Zeedman
Garden Master
Sometimes love & comfort is all you can give. 
AMKuska's 2023 Garden
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- #122
AMKuska
Garden Master
Everything is going well in the greenhouse except for the decicco broccoli and the spinach. I'm restarting them both, but does anyone have any tips for starting these guys?
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- #123
AMKuska
Garden Master
I guess it must have been those particular seedlings. I restarted and the new ones look especially strong and healthy.
ducks4you
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What happened to the spinach? Have you tried starting them in a warm place?
imaginacres.com
at%20a,mat%20until%20they%20sprout.%20Sunny%20South%20Facing%20Window
I know that once it is established it is really tolerant of cold temperatures. In the non winter of 2012 my fall spinach never died and I was harvesting early that Spring.
I understand the Eliot Coleman grows spinach for winter harvest.
"(Spinach and others) They are often cultivated out of doors year-round in areas with mild winter climates. The majority of them have far lower light requirements than the warm-season crops. The list of cold-hardy vegetables includes the familiar—spinach, chard, carrots, scallions—and the novel—mâche, claytonia, minutina, and arugula."
www.chelseagreen.com
www.chelseagreen.com
Hope this helps! Report back.
How to Grow Spinach Indoors - ImaginAcres
Spinach is an ideal crop to grow indoors in containers. The plants stay small and produce numerous harvests. Learn how to grow spinach indoors.
imaginacres.com
I know that once it is established it is really tolerant of cold temperatures. In the non winter of 2012 my fall spinach never died and I was harvesting early that Spring.
I understand the Eliot Coleman grows spinach for winter harvest.
"(Spinach and others) They are often cultivated out of doors year-round in areas with mild winter climates. The majority of them have far lower light requirements than the warm-season crops. The list of cold-hardy vegetables includes the familiar—spinach, chard, carrots, scallions—and the novel—mâche, claytonia, minutina, and arugula."
Eliot Coleman’s Components of the Winter Harvest - Chelsea Green Publishing
So you want to start reaping a winter harvest, but you're not sure where to start? No, worries, we've got you covered! Eliot Coleman breaks down the three basic components of the winter harvest so that this time next year, you'll be knee-high in produce! (Maybe not knee-high, but you'll...
www.chelseagreen.com
Gardening Tips from Eliot Coleman: How to Start Seedlings in a Cold Frame - Chelsea Green Publishing
Are you ready to get a jump-start on the gardening season? With a cold frame, you can get started now. A cold frame harnesses the sun’s heat before it’s warm enough to let unprotected seedlings growing outside. Essentially, it consists of a garden bed surrounded by an angled frame and covered...
www.chelseagreen.com
ducks4you
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Also, This article:
"I realized I needed to warm the soil in order for the seeds to germinate."
"Heat Mat: Spinach seeds will germinate at a temperature between 40˚F to 75˚F, but will sprout quicker in warm soil. Use a heat mat until they sprout."
imaginacres.com
"I realized I needed to warm the soil in order for the seeds to germinate."
"Heat Mat: Spinach seeds will germinate at a temperature between 40˚F to 75˚F, but will sprout quicker in warm soil. Use a heat mat until they sprout."
How to Grow Spinach Indoors - ImaginAcres
Spinach is an ideal crop to grow indoors in containers. The plants stay small and produce numerous harvests. Learn how to grow spinach indoors.
imaginacres.com
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- #126
AMKuska
Garden Master
Thank you so much @ducks4you ! I'll read all these articles and see what might be going wrong. I need to thin out the poorer plants in my last spinach starts, but I'm afraid to do it because they're finally doing so well. I'll read all this carefully so I know what I did wrong the first batch.Also, This article:
"I realized I needed to warm the soil in order for the seeds to germinate."
"Heat Mat: Spinach seeds will germinate at a temperature between 40˚F to 75˚F, but will sprout quicker in warm soil. Use a heat mat until they sprout."
How to Grow Spinach Indoors - ImaginAcres
Spinach is an ideal crop to grow indoors in containers. The plants stay small and produce numerous harvests. Learn how to grow spinach indoors.
- Thread starter
- #127
AMKuska
Garden Master
Here's a full update on what's going on in the grow tent.
Peppers
The hot peppers are growing at a decent pace. I'm glad that I started them super early.
Some of them are taller than that Bhut, but that's the one that came out the sharpest. I also decided to start a flat of the Holy Italians, so I hopefully will have lots of bell peppers this year:
They've just started to come up, but I anticipate good growth, as all the other ones are doing well.
Tomatoes
My first lot of tomatoes didn't sprout well, but I think I know the problem. I accidentally put them in the regular potting soil instead of the sterile medium, and the heat mat somehow got unplugged. They didn't like that! This new lot is growing well.
Lettuce
I planted 3 lots of lettuce because none of them grew well last year, but I am trying a new variety this year, "lettuce mix" from High Mowing Seeds, and it's actually growing quite well.
I'll probably start another lot of 3 in a couple of weeks so they are spaced out. If we don't eat it all I can always give it to the chickens.
Cabbage
My brocolli starts are growing slowly since I restarted them, but they are growing. The nappas on the other hand, are growing quite well and look very happy. I may start another set of 3 here in a week or so, haven't decided yet.
Pumpkins
The pumpkins are coming along quite well. I've also started some watermelons and some cucumbers. They're growing, but nothing photoworthy yet. I have some other melons on the way. Hopefully I'm not being too overconfident in growing things.
Spinach
Finally got some growth here! I need to thin them but I'm a little afraid something will happen and they'll die. Look how healthy they are though.
Peppers
The hot peppers are growing at a decent pace. I'm glad that I started them super early.
Some of them are taller than that Bhut, but that's the one that came out the sharpest. I also decided to start a flat of the Holy Italians, so I hopefully will have lots of bell peppers this year:
They've just started to come up, but I anticipate good growth, as all the other ones are doing well.
Tomatoes
My first lot of tomatoes didn't sprout well, but I think I know the problem. I accidentally put them in the regular potting soil instead of the sterile medium, and the heat mat somehow got unplugged. They didn't like that! This new lot is growing well.
Lettuce
I planted 3 lots of lettuce because none of them grew well last year, but I am trying a new variety this year, "lettuce mix" from High Mowing Seeds, and it's actually growing quite well.
I'll probably start another lot of 3 in a couple of weeks so they are spaced out. If we don't eat it all I can always give it to the chickens.
Cabbage
My brocolli starts are growing slowly since I restarted them, but they are growing. The nappas on the other hand, are growing quite well and look very happy. I may start another set of 3 here in a week or so, haven't decided yet.
Pumpkins
The pumpkins are coming along quite well. I've also started some watermelons and some cucumbers. They're growing, but nothing photoworthy yet. I have some other melons on the way. Hopefully I'm not being too overconfident in growing things.
Spinach
Finally got some growth here! I need to thin them but I'm a little afraid something will happen and they'll die. Look how healthy they are though.
Branching Out
Deeply Rooted
Had you in my thoughts when I was sifting a small bag of potting soil for seed blocking recently. Almost 1/3 of it was unusable woody bits. As potting soil this would be okay I guess, but for starting seeds in mini blocks it won't do. Do you think there is a perfect brand of super fine potting soil out there somewhere, and we're just not finding it??
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- #129
AMKuska
Garden Master
Yup, looks about like my last load! I'm getting a bunch of new grow pots coming in the mail, so I'll likely check out some new brands. I'll let you know if I find any that are amazing. For the baby babies, I use cocoa noir and it actually is fluffy and amazing for starting things, but it has no nutrients. I don't mind a few small chips of wood but I sure don't like those big sticks like in your photo.
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- #130
AMKuska
Garden Master
Potted up the first batch of tomatoes today! I have about 16 more to do.
only have one surviving broccoli from my last attempt. I'm suspecting it might be the pots though. I'm going to try them one more time in the plastic ones that my peppers and tomatoes are growing so well in.
If it's not that, I'll try my old seed from last year in case its the seeds itself.
only have one surviving broccoli from my last attempt. I'm suspecting it might be the pots though. I'm going to try them one more time in the plastic ones that my peppers and tomatoes are growing so well in.
If it's not that, I'll try my old seed from last year in case its the seeds itself.
