My how time flies.
I can’t believe it’s been three weeks since I last posted. It really seems like it was only a few days ago! Just goes to show that time flies when you’re having fun.
The seedlings that were planted a little over a week ago are coming up beautifully. We have a very well defined routine to how the seedlings are started. Since each type of plant requires a different way of sprouting, we have created zones in our starting area.
Some plants require heat, but no light at first. These are started in recycled styrofoam egg cartons on the top shelf. The heat from the shelves below rises up to warm the bottoms of the containers so the soil gets to around 75 degrees. We close the tops of the cartons to give them the darkness they prefer and to keep in the humidity. Once they sprout, the cartons are opened to let in the light and they are moved to the next shelf down which provides both light and warm air. When the plants are strong enough and they outgrow their little egg cartons, the strongest plant in each ‘pod’ is transplanted to a styrofoam cup. The egg cartons are washed, dried and put aside for the next round of seedings.
Some seedlings require light and heat. These are placed directly in small styrofoam cups on the top and middle shelves of the next starting unit. They get light from our lamps and heat. Once they have sprouted, they are also moved to the next shelf to get both light and warm air. Once they are bigger, the weakest plants in each cup are removed. Then we run a fan to move the air around the seedlings for a couple hours per day. This simulates a light breeze and keeps the seedling from getting ‘leggy.’ The lights above these seedlings hang very close to their cups, also to prevent legginess, and as the plants grow the lights are raised higher up.
Some seedlings prefer dark and cool conditions to germinate, others cool and sunny. These seedlings are started in a seperate area away from the heat and covered with newspaper if they need it to be dark. These end up being placed by a sunny window when they’ve sprouted, are rotated so they don’t grow one direction leaning toward the light and also get a fan periodically.
The styrofoam cups we use serve multiple purposes. They retain moisture and are sturdy. When we are ready to plant the seedlings outside, we can cut the bottom of the cup off and use the remainder of the cup as a protective collar while the seedlings adjust to the soil and get stronger. Once they are no longer needed, we reuse them all over the place. Breaking them into big chunks and using them at the bottom of potted plants to help with drainage (much lighter than rocks), insulation for the chicken coops and other shelters, and more. Believe me, we hate the thought of using something that’s not biodegradable; however, it’s turned into the best and least expensive way for us to start hundreds of little plants and we make sure to use every last one of them so they don’t end up in a landfill!
In addition to planting, we’ve got 27 little chicks pecking around. 26 of them will be used for meat and one has become my little buddy. “Lucky” was brought to me a few nights ago by our son, Devon, and was barely clinging to life. Since he (she?) is of a different breed than the others, he isn’t getting as big as fast. From what I can tell, he was trampled by the other chicks. Believe it or not, I performed mouth-to-mouth, er, -beak, and after about an hour of working with the little guy he was back up and bouncing around. Hence the name, “Lucky.” He now spends most of his time in a protected area of the brooder and I let him out several times a day to socialize with the other chicks while keeping a close eye on him.
Our laying flock is also doing quite well. We usually have breeds that lay brown eggs but have a few Brown Leghorns this year that are producing the most delicious, almost jumbo-sized white eggs. The youngest girls are just now starting to lay and we are hopeful for a very productive year. The biggest thing, as always, is protecting them from the predators.
This week we will be starting more early plants and, yes, we are trying eggplant again this year. Keep your fingers crossed!
~ Karin