This year I went out and bought a sicky blueberry shrub at Lowes for $10 on sale.  I drilled holes in a giant planter, mixed some soil, organic matter, and acidic plant fertilizer together.  The blueberry bush came in a box with the roots wrapped in peat.   I decided not to unwrap it.  Messing with roots while transplanting usually kills my plants.  So I just buried the entire thing straight from the box.  On top I put a layer of pine needles to act as a mulch, while increasing the acidity of the planter.

Below is a picture 4 months after planting.  I had just returned from a trip to Disney World and my garden was a mess.

Below is the same plant after I removed the weeds.  Quite a difference?

After 30 days that tiny sprout of new growth is now taller than the entire plant.

Supposedly blueberries wont bare fruit until the 3rd year.  In the meantime, should I get any suckers this year or next, I have a spare planter to fill.

When to start growing from seed:  Check the Internet for the date of the last frost in your area.  In New Jersey that date is March 15th.  For tomatoes, you want to start your seeds 8-10 weeks before that date.  

• Equipment:  The following equipment is what I’m using, not a requirement.  The idea is to allow your plants a 2 month head start, not to raise a crop indoors.  Thanks to the indoor marijuana growing industry there are a wide range of products available online.  Unless your goal is to grow pot for a hobby, avoid the high priced grow lights and hydroponics and use what you have lying around the house
• Seed Flats – 72 tiny square pots is plenty.  The plastic cover keeps the moisture in and lets you use it later outdoors without birds eating your seeds.  The only important facts are drainage holes at the bottom and a waterproof tray below.
• Potting soil – Nothing fancy, just needs to be weed free.  That’s why you don’t want to use soil from the garden.
• Seeds – Pick something designed to grow in your area.  Check the website of your local agricultural Cooperative Extension
• Light Fixtures- Fluorescent is better as they use less power, also, incandescent fixtures get hot when left on for 18 hours a day, but use whatever you have lying around the house.  If you must buy something, cheaper is better unless you are experienced and know exactly what you want.  No matter which type of lighting you choose, be sure your bulb matches the fixture.

As you can see above, my makeshift area is doing just fine.   The light fixtures themselves I scrounged from the garage and attic.  The seed trays and potting soil I found in my shed.  The only expenditures this year were $15 for the two light bulbs. A General Electric 41624 60-Watt Plant Light Bulb and a G E LIGHTING #49892 GE15W Plant Fluo Bulb , $3.00 worth of potting soil. and $1.00 in seeds.

Seed Starting tips:

Use fresh seed: While seeds may last a few years, either use your own gathered from your best plant last year or buy new.

Spreading the seeds: Flatten out the soil, put a seed in the center of each pot, then put 1/4 inch of soil on top of that.

Water from the bottom: Pour water into the tray below and allow it to soak upwards.

Proper lighting distance: A rule of thumb is 5 inches above the leaves for fluorescent lights and 10 inches for incandescent lights, but check the package for the bulbs you are using.  If the plants are drooping, the light may be too close.  Plants should be reaching up for the lights.  As the plants grow, raise the height of your light source.  Keep lights on 18 hours a day, not 24 hours a day.

Transplant once before planting:  The tiny flats are way too small to support proper root growth.  One you see two real leaves, not those bogus cotyledons pictured, move each plant into a planter of it’s own.  I’ll be using 18 ounce plastic drink cups with drainage holes cut in the bottom.

Harden off your plants: This means to put your plants outdoors in the sun for an hour a day to start, then increase the time daily before you’re ready to plant permanently.  About a week before I’m ready to put them in the ground, I’ll put all my plants into a little wagon to make transportation easy.

Do not use fertilizer: Until you get your plants into the ground.  The exceptions are some synthetic seed starting mediums that contain no nutrients.  Just go with cheap potting soil and you’ll be fine.

In a later article I’ll post pictures of my growing setup.  For now I just wanted to share with you my Excel spreadsheet.  The spreadsheet is my way of documenting my gardening efforts.  Let me give you a brief description of the columns.

Date: Self explanatory

On and Off: This is the time of day that I turned my grow light on and then off.

Total: The total duration in hours the light was turned on.  For you excel nuts, here is the formula: =(C2-B2+(C2<B2))*24

Height:  This is where I measure growth, if any.

Notes:  A place to comment about anything noteworthy, like watering, misting, bugs, types of lights, whatever.

Why take notes at all?   Ideally, you want the lights to be on 18 hours a day.   I didn’t want to pay the extra money for a timer.  I’m not even sure a timer would work with my fluorescent light.  Unfortunately, I always forget how long my lights have been on and if I have watered the plants or not.  As it tracks the date, I’ll know if I started germination too soon or too late for my seeds.  Next year I’ll learn from this year’s data and hopefully improve upon my results.

If you would like a copy of my spreadsheet: It’s your for free.  I’m happy to learn and pass along anything to help fellow gardeners.  Download the zipped copy of  my Excel Seed Germination Spreadsheet.

 Harvest all the remaining crops.  The only plants still blooming were some tiny watermelons I knew hadn’t a chance to mature and my lima bean plant.  The lima beans just recently started to flower, so I’m going to work around them.  (Plenty of flowers, but no pods yet.  They should keep growing until the first frost) I yanked all plants, roots and all, and threw them onto the compost pile.  The strawberries I transplanted into barrels.  Maybe next year they will bear fruit.

Rake the soil flat.  I like to grow things in neat little rows.  Flattening it with a metal rake between seasons allows me to remove any large rocks pushed towards the surface and break up the soil where hidden roots may remain.

Lime the soil.  While my garden was already sprouting, I tested the PH of my soil after the fact using special PH Test Strips.  The soil PH tested at 5.5, which is very acidic. Water is a neutral 7 on the scale, with the best growing conditions being slightly acidic for most plants.  (6.5-7)  Some plants, like blueberries, prefer acid soil, but 5.5 is too low for most vegetables to thrive.  With any luck my application of lime will bring the PH up to 6 or higher by next season.

Spread compost over the entire garden.  All year I’ve been collecting leaves, grass clippings, and other garden waste in a big pile.  Now it’s obtained a deep black soil color.  I spread this compost over my recently limed soil.  As the leaves fall, I will run them over with the lawn mower and put them on top of the compost. 

Turn the soil over before the first snowfall.   Using a spade I will turn the soil about a foot deep to mix things up further.  This should give my garden plenty of organic matter come spring.  By removing rocks now, my garden should be almost ready to go.  I’ll turn the soil one more time come spring to aerate the soil.

Plan next year’s garden.  Never too early to think about what you want to grow for next year.  Already I am planning on strawberries, baby watermelons, a new variety of tomato, new variety of corn, and some berries.  Gone are the carrots.  I just don’t enjoy eating them that much.  The wife would like to see Chinese cabbage and chives.  Remember, you don’t want to grow the same crop on the same spot 2 years in a row.  Because of the partial shade my garden receives, I’ll be particularly looking at items with short growing seasons. Maybe I’ll even try to grow a turnip. Lot’s of planning to go!