you can transfer diseases to your newly-sprouted plants.
Is anyone else starting their garden seeds? I also have some peppers, eggplants, and herbs going. This time of year always gets me excited for my summer gardens.
Have I mentioned how much I love digging in the dirt?
I only plant flowers (never started from seedlings) and I miss the feel of warm sun and dirt like a kid misses her mom while she’s at summer sleepaway camp. Yesterday my daughter and I had our faces pressed against the window, with our eyes closed, soaking in the sun that decided to pop out for a brief moment. It has been a very long, hard winter. And we are preparing for another Arctic blast this week.
We’re going to be part of that same arctic blast and, frankly, I”m not very happy about it. I love the mental image of you and your daughter with your faces pressed against a sunny window – somehow that’s very heartwarming and sweet.
I start just tomatoes, peppers and eggplant…well, along with some herbs. I used to go little crazier and realized these are really the only plants I want or need a head-start on.
I just keep looking at the calendar and thinking…it’s almost spring, it’s almost spring….
This winter has been simply brutal.
Oh, your post made me smile: summer is on its way!! As sure as it is grey and cold right now, it will be warm and sunny! Yeahy!
Cheers to summer! Boo to polar vortex!
Oh this post was a reminder that spring really will spring…eventually. I can’t even imagine summer! Another several inches of snow and below zero wind chills in my neck of the woods today. Just ridiculous. Thanks for the summer garden inspiration! 🙂
Thank you! We’re caught up in the cold and snow pattern here in N. Illinois, also! Planting my seeds gives me hope and inspiration, so it’s so nice to hear I inspired you a bit, too. 🙂 Stay warm…spring has to come eventually!
I’ll be starting my tomato and basil seeds next week…I usually grow heirlooms Do you have a favorite as far as a large slicing tomato?
Cherokee and Brandywine are my two favorite big heirloom slicers. I vary some of my heirloom tomatoes year to year but the Cherokee’s are always part of my garden, because they’re our favorite!
I grow them both…they have such great tomato taste.
I totally agree! And they’re beautiful, to boot!