Using Vermicompost to Start Seeds
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In Texas, we are just starting to think about the tender crops that can't stand the heat. After carefully looking at the 10 day forcast, I started planting my fall/winter garden last Monday and Tuesday. Of course it was supposed to be in the high 80s this week, according to that forcast...now we are looking at 96F today. Phooey--hope my seedlings will make it if I baby them along.
The bed was prepped with lots of compost, composted leaves, molasses, and alfalfa meal. Where I put seeds in, I prep with a light coating of vermicompost. For example--I make a 1 inch depression along a row to plant my bush beans and sprinkle vermicompost into that depression. For lettuce, I lightly sprinkle vermicompost along the top, broadcast my seed, then lightly cover with garden soil.
I have dill, trying to get another round of cucumbers before first average frost (Nov. 15), cilantro, 2 varieties of spinach, at least 5 varieties of lettuce (Mesclun, 2 romaines, sucrine and red deer something), radish, purple bush bean and blue lake bush bean. I use the lettuce and spinach as a living mulch in between the beans and cucumbers. I left room for broccoli transplants later in the month.
On the side opposite of where I planted all the stuff mentioned, I still have some okra plants hanging out. I plan to pull those later in the month and make that my strawberry patch (which you plant in the fall in TX for a May-June crop). I will interplant borage and more spinach among the strawberries.
The amazing thing is that everything except the cilantro and dill were already sprouting by Saturday--5 days! I credit the vermicompost, which is known to help with seed germination. Now we will see if they can withstand this weeks temps.
Once seedlings are about 2-4 inches, I will use some diluted Worm Wine (TM) every 7-10 days to keep them happy and healthy.
Oh--my tomato patch had a little room for edamame and snap peas,which are coming along nicely. my tomatoes are rebounding and blossoming and I am hoping that worm tea-ing them throught the brutal hot months will help yield lots of fall tomatoes!
I really need to fix my computer-camera connection which has some technical problem--would love to have some pics to show either the genius or the folly of what is going on here in the hot Texas sun.
What are you planting? Give us a holler and share your garden throughout the fall and winter.
Enjoy your football, fall garden, and hope for cooler days ahead.
In Texas, we are just starting to think about the tender crops that can't stand the heat. After carefully looking at the 10 day forcast, I started planting my fall/winter garden last Monday and Tuesday. Of course it was supposed to be in the high 80s this week, according to that forcast...now we are looking at 96F today. Phooey--hope my seedlings will make it if I baby them along.
The bed was prepped with lots of compost, composted leaves, molasses, and alfalfa meal. Where I put seeds in, I prep with a light coating of vermicompost. For example--I make a 1 inch depression along a row to plant my bush beans and sprinkle vermicompost into that depression. For lettuce, I lightly sprinkle vermicompost along the top, broadcast my seed, then lightly cover with garden soil.
I have dill, trying to get another round of cucumbers before first average frost (Nov. 15), cilantro, 2 varieties of spinach, at least 5 varieties of lettuce (Mesclun, 2 romaines, sucrine and red deer something), radish, purple bush bean and blue lake bush bean. I use the lettuce and spinach as a living mulch in between the beans and cucumbers. I left room for broccoli transplants later in the month.
On the side opposite of where I planted all the stuff mentioned, I still have some okra plants hanging out. I plan to pull those later in the month and make that my strawberry patch (which you plant in the fall in TX for a May-June crop). I will interplant borage and more spinach among the strawberries.
The amazing thing is that everything except the cilantro and dill were already sprouting by Saturday--5 days! I credit the vermicompost, which is known to help with seed germination. Now we will see if they can withstand this weeks temps.
Once seedlings are about 2-4 inches, I will use some diluted Worm Wine (TM) every 7-10 days to keep them happy and healthy.
Oh--my tomato patch had a little room for edamame and snap peas,which are coming along nicely. my tomatoes are rebounding and blossoming and I am hoping that worm tea-ing them throught the brutal hot months will help yield lots of fall tomatoes!
I really need to fix my computer-camera connection which has some technical problem--would love to have some pics to show either the genius or the folly of what is going on here in the hot Texas sun.
What are you planting? Give us a holler and share your garden throughout the fall and winter.
Enjoy your football, fall garden, and hope for cooler days ahead.
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