Comments on: Grow lights on again!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:54:47 +0000

Mike, are you at the same stage this year that you were in 2009 when this photo was taken? Any changes to the way you’re handling February chores to prepare for spring planting?

By: Mike (tfb)

Mike (tfb) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:49:19 +0000

Mangochild: Well, that SHELF is pretty organized! :) Mark: Yes, I trim. I posted about that last year: Trimming leeks. It seemed to work out OK, so I'll be doing it again this year!

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:48:56 +0000

Do you trim your onions once they get 3-4 inchs tall? I read in a book to do so, but dont know if I should keep trimming. Love your site, full of great info.

By: Mangochild

Mangochild — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:59:09 +0000

Very exciting! It looks so organized, especially so quickly after the move. Your seedlings have a great start to their lives I think. They really are quite inspiring as to what can be achieved.

By: Matron

Matron — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:23:08 +0000

So exciting to get the season off to a start with the use of a light box. I just use a heated propagator here in England, the days are definitely getting longer now. Hooray!

By: Mike (tfb)

Mike (tfb) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 02:57:53 +0000

Annie: I’m super-busy, indeed! :) Not for everyone, this amount of stuff going on, but I love it. I forget if I mentioned in an earlier post, but along with the usual spring garden work, seed starting and that, AND the unpacking and setting up, AND working out the various things that we don’t have here that we had at the old farm, like a ready supply of aged manure, there’s also all the biz kinda stuff, like applying to the local farmers’ market (that could be a bit of a struggle, it could be hard to get in, and we won’t be able to even apply for a week or two yet), new organic certification (we’re going for it again, even though I have my reservations…), and so forth. All to do in the next couple of months! FUN! :)

Chiot’s Run: Yes, after growing my first onions from seed last season, I wouldn’t want to go back to sets only. Although, we’ll be planting sets as well…

Ryan: Spring soon come!

alex: I’ve never pre-treated seed, haven’t had germination problems so far. Hot water treatment I think is the basic, tried and true. There are some weird high tech chemical approaches that big commercial growers use. Yikes. And there are other treatments as well, like immersing in concentrated sulphuric acid! Hmmm…

Peg: There’s definitely something special about the first seedlings of the year, whatever they happen to be. And then that’s soon forgotten as you’re suddenly swimming in seedlings. Microgreens sound cool. I’ve thought about them since Year 1, especially as a winter crop, but never tried. I wonder what the market is like for them around here, nearer a much bigger town than before? They’re a pretty high-end product, it takes a lot of tiny seedlings to make a mouthful!

By: Dan

Dan — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 02:52:17 +0000

Now this is a veggie photo to drool over! Great work my garden blogger friend.

By: Peg

Peg — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:44:40 +0000

Your seedlings look marvelous. I have cabbage and spinach and lettuce under lights and am growing microgreens under lights. It is exciting.
I can pick the microgreens in one week and they are delicious.
Peg

By: alex

alex — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:13:26 +0000

i never had any luck with parsley germinating until i tried soaking it overnight in a glass of water. now we have tons of parsley!

i’ve also heard of people pouring boiling water over the seed and something with salt..not too sure on that one.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:09:38 +0000

Ours are going under the lights this weekend although in smaller numbers that you have there. Can’t wait to come out and see the new Tiny Farm when the snow is gone.