Latest Update 25th January 2021.
Crops like onions, leeks, beetroot, radishes and turnips are sown in moist, organic seedling mix in seed tray modules in a propagator. I grow mine in clusters of 4 so sow at least that many in each cell.
Cover the seeds to a depth twice the seed's diameter. Place the seed trays in drip trays with 10mm of dilute seaweed extract in them to water the seedlings from below. They will stay moist longer compared to overhead watering, and the foliage will stay dry.
When the seedlings are big enough, transplanted them in clusters of 4 directly into prepared soil in the designated garden bed. Keep the root balls as intact as possible, and water them in with rainwater. Once they have established themselves and are growing strongly, protect the surrounding soil with a generous layer of straw mulch (warm and dry weather only).
Growing suitable plants in clusters in an organic seedling mix seems to encourage collaboration rather than competition between plants and my results have been excellent so far. Charles Dowling who has a smallholding in Somerset in the UK has used this technique commercially for many years and his YouTube presentations are well worth viewing.
Sow plants with small seed like lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, capsicum, spinach, cauliflower and broccoli in multiple clusters in seed tray modules and water from below in drip trays.
Transplanted them individually into fresh organic seeding mix in clean seed tray modules and water them in. When they are big enough, transplant the seedlings into a prepared bed, and water them in. Once the seedlings are established and growing strongly, cover the surrounding soil with a protective layer of straw mulch.
Sow plants with larger seeds like peas, beans, corn, pumpkin and cucumbers directly into prepared soil to grow till harvest. A shallow drill (trench) is made with a dibber and the seeds are sown evenly spaced and about twice as deep as their diameter. Sow a few more than planned to ensure enough of them germinate, and then water them in. Once they are established and growing strongly, protect the surrounding soil with a generous layer of straw mulch.
Carrots seeds do not transplant well and they take a long time to germinate. They easily dry out and die if the soil is not kept moist.
I prepare my carrot bed by mixing homemade compost with the top 30mm of soil (which I remove). The mix is finely sieved and returned to the bed. This special mix helps retain moisture and gives young seedlings a good start.
Before sowing, mix carrot seeds with fine sand in an old jam jar with holes drilled in the lid. Make shallow drills with a dibber, and sprinkle the seed/sand mix into the bottom of the drills. The sand helps distribute the seeds evenly and when a light covering of the sieved soil is applied, its easy to see when the sand and seed is covered.
Water them in lightly and use a rectangular untreated timber frame covered with horticultural fleece (which is set about 70mm above the soil) to protect them and limit evaporation. Check soil moisture levels frequently and mist with captured rainwater if needed. As soon as the seedlings are established and growing strongly, remove the frame.
Grow seed potatoes and garlic cloves individually in rows in prepared beds. Sow them at a depth twice their diameter using a wooden dibber and water them in. Cover them with straw mulch and leave them to grow to maturity without disturbance.
Use a dedicated propagator to grow plants from cuttings. The highly active homemade compost I use is about 60mm deep and the moist humid conditions are ideal for growing cuttings. I have had near 100% success striking them directly into this compost without needing to use hormone preparations or anything else other than watering them in with rainwater.
When taking cuttings (usually in early spring), I like to cut them about 100mm long if possible. In any case, they need to be cut just below a leaf node and stripped of leaves other than the top 2 to 4 small fully opened ones. The cuttings then need to be inserted to 50% of their length in the compost medium and watered in with dilute seaweed extract.
Once the cuttings have established themselves and are growing vigorously, they are ready to be planted out. Its important to ensure the root ball is not disturbed too much during this process. Once they have established themselves and are growing strongly protect the surrounding soil with a generous layer of straw mulch.
No comments:
Post a Comment