New year! New potagers! What are you planting?
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SCan I include these started in winter 2021?
I hope to be adding some greens and flowers shortly.
Was going to reply in 2021 thread but figured easier to keep it to one thread. Do you have slow bolt cilantro, @shrinkrap? My variety last year was bolting when the plant was only about 4-5 inches tall. Got a lot of tasty coriander seed out of it, but very little cilantro leaves and plants in itself. Wasn’t sure if ordering the special slow bolt seeds was worth it.
I had the same experience. Maybe I should invest in some slow-bolt myself.
I bought seedlings this time, but I don’t think mine are slow bolt.
I don’t usually have bolting when I plant in the winter. They bolt by next summer though… I don’t usually try to grow parsley and cilantro in the summer.
Seeding some lettuce in seedling trays! They are going in an unheated greenhouse in Nor Cal.
I snuck in a few flowering perennials. Lettuce is new for me.
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Is that chervil on the lower left? Doesn’t quite look like parsley or cilantro
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It’s parsley, but I’ve got both flat leaf and curly growing together.
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My Earthboxes stay too wet in the winter. I’m going to try some coconut noir like this.
More about moisture in SIP’s
I also use “gro buckets” which are more flexible with regard to recommended “soil” mix and I can use a lower drainage hole when drainage is more important than maintaining soil moisture.
I also use City Pickers and something similar from Gardener’s Supply, that I can’t seem to find anywhere!
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Still planning to plant some of these shallots I harvested last year; sooo small I hardly ever use them. I’ve never planted this late before but understand some folks do. They are going in pots. Probably GroBuckets*
- Don’t forget to use the Support HO links! Couldn’t figure out how to embed them.
There’s a few stunted hardneck garlic bulbs in there too.
This is also my first year starting seeds in my green house and everything thing is taking sooo long! A few of my favs seedlings are finally emerging but a few have also rotted! What’s up with that? Think of turning the heater on, but I’m not used to coddling stuff in the winter.
Anyone else using a greenhouse?
Gosh, that sounds so embarrassingly “privileged”. 
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You’ve reminded me that I need to plant some seeds and see what comes up, if anything, since it isn’t going to freeze in the next week, so thanks for the nudge.
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I’ve had very good luck with “Calypso” cilantro. It was markedly slow to bolt. I’ve got a decent amount of seeds, if anyone wants to try some. Email me at the gmail dot com address and put rob.botanique in front of the @ symbol. I’ll need your ship to address.
Generally, Cilantro bolts/flowers on long days. It makes a great fall crop or very early spring crop. With plant lights, it’s best to keep the hours when the lights are on to at under nine hours per day. The Calypso did seem more resistant to long day bolting, and made massive plants. It’s my new favorite cilantro!
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Shrinkrap, it would be good to use a soil thermometer and see how chilly the soil is, measured early in the morning, before the sun is up, or whenever the coldest period is. Compare what you see with germination specifications and then you’ll have clues. You can opt for a seedling heat mat, if needed. I use those a lot, especially with tomatoes, peppers and the warm growers. Most vegetable seeds generally like growing at 80°–85° F (27°–29° C). Favas are an exception, germinating best around 68°–75° F ( 18°–24°C). With favas, if the soil temperature goes above around 80°F (27°C), germination can be inhibited.
With the bean-pea families, cool/cold soil can encourage an Aspergillus type rot. I’ve seen it on Snail Beans, (Vigna caracalla) and a few others. A greenish, powdery growth around the seed is evidence of it. Plants that survive the infection remain stunted.
A reminder to all: Store your seeds in an airtight container, in the fridge if possible. Glass jars work well, as do sealable plastic boxes. Before opening, let the container come to room temperature, so it doesn’t “sweat” and moisten the seed or container. Return seeds to the cold as soon as possible.
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Thank you!
Are you referring to the soil where I’m planting in the ground or the seedling trays? I will check soil temperature before I try again. I’m guessing it’s in the fifties. I usually do trays indoors or in the garage, and this is my first time in the greenhouse. I’m doing favas, stock, lettuce, and verbena bonarienses there. I’m using seedling trays with some kind of “soil” and polymer plugs and they are growing mold or fungus.
I’ve also sprayed my apricots and pluots with dormant oil a few times, and did some timid pruning today.
Next up are the grapes, and shallots in containers.
I’m referring to the soil temperature wherever the seeds are, in the ground and/or containers. In containers, the air temperature has a faster impact heating or chilling the soil. The earth with in-ground planting changes much slower, due to the thermal mass.
50s is very cold for germination, even for favas. Check out the Germination Guide on this Johnny’s Seeds page.
Damp off, actually a group of fungi, seem to prefer cooler soils. I used to have more trouble with damp off until I cranked the heat mats up to 85°F (29°C).
It’s funny that although fava bean plants can take frosty cold conditions, the seeds/sprouting seeds are vulnerable to cold which isn’t that bad.
There are a bunch of seeds which like very cold soil or even need it: Breadseed poppies (Papaver somniferum), many varieties of Orache (Atriplex hortensis) and Agretti (Salsola soda). *I’ve seen Salsola komarovii, known as Saltwort or Oka Hijiki (land seaweed) falsely called Agretti, in at least one seed catalog. S. komarovii does not require cold soil to germinate. Surprisingly, Spinach is not in this group of cold germinators.
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Me! Can I DM you my mailing address?
Very helpful; thank you!
I guess I’m spoiled and it often pays off, to some extent. I’m going do better!
I do have three boxes of sugar snap peas that have sprouted and survived, although some were torn up, and some have rotted, the favas are finally emerging,I think they took about 26 days at these low, wet temps.
How dare they!?!
I’ve been using a book called something like “Seed Starters”, but generally after I fail.
“Stock” flower seedlings are doing okay, but only a few sweet peas emerged, and the lettuces in the greenhouse is going no where, many in fancy starting medium with fungus or mold . I’ll try more sweet peas and sugar snaps in a few weeks, but check or raise the temps first.
I have several heat mats that I use for peppers and tomatoes, but usually indoors, and in February. Any thoughts about heaters and heat mats in a greenhouse? That seems like “extending” beyond what seems rewarding to me, but maybe not.
I “pruned” ( aka abused ) stonefruit trees and grapevines today .
February means spring here.
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I don’t know what DM is, but you can try that. Is that the messages within Hungry Onion?
Here, in the subfreezing winters of VA, we use both heaters and heat mats. Heat mats are cheaper to run 24/7 and should have some sort of thermostat, so they shut off on warm, sunny days. Heaters should also have a thermostat and be carefully used, following all directions to prevent a fire. If the heater is electric, make sure it doesn’t accidentally get wet. Unplugging and removing it until watering is done might be wise.
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