PRE Transplant-
Some weeks ago, (it may actually be a couple months now), we started to get ready to plant a garden in an open area of the field. Of course the first step is to choose the seeds which encompassed plants like Jill-be-Little Pumpkins, Little Gem Lettuce, and Afternoon White Cosmos, among many others of course. We've got beets, lettuce, pumpkins, a few different kinds of flowers and kale. This is something we actually have not done yet, so a new adventure is always exciting! It starts with seeding them and labeling the trays in the shed where they will stay until they germinate. Justina was able to find lights that turn off and on by set hours, this is something that helps to mimic the natural hours the sun will be shining so that the plants are accustomed to this when they eventually are transplanted outside. The first week or so the seeds do not have a root system that can reach very far so instead of watering them regularly we sprayed them down, making sure they were completely soaked through. The trick to those first days is to mimic rain so that the seeds are shown they have conditions that will aid in their germination. After they have grown root systems, watering is much less time consuming. Throughout the last month and a half we have watered the seedlings every other day and sometimes more depending on the temperatures during the week. Another important step we took was to use water mixed with organic fertilizer every two weeks to give the seedlings some added nutrients. With around five hundred plants it took just about three and half gallons of water to water them all every other day during the hottest parts of the summer. The process became a sort of therapeutic in some ways. Repetition can be this way in any conditions, but when you are caring for another living thing the calm just permeates everything. The seedlings have grown so strong and tall in the last few weeks, and I feel a sense of pride. Caring for indoor plants has always been something I enjoyed, but the feeling is heightened I think when the plants are allowed to grow as tall as the sky (and their species) permits. Lately to prep for their transplant we have been mulching using hay and cardboard. Soon we will hook up the irrigation routes that we have started to lay out!! Every step makes the whole project more exciting; never underestimate the anticipation brought by tossing some hay.
POST Transplant-
As of October 26th we have officially (finally) finished transplanting all of the 500 seedlings. We have eight rectangle plots along with a circular one with a spiral pattern of plants! As I am writing this I am watching the sprinkler water the plants and I just keep thinking about how fast the plants have been growing now that they have been in the ground for a while.
I think it’s an ode to the passage of time and our tendency as humans not to notice it. It’s hard to see the ways we are growing and maturing every day. Sometimes the realization comes when you look in the mirror and a new wrinkle reminds you that you’ve smiled more in the last year than ever; and sometimes it comes when you’re watching the sun illuminate new growth on a sunflower stalk.
We are really learning as we go with all of this stuff! One of our biggest priorities is disturbing the soil as little as possible while simultaneously keeping weeds at bay enough that the transplants have a head start on them. The first time we seeded and planted something was in the No Rules/Chaos Garden, that is where the tons of zucchini came from! One of the hardest parts for us is finding the time to plant and then water all of the seedlings after they have been transplanted.
Most of the plants are in rectangular plots by themselves but we decided to try something new with the beets and our ornamental kale! We've got a spiral pattern with a pattern of alternating Chioggia Guardsmark Beets, Black Magic Kale, and Red Ace Beets. We even used Frank's leash to create the spiral because something found our rope in the shed and decided it needed a little snack.
The plants are generally doing very well out there all by themselves in the real world! A lot of them were planted right before we had a bit of a windy week. The first day or so they looked a little rough but now they are standing as straight and tall as ever. The Marigolds and Zinnias we planted are particularly lively and strong, and we even have a sunflower already opening its petals. Beets are not generally the strongest soldiers when it comes to transplanting so we did not have unrealistic ideas about how they would fare, but there are some strong ones which have continued their growing process in their new soil!! Most of what we did when transplanting was mulch the areas around the new seedlings to protect them, for the spiral we also added some compost which seems to be extremely appreciated by the kale which has been thriving by the way!
Currently we are watering them with a sprinkler, but because we do not have access to county water anymore we will be relying on rainfall!! In the winter we will finish setting up the irrigation system, which we started a few weeks ago! That of course was its own project because somehow in the process of bringing the rolled up lines out to the field they became intertwined in ways I previously thought were only possible through an intent to tangle. However, we persevered and eventually cut and laid all of the lines so that they would reach as much of the plots as possible.
A little note from Justina:
The seeding is definitely one of the fun experimental parts of the business for now. we often don't do things in the right time and probably don't use the most efficient methods. but for now this is where we learn, this isn't an area of the business where we rely on income, it's also not an area we can afford to expend a ton of expenses on but for now it works and helps me practice my attachment to perfect outcomes.
The first round of seeding didn't germinate all too well, the second time I tried they germinated great - I had upgraded the lights and did some research on the soil mixture and did a much better job watering. Then they sat for too long, and we forgot to water them so barely any of them made it. The ones that did survive, we planted in our "No Rules Garden" and we loved it. It also was a prolific productive space, apart from the tomatoes, and now this time around the germination was fantastic and the seedlings looked great!! Unfortunately once again, time won and we planted them out wayyyyy too late. BUT we've learned so much and know that it will only be better next time. Next time around we are going to plan in the calendar a "seeding day (or 4)". Also, now that we will be planting when the soil has hopefully had some rain it, won't be so tough to drill into. If and when we plant during dry months when the ground is concrete we know to lay compost/soil down instead of trying to drill into the ground.
We would love to know what methods have worked for you all when seeding and transplanting!!