What Are You Planting Today, This Week, This Month?

[Phaedra]

The forecast said we would have a summer-like April, and very soon, the temperature will rise to 25C/77F.

I transplanted today some broad beans seedlings that I pinched the top shoots. The side shoots grow from both the stems and the bottoms. Don't know how much they can adapt.

Since the weather will be nice for a while, I sowed pumpkins, cucumbers, sunflowers, and more snap peas. Maybe I should sow soybeans again. I like Edamame very much, but the harvest is quite limited. I guess the weather is not warm enough for them.

 

[P Suckling]

Nothing today, but 2 weeks ago it was time for the chilis to go into the propagator, with a little bottom heat. They germinated quite well and are now in a much cooler place by the window. Also a couple of pinches of lettuce seed and Giant Bolivian Achocha. We have tiny plants to care for again.

 

[Branching Out]

It certainly does feel good to have tiny plants to care for. Today I am sowing Boltardy beet and Kuroda Nova carrot seeds in mini soil blocks, just as an experiment to see if they will tolerate germinating in these tiny cubes of soil. If it works I will pop them in the ground outside almost right away, perhaps after a week or so after they sprout.

 

[meadow]

It certainly does feel good to have tiny plants to care for. Today I am sowing Boltardy beet and Kuroda Nova carrot seeds in mini soil blocks, just as an experiment to see if they will tolerate germinating in these tiny cubes of soil. If it works I will pop them in the ground outside almost right away, perhaps after a week or so after they sprout.

Spoiler alert: they do quite well in mini soil blocks... but beware of waiting too long to pop them outside. Putting the blocks on top of a layer of loose soil gives the roots something to go into if they exceed the height of the block (and that happens, at least for carrots, pretty quickly after emergence).

 

[Branching Out]

This is encouraging news-- thank you Meadow! Are mini blocks your preferred method for starting beet and carrot seeds?

I decided to try my hand at creating 'double decker' mini blocks for the seeds, to give the roots a bit more room to grow downward. I did a couple of single blocks of each as well. As long as the blocks remain upright and don't collapse I think it might work. And next time I will try your trick
of placing the blocks on top of a layer of loose soil.

 

[heirloomgal]

This is encouraging news-- thank you Meadow! Are mini blocks your preferred method for starting beet and carrot seeds?

I decided to try my hand at creating 'double decker' mini blocks for the seeds, to give the roots a bit more room to grow downward. I did a couple of single blocks of each as well. As long as the blocks remain upright and don't collapse I think it might work. And next time I will try your trick
of placing the blocks on top of a layer of loose soil.

When I first saw this post I drooled for a moment - fudge brownies with crushed walnuts on top! Yum!

 

[meadow]

This is encouraging news-- thank you Meadow! Are mini blocks your preferred method for starting beet and carrot seeds?

I decided to try my hand at creating 'double decker' mini blocks for the seeds, to give the roots a bit more room to grow downward. I did a couple of single blocks of each as well. As long as the blocks remain upright and don't collapse I think it might work. And next time I will try your trick
of placing the blocks on top of a layer of loose soil.

For starting early carrots and beets where I want to ensure germination, yes. It is quite fiddly for carrots if the root is extending below the block. The little root wants to cling to the side of the planting hole and it is tricky to get it in there.

Last year the carrots started in mini-blocks did MUCH better than the direct seeded carrots. Of course that could just be a reflection of my inexperience with carrots, I dunno.

For beets though, they do so well being direct-seeded that I would only use the soil blocks if I want to jumpstart the season. I had some that were pretty well started last year (I can't remember how far along they were) and direct-seeded some about the same time as transplanting. They both did very well.

 

[Branching Out]

For beets though, they do so well being direct-seeded that I would only use the soil blocks if I want to jumpstart the season.

I was able to grow a nice crop of beets a few years ago and since then it has been a struggle; I am at the point where I am considering just growing them for the greens--- because that is often all I get. This year I invested in several different varieties, to see if that makes a difference. If you have any suggestions for how I might up my game I welcome all assistance.

 

[ducks4you]

When do you start your beets? I ALWAYS seem to plant mine late, but I always get Some kind of harvest,
Here are a couple of links that might help you!

You searched for how to grow beets - Harvest to Table

harvesttotable.com

Growing Beets in Containers: How to Grow Beets in Pots

Growing Beets in Containers is easy. This quick-growing vegetable doesn't require much care and perfect for beginner container gardeners.

balconygardenweb.com

My favorite beets are the forono beet bc you get a lot more beet to eat,.

Forono Beet | Beet and Vegetable Seeds from Gurney's

Forono Beet has a smooth, cylindrical shape and makes slicing easy. Its tops are sweetly flavored when cooked as greens. Good for canning and eating fresh.

www.gurneys.com

Also, when I cut the tops off of a large beet I can tell right away if it's tough. I have harvested a lot of 2 inch thick beets that were tender.
Grow beets for the root. The root was developed from a primarily leaf vegetable, then developed in Swiss Chard to eliminate the root.
(Sounds a little like the lemon.)
Grow greens from Swiss Chard, Rainbow Swiss Chard is, IMHO and lovely flowery vegetable that fits nicely in a flower bed, too,

 

[Branching Out]

I dug out my beet seeds. Kind of a nice collection. Boltardy are the first ones that I am sowing, as they can apparently handle being planted in February. I may just try a few of them in a container-- thank you for suggesting that!