The first few seedlings appeared today, twelve days after planting, three days after increasing the moisture level in the potting soil.
Swiss chard normally germinate in 4-10 days.
Although the radish seeds have swelled there has yet been no sign of green. They are several days late.
It turns out that although the top of the potting soil has been kept moist, half an inch down it is bone dry. I didn’t expect this in a plastic tray with no drain. Apparently the potting soil is not wicking – perhaps due to the baking we gave the compost to kill pathogens.
Today therefore I gave the seeds much more water than usual in hopes that some will penetrate farther.
Some notes on the vines on the lowest level of the south side in Mariposa. They’ve been in place a few years and have seldom been pruned. Today I pruned a lot of deadwood out of the wisteria.
| Species | Variety | Water | Prune | Blooms | Lowes* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vine Lilac | Hardenbergia violacea | Semi-Moist | Growth Control | Winter-Spring | L5100 |
| Hall’s Honeysuckle | Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’ | Semi-Moist | Keep Compact | Spring-Fall | L3046 |
| Pyracantha | Pyracantha sp. | Semi-Moist | Annually | Spring | L4567 |
| Purple Leafed Honeysuckle | Lonicera japonica ‘Purpurea’ | Semi-Moist | Keep Compact | Spring-Fall | L3792 |
| Vine Lilac | Hardenbergia violacea | Semi-Moist | Growth Control | Winter-Spring | L5100 |
| ‘Purple’ Wisteria | Wisteria sinensis ‘Purpurea’ | Arid-Dry | Feb & Jul | Late Spring | L3088 |
*Lowes codes identify plants at Lowes Plants.
Tidied up the new veggie bed with several rakings and some flexible edging.
We’re still holding our breaths waiting for seed germination. The radish seeds have swollen some more but no sign of green yet and no action from the other seeds.
Today I dug over the small Mariposa veggie patch for the second time. I also added the fertilizer, ash, and compost.
The radish seed set two days ago has pushed up to the soil surface but we won’t count it as germinated until some green appears. As best I can tell from Wikipedia, all the brassicas are dicotyledonous.
The 15-30-15 we use in small quantities is Miracle-Gro.
The 22-3-4 is actually 29-3-4 lawn fertilizer but 7% of the N is slow release so we count it as 22-3.4. It also has 3% S and 1% Fe – it’s the least acidic high N fertilizer that we could find in our three local stores.
We’re also using some fine white hardwood-ash, which we estimate is 0-1-5 and 25% lime.
We’re putting in a small patch in hopes of raising a few veggies before we head north.
South veggie patch chemical soil test results:
| Test | Value | Meaning | Element for 32 sq ft | Fertilizer for 32 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pH | 6.5 | good | – | – |
| N | 0 | depleted | 1.4ozs | 4 ozs 15-30-15, plus 4ozs 22-3-4, plus 14ozs Wood Ash 0-1-5 (est.), plus a cubic foot of pH5.5 Compost. Pre-mix Wood Ash and Compost. |
| P | 0.5 | v. deficient | 1.2ozs | |
| K | 0.5 | v. deficient | 1.3ozs |
Soil tests pH7.5 indicated by soil meter, confirming that the soil meter reads one pH too high.
Fordbook Giant
Expected germination: 4-10 days
Expected harvest: 55 days
9 cells of 2 seeds each.
Started 05/04 in potting soil.
Increased moisture 05/13.
Germinated 05/16-05/20, 10 of 18 (56%).
None survived the earwig attack.
Harvest: None
Purple Top, White Globe
Expected germination: 7-10 days
Expected harvest: 55 days
9 cells of 2 seeds each.
Started 05/04 in potting soil.
Increased moisture 05/13.
None germinated due in part to insufficient moisture and possibly also due to pH.
Harvest: None
Bibb / Limestone
Expected germination: 7-10 days
Expected harvest: 57 days
9 cells of 2 seeds each.
Started 05/04 in potting soil.
Increased moisture 05/13.
None germinated due in part to insufficient moisture and possibly also due to pH.
Harvest: None
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