Five Resources On How To Make Soil Blocks For Seed Starting

March 26, 2012  |  1 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Do It Yourself - Gardening (DIY), Gardening

One of the best things about the gardening community is the sheer willingness to share information, walk through step by step how to solve a problem, and the overall good-natured support provided.

This Spring, there have been a bunch of solid guides for making seed starting soil blocks. While I’m content with making use of my Aerogarden for its hydroponic seed starting or the Jiffy pods, one of the most common methods for getting gardening going is by using soil blocks (pictured below).

Soil Blocks

Soil Blocks

Here are five links that you should read, use, and bookmark:

1. Daphne’s Dandelions – Soil Block Tutorial: I’m hesitant to use this word, but what an epic post by the Harvest Monday ringleader. She really covers the process, end to end, everything from soil to using a commercial blocker.

2. Annie’s Kitchen Garden: I’m sharing this one because she goes through, step by step, on how to make a soil blocker from pieces from your local hardware store or that you might have in your basement. As a huge supporter of ‘found-gardening’, I recommend this since it re-purposes discarded items.

3. From my bookmarks, Instructables has another guide for making a beefier soil blocker. Another potential for re-purposing.

4. Treehugger.com’s John Laumer has another great step-by-step guide with clear and concise photography.

5. Gardening Channel’s post has a great list on how to improve the longevity of your soil blocks.

Bonus video:

While I love soil blocks for their use-of-use factor, they do take time to make. However, they help reduce clutter and waste that you would get from buying seed flats, from your local hardware store or gardening center. Soil blocks are extremely easy to transplant. Plus, you can make bigger blocks and transplant the smaller cubes to fit inside the bigger ones. It’s like a puzzle! Or not.

Five Resources For Preparing Soil For Starting Seeds

March 25, 2012  |  Comments Off  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Do It Yourself - Gardening (DIY), Gardening

While it’s great to receive free seeds, what should you do with them after receiving them? Should you plant them directly in the ground? Should you run out and buy some Jiffy pods? Should I get some potting mix and used my saved yogurt containers? Do I need to add special nutrients to my soil?

Soil Mix

Soil Mix

The answer to all of those is ‘yes, you can do that’. As you get more acquainted on the topic of gardening, a topic that comes up every year is how can you prep soil or soil-free mix to plant in.

Everyone has an opinion, on the matter, and there really is no right or wrong answer. Here are five resources to help you get started down the path of seed starting:

1. Colleen Vanderlinden, a great organic gardening writer, over at About.com, shares her recipe on The Perfect Soil-Less Recipe for Seed Starting. For the most part, the recipe can be extended to container gardening, in general.

2. Sharon Astyk, at Scienceblogs.com, takes a more philosophical, thoughtful approach to her process. She shares her thoughts, not only on seed starting mix, but the entire starting business.

3. One of the biggest controversies in gardening is the use of and diminishing of peat moss. If you read any blogs about gardening and homesteading, you need to add Root Simple to that list. Here’s a great Peat-free Planting Mix Recipe With Coconut Coir. The post does a FANTASTIC job of explaining the different ingredients that they use, many of which you should consider, for your garden (especially the worm castings).

4.Of course, the Gardens Alive website has a great Q&A/FAQ on preparing soil for window boxes.

5. A big question for Year Two and beyond, especially for container gardeners: Can I Reuse Old Potting Soil? Gayla Trail AKA YouGrowGirl writes about one of the tougher topics and how she recycles her soil. Nutrients need to be replenished and adjusted, based on what you’re growing. Many plants have different needs.

Bonus Video:

Here’s an organic potting mix recipe, if you have about 10 minutes:

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How to Make Seed Tape

March 24, 2012  |  Comments Off  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Do It Yourself - Gardening (DIY), Gardening

Are you an anal gardener? Do your plants have to be a certain distance apart? Especially your flowers? Are you a carrot or a radish planter? Are you bored in the winter, and you’re looking to interact with gardening, in some way?

Well, then seed tape is for you!

Seed Tape Roll

Seed Tape Roll

Over at HGTV, there’s a quick and easy guide on how to make seed tape. Materials you’ll need:

  • toilet paper (paper towels and napkins also work)
  • ruler
  • marker
  • Elmer’s white glue
  • seeds
  • toilet-paper tube or paper-towel tube cut into thirds

Then it’s as easy as cutting, measuring, adding a dab of glue, and then placing the seeds. You can plant the tape immediately or store it until you’re ready.

Initial Plant List For 2012

March 14, 2012  |  1 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

With so much to choose from and even more to give away, I’ve narrowed down what I am going to grow, in Summer 2012. My focus is on canning and pickling, as well as making small jars of baby food for future consumption.

Started – 03/06/2012
1. Dill (x6- Sprouted  4)
2. Spinach (x6)

Started – 03/14/2012
1. Roma VFN Tomato
2. Sausage Tomato
3. Porter Tomato
4. Banana Legs Tomato
5. Chico III Tomato
6. Lydia Pepper (Czech Republic)
7. Fuszer Paprika (Hungarian)
8. Feher Ozon Paprika (Hungarian)

Pending Start
1. King Crimson Sweet Pepper
2. California Wonder Bell Peppers
3. Padron Hot Pepper
4. Lipstick Sweet Pepper
5. Gretel Eggplant
6. Blue Spice Basil
7. Marigolds
8. Cilantro
9. Summer Squash
10. Dark Green Zucchini Squash
11. Sugar Baby Watermelon
12. Lemon Cucumber

This is going to be my largest endeavor yet. With the temperatures reaching into the high 70s and low 80s, it sure feels like I should already have my peppers and tomatoes sprouted and prepared for outside love.

Pre-Sprouting Spinach

March 8, 2012  |  1 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

On Monday, I picked up my third packet of spinach in four years. I have never had any luck with the little yummy bastards. I thought by getting Burpee seeds, fresh off the shelves in March that I could beat my track record of sprouting absolutely none of them!

Over at Granny’s Blog, I ran into a link about pre-sprouting spinach before planting the seeds. It appears to be a simple enough process… From Ed:

On Wednesday night I soaked the seeds in water and a few drops of liquid fertilizer. Thursday morning the cups were drained and the seeds were placed on a damp coffee filter soaked with the same solution. They were placed in a plastic bag and placed on top of the refrigerator.

It took him two days to sprout those spinach plants.

Right now, I am trying to sprout spinach in my Aerogarden, but so far, the only thing I’ve ended up with is fuzzy seeds. At this point, I’m not sure if it’s normal or if it’s mold. Based on my track record, I’m leaning toward mold.

The Great Seed Give Away 2012

March 6, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

Recently, I cataloged the seeds that I’ve collected over the years. And I realized that I have a ton. Over SEVENTY (70) potentially different types, which are just way more than I would ever grow, in the current configuration that I have.

2012 Seeds

2012 Seeds

Rather than just let them sit around for another year, I’ve decided to offer them to aspiring gardeners and veterans who want to try a different strain of a favorite veggie. The cost of seeds can really make or break gardening for some people.

What do to:

  1. Look through the list, below, and decide which you’d like to try.
  2. Like the blog on Facebook (to the right). This is optional, but desired, for my ego!
  3. Send an email to seeds@thisorganicprocess.comwith the seeds that you want (MAX 10). I will send you back an email, confirming that I’ve received your request. I will then give you my address.If I don’t respond after 48 hours, please email me again.
  4. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope/package (SASE) to me, at the address I will provide. I will send you some seeds. I cannot afford to pay for postage.
  5. ???
  6. Profit Grow
  7. Optional: send me seeds that you think I might like, that I don’t already have.

I’m not asking for anything in return (seed sharing is totally optional). I already have my plants picked out for the year, and they’ve started growing. If this makes you happy, you can Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or subscribe to the RSS feed, in the right sidebar.

I cannot guarantee you’ll get the seeds you ask for; this is a first-come, first-served process. I’ll strike-through whatever I run out of, when I do the daily mailing. I have more of some than others; I only have one baggie left of some; others, I have an almost infinite supply. I also cannot guarantee viability. I’ve stored these seeds properly and I cannot vouch for how they’ve aged, in some cases.

Please share this with friends, family, or anyone you think might like seeds. Repost the link in forums, on Reddit, on Facebook. Write it on a bathroom wall, at the bar you go to this weekend (not really).

I am located in Maryland, United States, which might impact mailing times (damn USPS and not having teleportation). If you are located outside of the United States, email me to discuss. The postage just might not be worth it, for you.

This will run through the first week of April, 2012. until I get tired of filling requests and/or I run out of seeds.

UPDATE 04/25/2012: Seeds that have a strike-through are no longer available.

Seed Name Plant Type Year Source
Kentucky Wonder (Pole Type) Garden Bean Bean 2010 Pack
Copenhagen Market Early Cabbage Cabbage 2010 Pack
Halona F1 Cantaloupe Cantaloupe 2010 Gardener
Scarlet Nantes Carrot Carrot 2009 Pack
Gold Nugget Cherry Tomato Cherry Tomato 2010 Gardener
Sweet Million Cherry Tomato Cherry Tomato 2011 Plant
Golden Jubilee Hybrid Corn Corn 2010 Pack
Sweet Corn Early & Often Hybrid Corn 2010 Pack
H-19 Little Leaf Cucumber Cucumber 2010 Gardener
Patio Pickler Cucumber Cucumber 2011 Plant
Lemon Cucumber Cucumber 2011 Gardener
Calypso Cucumber Cucumber 2011 WinterSown
Muncher Cucumber Cucumber 2009 Pack
Fairy Tale Eggplant Eggplant 2011 Plant
Gretel F1 Eggplant Eggplant 2010 Gardener
Bush Blue Lake Bush Green Bean Green Bean 2010 Pack
Cilantro/Coriander Herb 2010,2012 Pack
Blue Spice F1 Basil Herb 2011 WinterSown
Rosemary Herb 2009 Pack
Sweet Basil Herb 2009 Pack
Cinnamon Basil Herb 2010 Pack
Parade Scallions Herb 2010 Pack
Baby Romaine Lettuce Lettuce 2009 Pack
Parris Island (Romaine) Lettuce Lettuce 2009 Pack
Henderson (Bush) Lima Bean Lima Bean 2010 Pack
Mixed Color Marigold Marigold 2011 Pack
Queen Sophia Marigold Marigold 2011 Pack
Tasty Bites F1 Melon Melon 2011 Gardener
Peas Pea 2008 Pack
Ring-O-Fire Cayenne Pepper 2010 Plant
Yellow Bell Peppers Pepper 2011 Plant
Pepperoncini Pepper Pepper 2011 Plant
Padron Hot Pepper Pepper 2010 Gardener
Gourmet F1 Sweet Pepper Pepper 2010 Gardener
Islander Sweet Pepper Pepper 2010 Gardener
Purple Beauty Bell Pepper Pepper 2011 Plant
Red Beauty Bell Pepper Pepper 2011 Plant
Lipstick Sweet Pepper Pepper 2010 Gardener
King Crimson Sweet Pepper Pepper 2011 Gardener
California Wonder Bell Pepper Pepper 2010 Pack
Jalapeno Pepper Pepper 2010 Plant
Cherry Bomb Pepper Pepper 2010 Plant
Early Jalapeno Pepper Pepper 2010 Plant
Jalapeno Pepper Pepper 2011 Plant
Feher Ozon Paprika Pepper 2011 Gardener
Fuszer Paprika Pepper 2011 Gardener
Lidie/Lydia Paprika Pepper 2011 Gardener
Sugar Pie Pumpkin Pumpkin 2010 Pack
Sparkler White Tip Radish Radish 2009 Pack
Mammoth Melting Sugar Snow Pea Snow Pea 2010 Gardener
Dark Green Zucchini Squash Squash 2010 Pack
Summer Squash Squash 2010 Pack
Butternut Squash Squash 2011 Plant
Bush Early Girl Tomato Tomato 2011 Plant
Beefsteak Tomato Tomato 2010 Pack
Orange Blossom Tomato Tomato 2010 Gardener
Roma VFN Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Rio Fuego Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Pera d’Abruzzo Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Chico III Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Porter Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Bellestar Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Banana Legs Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Black From Tula Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Sausage Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Roughwood Golden Plum Tomato Tomato 2011 WinterSown
Tiny Tim Tomato Tomato 2009 Pack
Cherokee Purple Tomato Tomato 2011 Plant
Sunkist Tomato Tomato 2010 Plant
Mirabel Cherry Tomato Tomato 2010 Plant
Sugar Baby Watermelon Watermelon 2010 Pack

 

Gearing Up For Seedling Starting In Aerogardens

March 5, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  by Ben Czajkowski  |  Gardening

While some people are off planting their spring gardens, I’m beginning to plan for my summer crops.

Black and White Aerogardens

Black and White Aerogardens

Last year, I decided to start my seeds in my Aerogardens. I picked up some extra sponges and a new pump, for the black one. Previously, I’ve started seeds in eggshells, pop bottles yogurt containers, and the those expandable Jiffy pods. This year, I’m trying something new and fun to justify picking up the massive seed starting tray; I’ll be starting with twelve pods to gauge my results.

Still narrowing down what I want to grow and trying to set goals for myself, for the growing season.