Sowing Seeds and Early Growth

Lucas helps prepare the bales for sowing

        Hello everyone and Happy Easter!  It has been a while since my last post, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy with the garden.  In fact the warm spring has been perfect for getting a jump on the spring planting.  After weeks of watering the bales have had their temperature spike, some reaching as high as 120 degrees F(!), and then have cooled.  It is important to wait for the bales to complete this process before planting as the high temperatures can damage the seedlings' roots.  The seeds from the wheat straw have begun sprouting as well.  If you are following along: don't try to pull the wheat grass until you are ready to use the bales.  It can be frustrating and it grows back quickly anyways. Besides, the longer and stronger the wheat grass gets, the easier it is to pull out!

Bales topped with ~2" soil/composted manure

        So now is the time to start the cold-loving crops outdoors and the less frost-friendly plants indoors - if you have seeds that is.  If you plan on using seedlings from the nursery you have another month or so of waiting at our latitude at least.  

Sowing arugula seeds

Lucas and Vivienne watch as seed pots are prepared

Sowing Outdoors     
        For the frost-resistant crops - various greens and snap peas in our case - sowing the seeds directly onto the bales is the prescribed method.  For this you will need to add a layer about 2" thick of soil to the top of the bales so the seeds have something to take root in.  Lucas and I chose to put about 1" of potting soil down first (after pulling as much wheat grass as possible), then followed with around another 1" of humus/composted manure.  After spreading this out evenly we were ready to sow our seeds.
        For the snap peas we made two shallow trenches on either side of where the soaker-hose runs down the middle of the bale closest to the fence.  This will assure the plants plenty of water and something to grow on.  We followed the instructions on the packet and planted the seeds about 2" apart and covered them with ~ 1 cm of soil.  If all goes well we will see seedlings start to sprout in 7-14 days and will use this as a cue to sow another bale with the peas.  This will allow for a more continuous harvest for the rest of the spring.
 

Cucumber seeds into the prepared pots

Micro Greens peak above the soil

        For the greens we simply sprinkled the seeds atop the bales, being sure to broadcast them as evenly as possible.  A thin layer of potting soil was then spread over them.  After all seed were sown the soaker-hose was replaced carefully and the bales were thoroughly watered with a gentle setting on the spray-nozzle so as not to wash away our handy-work.  Then the hose was reattached to the soaker-hose, the timer was set, and the garden was back on auto-pilot.  Every few days for the first week I used the spray-nozzle again to get an even soaking, then we started to get regular rain that kept the garden nice and moist.
        It is important to not be fooled by warm spells early in the spring and realize that frost WILL come. Only plant your frost-resistant crops outside until the threat of a frost has reasonably passed.  This doesn't mean that you have to wait to get your warm-loving plants started though!

Cucumber and tomato plants growing

                                                   
Sowing Indoors
        Not all plants can take the cold of spring.  Crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, and beans - these like it warm.  Pay attention to what your plants can handle.
        Since I like to select at least some of my plants from seed catalogs I have taken to starting the warm-loving plants indoors (except for the beans - they don't transplant well as I learned last year the hard way).  Starting seeds is easy using a seed-starting kit from your local nursery.  This year's kit included pellets that expand into growth medium when soaked with warm water (use the amount of water dictated in the directions for best results).  Once the pellets have expanded to fill their pots, use a crayon to achieve the perfect sized holes to sow your seeds in.  I have always planted two seeds to a hole, though it probably isn't necessary.
        After putting the seeds in I covered the holes over loosely, put the cover on, and within a couple of days we had cucumbers sprouting!  Make sure to note what is planted where to avoid confusion, I didn't do that last year and had no idea what was what in some cases.

Growth Begins
        After about a week we began to see the greens coming up outside. The soaker-hose seems to be keeping the bales moist enough to promote growth all the way to the edges.  After 12 days the peas began to arise, I'll have to get a picture of those and get going on starting another bale of them.  A perfect project for a beautiful Easter Sunday!
        The greens I will start to thin when they get just big enough for salad.  Hopefully they will keep salads going all spring like last year.
        The indoor plants are doing well at their south-facing window.  The squash and peppers have yet to show themselves and I am doing my best not to panic as the peppers at least took their time last year as well.  I am glad to see the tomatoes and cucumbers coming up - they are  special varieties.  If the peppers and squash don't make it I can replace them with seedlings from the nursery.

        If you haven't started your straw-bale garden yet, it is not too late!  Get out soon and find some bales.  Get them wet, add some high-nitrogen fertilizer, and they can be ready to plant before Mother's Day.  It requires a little work, but trust me, the benefits are worth the effort!