Seedlings Up! In Less Than A Week!

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And My Forth Organic Food Order

After just planting last weekend, the seedlings are up!  The salad greens, brussel sprouts and cauliflower were up first and prolific.  Their seeds are so tiny you have can't avoid planting too many.  The peas and beans are growing a bit slower, but they are much larger.  I am impressed with the germination of these seeds.*

Now that the little sprouts have come out to say hello, the best way to care for them is pretty simple:

1. Make sure the temperature is moderate, not too hot and not too cold
2. Use good soil.  Fresh potting soil is what I always use.
3. Do not overwater.  The pots should never sit in standing water, and you should not water until the the soil actually starts to dry out.
4. Rotate the tray every day.  This helps all the plants get even light
5. Make sure to thin the plants appropriately.  If they are overcrowded, it makes it more difficult for them to grow.  When thinning do not pull out the plants.  This may disturb or destroy the roots of other plants that are close.  It is better to take small scissors and to snip the plants off at ground level to thin them out.
6. Seedlings need about 16 hours of light a day, so it's better to have a light over your trays.  I don't use a grow light, I just use a swing arm desk lamp with a florescent tube light  I turn it on for an additional few hours after the sun goes down.
   
   

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Here is the same tray after thinning.  The kale needed the most thinning.  After another week, they will probably have to be thinned again, and in about three weeks I may have transfer them to a larger pot, depending on the size.

I am pretty thrilled with the performance of my starter seeds so far.  Next weekend I will be planting a tray of squash and cucumbers.  I am excited because this year I know for a fact that all my plants are non GMO because my seeds are certified organic and non GMO.
I got them from the Seeds of the Month Club from Mike the Gardner.  In addition to being delivered to my door, they seeds are less than $.65 per envelope.  Stack that up to what you pay in the store for seeds that may or may not be GMO.  If you are interested in the Club, you can get the information here:

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Organic Food Delivery Update

Got today's e mail and after 4 substitutions this is what I decided on:

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So glad they had mushrooms this week, I love fresh mushrooms!  I also want to try their radishes, something my husband really likes in his salad.  I will show you what arrives in Monday's post

Have a Great Weekend!

Jade    :)

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